Poland tightens fruit and vegetable origin labelling in supermarkets

Country of root labelling for caller effect and vegetables successful Poland has improved importantly pursuing enforcement actions by the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK).

According to the regulator, caller inspections amusement that incorrect root accusation successful retail stores is present uncommon aft respective years of investigations, fines and follow-up checks.

The contented gained attraction aft consumers reported misleading labels successful supermarkets, prompting the Polish contention authorization to analyse however retailers displayed the state of root for caller produce.

Investigations and inspections carried retired by the Trade Inspection (Inspekcja Handlowa) led to penalties against large retailers and tighter oversight of labelling practices.

UOKiK began examining the root labelling of caller effect and vegetables successful retail stores aft receiving complaints from consumers astir incorrect accusation displayed connected store signs. Inspections compared information shown connected support labels with transportation documentation and merchandise packaging.

The checks revealed cases wherever the state of root displayed connected the support differed from the accusation connected packaging oregon proviso documents. This meant shoppers were not ever capable to place wherever nutrient had really been grown.

In 2019, inspectors examined 96 stores belonging to 18 retail chains and reviewed 1,162 batches of effect and vegetables. Irregularities were recovered successful 32.3% of the stores, with 118 batches—around 10.2%—questioned owed to missing oregon incorrect country-of-origin information.

Further inspections successful the archetypal fractional of 2020 covered 395 outlets, including 356 concatenation stores. In this phase, inspectors identified labelling issues successful 140 locations, representing much than 35% of the sites visited.

The investigations led to enforcement enactment against ample supermarket operators. UOKiK issued decisions successful 2021 against Jeronimo Martins Polska, the proprietor of the Biedronka chain, and Kaufland Polska Markety for misleading state of root accusation connected caller produce.

The authorization imposed a good exceeding PLN 60 cardinal connected Jeronimo Martins Polska and PLN 13.2 cardinal connected Kaufland Polska Markety. Courts aboriginal upheld the regulator’s decisions, confirming that the retailers had breached user extortion rules.

Under Polish user law, companies whitethorn look fiscal penalties of up to 10% of their yearly turnover for practices that infringe corporate user interests, including misleading merchandise information.