Country of origin labelling for fresh fruit and vegetables in Poland has improved significantly following enforcement actions by the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK).
According to the regulator, recent inspections show that incorrect origin information in retail stores is now rare after several years of investigations, fines and follow-up checks.
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The issue gained attention after consumers reported misleading labels in supermarkets, prompting the Polish competition authority to examine how retailers displayed the country of origin for fresh produce.
Investigations and inspections carried out by the Trade Inspection (Inspekcja Handlowa) led to penalties against major retailers and tighter oversight of labelling practices.
Investigations into fruit and vegetable origin labelling
UOKiK began examining the origin labelling of fresh fruit and vegetables in retail stores after receiving complaints from consumers about incorrect information displayed on store signs. Inspections compared data shown on shelf labels with delivery documentation and product packaging.
The checks revealed cases where the country of origin displayed on the shelf differed from the information on packaging or supply documents. This meant shoppers were not always able to identify where produce had actually been grown.
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By GlobalDataIn 2019, inspectors examined 96 stores belonging to 18 retail chains and reviewed 1,162 batches of fruit and vegetables. Irregularities were found in 32.3% of the stores, with 118 batches—around 10.2%—questioned due to missing or incorrect country-of-origin information.
Further inspections in the first half of 2020 covered 395 outlets, including 356 chain stores. In this phase, inspectors identified labelling issues in 140 locations, representing more than 35% of the sites visited.
Fines issued to major supermarket chains
The investigations led to enforcement action against large supermarket operators. UOKiK issued decisions in 2021 against Jeronimo Martins Polska, the owner of the Biedronka chain, and Kaufland Polska Markety for misleading country of origin information on fresh produce.
The authority imposed a fine exceeding PLN 60 million on Jeronimo Martins Polska and PLN 13.2 million on Kaufland Polska Markety. Courts later upheld the regulator’s decisions, confirming that the retailers had breached consumer protection rules.
Under Polish consumer law, companies may face financial penalties of up to 10% of their annual turnover for practices that infringe collective consumer interests, including misleading product information.
Compliance improves after enforcement actions
Follow-up inspections carried out in the third and fourth quarters of 2025 show a sharp improvement in compliance with country of origin labelling rules. The Trade Inspection found irregularities in less than 1% of the batches examined, ranging between 0.23% and 0.73%.
According to UOKiK, the results suggest that enforcement measures and financial penalties have encouraged retailers to improve how they present product information to consumers.
The regulator states that clear and accurate origin labelling is essential because many shoppers consider the country where fruit and vegetables are produced when making purchasing decisions.
The issue remains relevant for the European retail sector as regulatory scrutiny of food labelling increases.
New rules introduced in Poland in February 2026 require fresh fruit and vegetables sold loose to display a flag showing the country of origin, aiming to provide clearer information to consumers at the point of sale.
For retailers and suppliers, the case highlights the growing regulatory focus on transparent food labelling and accurate product origin information across the EU grocery market.
