New legislation on Food Waste in Poland

Poland has a new legislation regarding food waste that oblige shops to provide unsold food for charity free of charge.

Beeld: ©Murawska

According to this new legislation, stores over 250 square meters, of which half or most of their revenues come from the sale of food, will have to enter into agreements with non-governmental organizations for the free transfer of unsold food. It is primarily about products that have been discontinued due to defects in their appearance or packaging. Stores will have to conclude the first contract with a non-governmental organization that manages food within five months since the legislation is coming into force. The new legislation foresees financial sanctions for food sellers who, despite the mechanisms for the transfer of unsold food products free of charge, will generate significant amounts of 'food waste'. Sellers will pay 0,1pln for 1 kg of food thrown away.

Alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content above 1.2% and alcoholic beverages which are a mixture of beer and non-alcoholic beverages in which the alcohol content exceeds 0.5 percent will not need to be forwarded.

Food vendors will also have to run educational and information campaigns in stores targeted at consumers about rational food management. They will have to be conducted at least once a year for at least two consecutive weeks. Fees for wasting food will be reduced by the sellers' costs for such campaigns.

The legislation also provides for financial penalties, including for the lack of a contract regarding free food delivery. If this happens, the seller will pay 5,000 PLN fine. However, it will not apply if the food seller demonstrates that it was not possible to conclude such an agreement with a non-governmental organization in the area where they conducts business.

If you are interested to know about the food waste in Poland, please see our previous articles:

Food Waste in Poland

Cooking from Food Waste

We will discuss the issue of food waste on our Circular Agricultural Day on the 10th of October at the Dutch Embassy in Warsaw – please save the date – we will release the agenda soon.