Voluntary Report - public distribution

**Date:** 7/16/2004

**GAIN Report Number:** PL4022

PL2004

**Poland**

**Product Brief**

**Dried Fruits and Nuts**

**2004**

**Approved by:**

Charles Rush, ![](media/image1.wmf)Acting Agricultural Counselor

U.S. Embassy

**Prepared by:**

Jolanta Figurska, Marketing Specialist

Charlene Kastanek, Agricultural Intern

**Report Highlights:**

Overall Polish imports of dried fruits and nuts increased 6.5 percent in
2003. US exporters have more opportunities to enter the market due to
the May 1, 2004, accession of Poland to the EU. Demand for these
products generally increased between January and May, stimulated by the
Carnival Season

Includes PSD Changes: No

Includes Trade Matrix: No

Unscheduled Report

Warsaw \[PL1\]

\[PL\]

**Section I. Market Overview**

Quick snacks and foods are showing continued expansion in the Polish
food industry. Polish consumers perceive dried fruit & nuts as a
positive, healthy form of food \"on the go.\" As a result, this sector
shows overall growth. Total imports of dried fruit & nuts in 2003 were
77,286 MT, a 6.5 percent increase from 2002. This developing market has
brought forth a variety of changes, including bulk packaging. While bulk
packaging brings in a higher quantity of product, it has proven to
decrease overall quality. The lack of a tariff for raw shelled and
unshelled peanuts and newly decreased tariffs for walnuts, pistachios,
raisins, dried prunes, and mixed nuts due to the May 1, 2004, EU
accession, may offer U.S. dried fruit and nut suppliers the opportunity
to capture a larger market share in Poland.

Market research shows that about 32 percent of the Polish population
buys a variety of nuts and dried fruits throughout the year. Nearly 65
percent of the Polish population purchases nuts once a month, 25 percent
purchases nuts once a week, and 7 percent purchases nuts more than once
a week. Among the nuts available on the Polish market, the following are
the most popular: peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, and pistachios.

No detailed data on dried fruit consumption is available. The most
popular dried fruits on the Polish market are: raisins, prunes, dates,
apricots, figs, apples, and pears. Dried cranberries are occasionally
offered on the market, however; due to the implementation of an ad
valorem tariff which is being applied to certain US products in
retaliation for unfair trade activities by the US; the potential for
expansion in this area has been limited.

Demand for these products greatly increases between January and May.
This is stimulated by Carnival season, Easter holidays, and a decrease
in fresh fruit consumption during this period. Polish consumers, ages 15
to 19, are the biggest consumers of dried fruit and nuts. This age group
likes the health food aspect and use of nuts and dried fruit as snacks.
In addition, these products are also quite popular with the 20-49 year
old age group. Consumption in the age group above 50 years is very
marginal. Consumption decreases at this age mainly due to low-income
levels and no tradition of using nuts and dried fruit as snacks. Market
research results show that these products are most popular in medium
(population above 500,000 people) and larger cities among consumers with
at least high school education and college degrees within the medium and
high-income levels.

+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| **Advantages**                    | **Challenges**                    |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Polish consumption of dried fruit | Competition with snack food       |
| & nuts is on the rise.            | industry.                         |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Market is opening to new products | EU member states are allowed duty |
| such as flavored and roasted      | free market access.               |
| peanuts and almonds. Further      |                                   |
| development of alcoholic beverage |                                   |
| advertisement could be utilized   |                                   |
| to promote this new category.     |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Tariffs on walnuts, pistachios,   | Spanish producers currently       |
| raisins, prunes, and mixed nuts   | dominate the market for almonds   |
| have been significantly reduced:  | due to much lower product costs.  |
|                                   | Market promotions of US products  |
| in shell walnuts (20%) decreased  | are required in order to convince |
| to 4%, while shelled walnuts      | Polish importers to switch to US  |
| (25%) decreased to 5.1%,          | products.                         |
| pistachios (16%) decreased to     |                                   |
| 1.6%, while raisins (9%) dropped  |                                   |
| to 2.4%, prunes (25%) fell to     |                                   |
| 9.6%, and mixed nuts (25%)        |                                   |
| decreased to 4%.                  |                                   |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Consumers consider U.S. products  | Getting fresh products to the     |
| to be higher quality.             | consumer.                         |
+-----------------------------------+-----------------------------------+

**Section II. Market Sector Opportunities and Threats**

1\) Entry Strategy

Larger firms have traditionally distributed products in this sector
through wholesalers.

> However, more dried fruit & nut importers are tending toward direct
> distribution to the retail market. Direct distribution reduces overall
> cost and avoids the loss of product freshness that results in
> declining sales. Larger firms have also introduced sales
> representatives in the field to process orders and to disseminate
> market information back to the firm. The smaller, less capital
> accessible firms still rely on the wholesaler link to the market.
> These firms do not have the capital necessary to distribute their
> product internally.
>
> Exporters of U.S. dried fruit and nuts may obtain a list of current
> Polish importers by contacting the Office of Agricultural Affairs at
> the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw (see Section V).

2\) Market Size, Structure, Trends

> The retail centers for dried fruit & nut sales are broken into several
> segments. They include hypermarkets, supermarkets and discount stores,
> convenience stores, traditional stores, and kiosks. Hypermarkets have
> been growing in number throughout Poland and offer the largest variety
> and shelf space of any segment. Supermarkets and discount stores also
> offer a large variety of dried fruit & nuts and shelf space.
> Convenience stores are a new and growing distribution channel located
> at railway, bus, and gas stations throughout Poland. The number of
> these stores is expected to double over next few years and will likely
> offer the greatest potential for market growth in snack products such
> as dried fruit & nuts. In addition, Poland's vehicle sales increased
> sharply in the 1990\'s. Although this trend does not continue, sales
> continue to increase slightly, which makes the gas stations with food
> stores an increasingly attractive retail outlet. Traditional stores
> and kiosks offer the least amount of variety and shelf space for dried
> fruit & nuts but make up the largest percentage of stores.
>
> In terms of substitutes, the potato chip/snack food industry competes
> heavily with the dried fruit and nuts sector. Firms involved in this
> industry advertise heavily through TV and billboards to increase their
> sales of these products. Fresh fruit and vegetables compete with dried
> fruit and nuts during the months of June through August. Consumption
> of dried fruit and nuts is the strongest during the months of
> September through May.
>
> While overall imports of dried fruits and nuts have grown 6.5 percent,
> new trends in market development have promoted an increase in bulk
> packaging from grams to kilograms, which has dampened quality. In
> addition, foreign retail outlets in Poland often demand the same
> product terms and prices as occur among their Western European
> outlets. The following tables show a break down of the dried fruit and
> nuts imported to Poland.

**Table I. Dried Fruit & Nuts Import Tables**

  ------------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
  Almonds, In                                                          
  Shell, Fresh                                                         
  or Dried,                                                            
  080211                                                               

                2001                  2002                  2003       

  Country       Quantity   US\$       Quantity   US\$       Quantity   US\$
                in Metric             in Metric             in Metric  
                Tons                  Tons                  Tons       

                                                                       

  United States 150        399297     264        660175     182        569355

  Spain         22         64374      9          31678      1          5539

  World Total   191        520968     274        695051     184        575355

                                                                       

  Almonds,                                                             
  Fresh or                                                             
  Dried,                                                               
  Shelled,                                                             
  080212                                                               

                2001                  2002                  2003       

  Country       Quantity   US\$       Quantity   US\$       Quantity   US\$
                in Metric             in Metric             in Metric  
                Tons                  Tons                  Tons       

                                                                       

  Spain         609        1935108    842        3132410    923        3964709

  United States 693        1993908    837        2537318    893        3666245

  Italy         0.025      132        0.143      813        66         321546

  Greece        0          0          0          0          12         57109

  World Total   1365       4117979    1709       5797673    1896       8016483

                                                                       

  Raisins,                                                             
  080620                                                               

                2001                  2002                  2003       

  Country       Quantity   US\$       Quantity   US\$       Quantity   US\$
                in Metric             in Metric             in Metric  
                Tons                  Tons                  Tons       

                                                                       

  Iran          6578       4373601    7210       4713098    8426       6953038

  Greece        3931       3726799    3271       3106914    1831       2352061

  Turkey        2847       1896085    2310       1807547    1724       1504077

  United States 1180       1277239    1071       1069420    777        858719

  World Total   14830      11583263   14466      11228618   13715      12846489
  ------------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ----------

  ------------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ----------
  Peanuts, In                                                          
  Shell, Not                                                           
  Roasted or                                                           
  Cooked,                                                              
  120210                                                               

                2001                  2002                  2003       

  Country       Quantity   US\$       Quantity   US\$       Quantity   US\$
                in Metric             in Metric             in Metric  
                Tons                  Tons                  Tons       

                                                                       

  China         4408       2773741    8412       3932126    6189       3932126

  Switzerland   9          4784       113        54284      103        54013

  Vietnam       5          3855       4          1771       2          1576

  Uzbekistan    0          0          0          0          1          239

  World Total   4466       2831260    8816       4777897    6294       3987996

                                                                       

  Peanuts,                                                             
  Shelled, Not                                                         
  Roasted, or                                                          
  Cooked,                                                              
  120220                                                               

                2001                  2002                  2003       

  Country       Quantity   US\$       Quantity   US\$       Quantity   US\$
                in Metric             in Metric             in Metric  
                Tons                  Tons                  Tons       

                                                                       

  China         10756      7607755    11499      7517295    15025      11366787

  Argentina     4794       3907682    4554       3330696    7351       5816550

  Brazil        104        61907      255        155776     817465     1180

  United States 897        763653     3499       2983975    692        681727

  World Total   19797      14528486   22203      15445040   25251      19422010

                                                                       

  Mixture of                                                           
  Nuts or Dried                                                        
  Fruits,                                                              
  081350                                                               

                2001                  2002                  2003       

  Country       Quantity   US\$       Quantity   US\$       Quantity   US\$
                in Metric             in Metric             in Metric  
                Tons                  Tons                  Tons       

                                                                       

  Germany       17         66666      20         104105     35         154160

  Hungary       0          0          0          0          42         16989

  Austria       1          10217      2          12135      1          16580

  Ukraine       2          8174       0          0          9          6580

  World Total   29         107860     30         129258     93         225479

                                                                       

  Pistachios,                                                          
  Fresh or                                                             
  Dried, 080250                                                        

                2001                  2002                  2003       

  Country       Quantity   US\$       Quantity   US\$       Quantity   US\$
                in Metric             in Metric             in Metric  
                Tons                  Tons                  Tons       

                                                                       

  Iran          867        2687093    951        3023327    1147       3465081

  Turkey        183        507372     31         99032      41         122391

  United States 1          2179       0          0          31         73566

  Italy         13         32191      30         84639      21         62139

  World Total   1066       3238827    1025       3248252    1241       3733519
  ------------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ----------

  -------------- ---------- --------- ---------- --------- ---------- ------------
  Prunes, Dried,                                                      
  081320                                                              

                 2001                 2002                 2003       

  Country        Quantity   US\$      Quantity   US\$      Quantity   US\$
                 in Metric            in Metric            in Metric  
                 Tons                 Tons                 Tons       

                                                                      

  Argentina      70         10168     621        855355    1759       2453891

  United States  2499       3620118   1011       1734554   971        1526560

  Chile          423        563147    1085       1454830   934        1330000

  France         26         44603     1          5281      72         112626

  Slovakia       0          0         24         42270     24         39679

  World Total    3044       4342616   2881       4278769   3849       5547830

                                                                      

  Walnuts in                                                          
  Shell, Fresh                                                        
  or Dried,                                                           
  080231                                                              

                 2001                 2002                 2003       

  Country        Quantity   US\$      Quantity   US\$      Quantity   US\$
                 in Metric            in Metric            in Metric  
                 Tons                 Tons                 Tons       

                                                                      

  France         274        197578    230        210129    250        224895

  United States  103        62441     95         57718     90         79394

  Spain          0          0         0          0         2          4367

  World Total    377        260803    327        270446    342        309243

                                                                      

  Walnuts, Fresh                                                      
  or Dried,                                                           
  Shelled,                                                            
  080232                                                              

                 2001                 2002                 2003       

  Country        Quantity   US\$      Quantity   US\$      Quantity   US\$
                 in Metric            in Metric            in Metric  
                 Tons                 Tons                 Tons       

                                                                      

  Moldova        2          9428      0.336      502       6          51834

  Germany        2          11916     1          6054      3          42918

  India          4          31659     2          19014     2          24030

  France         9          43141     32         91290     2          14829

  World Total    46         165180    45         139730    21         155401

                                                                      

  Sunflower                                                           
  Seeds, Whether                                                      
  or Not Shelled                                                      
  and in a Grey                                                       
  and White                                                           
  Striped Shell                                                       
  (Excl. for                                                          
  Sowing),                                                            
  12060091                                                            

                                                                      

                 2001                 2002                 2003       

  Country        Quantity   US\$      Quantity   US\$      Quantity   US\$
                 in Metric            in Metric            in Metric  
                 Tons                 Tons                 Tons       

                                                                      

  Hungary        \*         \*        8989       3942452   7180       3734635

  China          \*         \*        907        782405    2782       2224313

  United States  \*         \*        1487       1195407   664        453091

  Czech Republic \*         \*        175        63114     373        152213

  World Total    \*         \*        11932      6173517   11318      6704127
  -------------- ---------- --------- ---------- --------- ---------- ------------

\* Denotes information that is unavailable.

Source: World Trade Atlas

3.) Market Preferences

> Flavored peanuts, almonds, and hazelnuts have recently become popular
> among Polish consumers. Spicy flavors tend to be most appealing.
> Coated peanuts, referred to as double crunch peanuts, are also rather
> popular among Poles, and are available salted or flavored. Energy bars
> produced from grains, nuts, and dried fruits are becoming more visible
> on the market as the society moves towards becoming more health
> conscious. Products from companies outside of Poland primarily
> dominate the energy bar market, however; Polish companies are starting
> to produce these bars under their own brands. Chocolate manufacturers
> are also starting to look for high quality ingredients to ensure
> longer shelf life of their products. This has led to an increased
> demand for high quality nuts as raw materials. Due to increased local
> demand, Polish importers have become more interested in larger orders
> increasing the demand for direct shipments from the US.

**Section III. Costs & Prices**

Costs of dried fruits and nuts vary by the market in which they are sold
(upper, middle, lower income), in addition to the brand they carry.
However, overall price fluctuation is moderate. The following depicts
retail prices for dried fruit and nuts in July 2004.

**Table II. Retail Prices**

+--------------------------+-------+-------+--------------------------+
| **Product**              | **Pr  | **    | **Brand**                |
|                          | ice** | Quant |                          |
|                          |       | ity** |                          |
+--------------------------+-------+-------+--------------------------+
| Double Crunch Peanuts,   | 4.89  | 120g  | Felix                    |
| Flavors:                 |       |       |                          |
|                          |       |       |                          |
| Chili, BBQ, and Paprika  |       |       |                          |
+--------------------------+-------+-------+--------------------------+
| Double Crunch Peanuts,   | 4.09  | 125g  | Lorenz                   |
| Plain                    |       |       |                          |
+--------------------------+-------+-------+--------------------------+
| Double Crunch Peanuts,   | 4.19  | 150g  | Felix                    |
| Plain                    |       |       |                          |
+--------------------------+-------+-------+--------------------------+
|                          |       |       |                          |
+--------------------------+-------+-------+--------------------------+
| Honey Roasted Peanuts    | 4.29  | 150g  | Aromat                   |
+--------------------------+-------+-------+--------------------------+
| Honey Roasted Peanuts    | 6.79  | 300g  | Felix                    |
+--------------------------+-------+-------+--------------------------+
|                          |       |       |                          |
+--------------------------+-------+-------+--------------------------+
| In-Shell Salted Peanuts  | 1.99  | 250g  | Euroshopper              |
+--------------------------+-------+-------+--------------------------+
| Lightly Salted Peanuts   | 7.99  | 500g  | Felix                    |
+--------------------------+-------+-------+--------------------------+
| Mexican Peanuts          | 3.65  | 120g  | Aromat                   |
+--------------------------+-------+-------+--------------------------+
| Mexican Peanuts          | 3.75  | 150g  | Aromat                   |
+--------------------------+-------+-------+--------------------------+
| Picante Peanuts          | 2.45  | 90g   | Konpex                   |
+--------------------------+-------+-------+--------------------------+
| Paprika (Picante)        | 4.19  | 150g  | Felix                    |
| Peanuts                  |       |       |                          |
+--------------------------+-------+-------+--------------------------+
| Picante Peanuts          | 6.59  | 300g  | Felix                    |
+--------------------------+-------+-------+--------------------------+
|                          |       |       |                          |
+--------------------------+-------+-------+--------------------------+
| Mixed Nuts               | 13.99 | 185g  | Vivat                    |
+--------------------------+-------+-------+--------------------------+
| Mixed Nuts               | 11.95 | 250g  | Uno Quality              |
+--------------------------+-------+-------+--------------------------+
| Mixed Nuts with Raisins  | 5.89  | 200g  | Lorenz                   |
+--------------------------+-------+-------+--------------------------+
| Mixed Nuts with Raisins  | 9.95  | 300g  | Uno Quality              |
+--------------------------+-------+-------+--------------------------+
| Mixed Fruits             | 5.79  | 200g  | Not Available            |
+--------------------------+-------+-------+--------------------------+

  -------------------------- -------- -------- --------------------------
  Pistachios                 4.55     65g      Konpex

  Pistachios                 4.99     80g      Uno Quality

  Pistachios                 5.39     100g     Felix

  Pistachios                 7.99     100g     Uno Quality

  Pistachios                 16.95    250g     Uno Quality

  Pistachios                 15.49    300g     Felix

  Pistachios                 17.95    400g     Bakalland

                                               

  Dried Apricots             6.99     200g     Hypernova

  Dried Apricots             9.95     250g     Uno Quality

  Dried Apricots             15.95    500g     Bakalland

                                                

  Prunes                     2.39     100g     Bakalland

  Prunes                     9.95     200g     Sunsweet

  Prunes                     17.89    270g     St. DalFour (French)

  Prunes                     9.95     300g     Uno Quality

  Prunes                     12.95    500g     Bakalland

  Prunes                     22.95    500g     Sunsweet

                                                

  Raisins                    2.49     200g     Bakalland

  Raisins                    3.99     500g     Makar

  Raisins                    5.49     500g     Bakalland

  Greek Raisins              2.99     300g     Hypernova

  Greek Raisins              3.49     300g     Albert

                                                

  Almonds                    2.99     50g      Cięte

  Almonds                    6.99     200g     Hypernova

  Almonds                    8.99     200g     Albert

  Almonds                    12.95    250g     Uno Quality

  Almonds                    19.95    500g     Bakalland

  Salted Almonds             6.99     80g      Konpex

                                                

  Salted Peanuts             1.49     80g      Jutrzenka

  Salted Peanuts             2.45     90g      Konpex

  Salted Peanuts             2.89     150g     Hypernova

  Salted Peanuts             2.99     150g     Albert

  Salted Peanuts             3.15     100g     Aromat

  Salted Peanuts             3.55     150g     Aromat

  Salted Peanuts             4.19     200g     Lorenz

  Salted Peanuts             4.29     150g     Felix

  Salted Peanuts             4.65     500g     Pop Top

  Salted Peanuts             6.99     500g     Gorilla

  Salted Peanuts             8.49     500g     Felix

  Salted Peanuts             13.99    1000g    Aromat

                                                

  Unsalted Peanuts           4.29     150g     Felix

  Unsalted Peanuts           8.49     500g     Felix
  -------------------------- -------- -------- --------------------------

  -------------------------- ---------- -------- --------------------------
  Walnuts                    6.45       250g     Florpak

  Walnuts                    12.95      400g     Uno Quality, Bakalland

                                                  

  Almonds in Shell           17.99      225g     Noci

  Walnuts in Shell           16.99      350g     Noci

  Sunflower Seeds in Shell   1.79       200g     Brand Not Available

  Sunflower Seeds in Shell   0.99       100g     Brand Not Available

                                                 

  **BULK**                                        

  Peanuts in Shell           9.95/kg              

  Shelled Peanuts            12.95/kg             

  Raisins                    9.95/kg              

  Mixed Dried Fruit          29.95/kg             

  Sunflower Seeds            8.99/kg              

                                                  

  **ORGANIC**                                     

  Walnuts                    16.49      100g     Imported, Brand Not
                                                 Available

  Raisins                    10.49      200g     Imported, Brand Not
                                                 Available

  Dried Apricots             13.99      200g     Imported, Brand Not
                                                 Available

  Dried Apricots             4.99       150g     Bakal Center
  -------------------------- ---------- -------- --------------------------

Source: FAS Warsaw Field Research

Poland's import tariffs on dried fruit and nuts are drastically reduced
due to the May 1, 2004, EU accession. As a result of the accession, EU
member states receive duty free market access.

**Table III. Dried Fruits and Nut Tariffs**

  ---------------- ------------------------------------- ----------------
  CN Code          Name of Product                       EU Tariff

  08021110         Almonds, in shell, bitter             0%

  08021190         Almonds, in shell, other              5.6%\*

  08021210         Almonds, shelled, bitter              0%

  08021290         Almonds, shelled, other               3.5%\*

  080231           Walnuts, in shell                     4%

  080232           Walnuts, shelled                      5.10%

  080250           Pistachios                            1.60%

  080620           Raisins                               2.40%

  081320           Prunes, dried                         9.60%

  08134095         Cranberries, dried                    2.4%\*\*

  08135031         Mixture of nuts                       4%

  120210           Peanuts, in shell                     0%

  120220           Peanuts, shelled                      0%

  12060091         Sunflower Seeds                       0%
  ---------------- ------------------------------------- ----------------

\*Other Almonds, in shell and shelled, have a quota of 900,000 tons,
with a tariff quota 2%.

\*\*In addition to this tariff an ad valorem tariff is being applied to
this product. The additional tariff for the month of July 2004, is 9%,
and will increase by 1% each month until it reaches 17% in March 2005.
On March 1,2005, this additional tariff is subject to revision.

**Section IV. Market Access**

The Polish government works to ensure the safety and quality of food for
Polish consumers through a number of regulatory means. Information
specifically pertaining to Poland may be obtained from FAS's Food and
Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards (FAIRS) report for Poland,
which will be updated to reflect the new EU regulations in August 2004.
Most of the newer measures are the same as those observed in the
European Union. The most important EU regulations can be found in FAS's
FAIRS report for the European Union, which can be found at the following
address http://www.useu.be/agri/usda.html.

**- Registration of a new imported product:**

All imported products must be approved for sale or use on the Polish
market. Registration and approval of imported products is much simpler
if the product has already received approval for sale in another EU
nation. In order to test or register a new product or start procedures
for receiving approval of a new additive, (not specified in the approved
additives list), the following procedure should be followed:

Appropriate Voivod Sanitary Station should be contacted. In Warsaw - the
Wojewodzka Stacja Sanitarna (SANEPID) is the appropriate contact.

An appropriate local sanitary station must be supplied with a product
sample for testing. The tests can take between 2 weeks and 2 months. The
cost is difficult to estimate but may amount to \$250.00 per product. An
estimate of the cost can be obtained from the SANEPID station when it is
presented with product details. The lab tests for product ingredients
determine whether they are permitted on the Polish market.

If it is determined that all the ingredients are allowed on the Polish
market, SANEPID test results are sufficient for the product to be sold
in Poland. However, should some ingredients be questioned, additional
requests must be submitted to State Hygiene Office (Panstwowy Zaklad
Higieny).

Please note that product testing in SANEPID can only be ordered by a
firm **registered in Poland** (eg. potential importer). Each region in
Poland has appropriate sanitary stations (a list is available from
Warsaw SANEPID)- eg. Only firms registered in Warsaw or neighboring
areas can conduct product testing in the Warsaw Sanitary Station).

Effective July 15, 1994 per Journal of Law no. 86 chapter 402, all
package/canned food products are required to have [Polish
language]{.underline} labels. Multi-language labels are acceptable as
long as they include Polish. The label must contain: name of the
product, name and address of the producer, date - to be consumed
before - the Polish phrase "nalezy spozyc do XXX" is commonly used, net
content (weight/capacity), and content of the product (ingredients,
chemical additives, etc.)

Labeling must be applied in the form of a whole label or a permanent
sticker [before]{.underline} the product can enter Poland. Products
arriving in Poland without appropriate labels will be detained at the
border until appropriate labels are applied.

Poland's Ministry of Health and Social Welfare published a new
regulation (Journal of Law no. 87 dtd. May 19, 2003) on food additives
on June 3, 2003. Poland uses a positive-additives list, which identifies
additives that are permitted for use in foodstuffs. This particular
regulation has been one of the most difficult obstacles facing imported
products. The new list is in line with the current EU regulations.
**Please note:** As each EU member state has a different list of
allowable food additives it is vital for all U.S. exporters to check
with the potential Polish importers about whether the product intended
for the Polish market meets all the ingredient requirements.

If you would like to contact authorities directly involved in preparing
regulations on food additives and inspection of additive levels in
imported products, please contact the National Food and Nutrition
Institute.

Section V. Key Contacts and Further Information

Embassy of the United States of America

Office of Agricultural Affairs, Warsaw, Poland

Wayne Molstad

e-mail: [agwarsaw@usda.gov]{.underline} or
[agwarsaw@poczta.onet.pl]{.underline}

tel: 48 22 504 2336, fax: 48 22 504 2320

Mazowiecka Sanitary Station - SANEPID - actual tests & check ups

Mr. Krzysztof Dziubinski, Acting Voividship Sanitary Inspector

ul. Zelazna 79

00-875 Warsaw

ph: 4822-6201656, 6209001 ext. 42

fax: 4822-6248209

www.wsse-wawa@supermedia.pl

Institute of Food and Nutrition

*-*Dr. Lucjan Szponar, Director

or

Ms. Katarzyna Stos

Section for Food and Nutrition Manager

ul. Powsinska 61/63

02-903 Warsaw

ph: 4822-5509677, 8420571, 8422171

fax: 4822-8421103

fax: 4822-423742

**For aflatoxin information please contact:**

State Hygiene Office‑ (Panstwowy Zaklad Higieny) ‑ PZH Prof. Jan
Krzysztof Ludwicki, Director, ph: 4822‑8497084

Ms. Katarzyna Czaja, chemical residue lab, ph: 4822‑8493332 Ms. Krystyna
Rybinska, Food Testing Unit

ul. Chocimska 24

Warsaw

ph: 4822‑8494051 ext. 359, 339

fax: 4822‑8493513, 8497441

Main Sanitary Inspection (Glowny Inspektor Sanitarny ‑ GIS) Mr. Andrzej
Trybusz

ul. Dluga 38/40

00‑238 Warsaw

ph: 4822‑6351559

fax: 4822‑6356194

Polish Center for Research and Certification Ms. Ewa Slowinska

Manager Food Department

ul. Klobucka 23A

02‑699 Warsaw

ph: 4822‑6470722, 8579916

fax: 4822‑6471109

e‑mail: cert.wyr@pcbc.gov.pl

www.pcbc.gov.pl