As of Tuesday, all fruits and vegetables sold in bulk and placed on the market must be labeled with the flag of their country of origin. This requirement stems from a regulation issued by the Minister of Agriculture. Products placed on the market before February 17 without these markings may continue to be sold until stocks are exhausted.
The Ministry of Agriculture explained that, until nowโin accordance with EU regulationsโinformation regarding the country of origin for unpackaged fruits and vegetables was only required in written form. Starting Tuesday, in addition to the existing text, sellers will be obligated to include a visual symbol of the countryโs flag. The Ministry emphasized that this information must be placed "in a prominent position near the product and be legible, so as not to mislead the consumer."
New Labeling Rules
Starting February 17, 2026, new food labeling rules come into effect under the regulation of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development: fresh fruits and vegetables sold in bulk must be marked with the flag of the country of origin. According to the ministry, this is intended to provide consumers with clearer informationโboth verbal and graphic. The Minister of Agriculture believes this solution will increase market transparency and enable consumers to make more informed purchasing decisions.
A similar requirement has been in place in Poland for potatoes since 2019, and for meat sold in bulk since 2020.
Concerns from the Retail Sector
Retail chains associated with the Polish Organization of Trade and Distribution (POHiD) remain skeptical of the new "flagging" regulations. In their view, the introduction of this mandate could lead to increased product costs and heighten the "risk of errors in consumer decision-making."
POHiD argued that the "Product of Poland" (Produkt Polski) label currently used by retail chains effectively and clearly highlights domestic produce. The organization contends that flags are visually easy to confuse and merely duplicate the existing text information regarding the country of origin.
The organization estimates that the cost of implementing these new markings for large retail chains could reach approximately 17 million PLN.
Agreed