Selling food and drink in Poland: the market, the rules and the trade fairs

Poland's agri-food exports reached a record 58.4 billion euros in 2025, against imports of 38.6 billion, and food is the largest item in household budgets. Turkish suppliers are strongest in prepared fruit and nuts, jams, citrus and tomatoes, where they rank among Poland's top five suppliers. Fresh produce faces EU border checks, and labels must be in Polish. The main food-product fairs are WorldFood Poland in Warsaw, Warsaw Food Expo just outside the city, and POLAGRA in Poznań.

Last checked: 23 October 2026

The Polish food market in figures

Food is the biggest item in Polish household budgets: households spent 25.1% of their expenditure on food and non-alcoholic drinks in 2025 (GUS). Food, drinks and tobacco were also the largest group in retail, with 25.7% of 2025 sales; these sales rose 4.5% at current prices but fell 0.5% at constant prices (GUS). Sold production of the Polish food industry grew 6.8% in real terms in 2025, according to a preliminary estimate (GUS).

Poland sells more food abroad than it buys. Its agri-food exports reached a record 58.4 billion euros in 2025, up 8.6%, against imports of 38.6 billion euros, up 7.8% (KOWR). Polish producers are strong in poultry, dairy, chocolate and bakery products, so imports in those lines compete with strong Polish producers. Fruit and nuts and cocoa products are the largest food import lines. The table shows the lines closest to Turkish food exports; it leaves out fish, meat, dairy and animal feed, where Turkish sales to Poland are small (Eurostat):

Product group (HS chapter)Polish imports in 2025 (million euros)Change on 2024
Fruit and nuts (08)3,435+18%
Cocoa and cocoa preparations (18)3,400+24%
Miscellaneous food preparations (21)2,236+16%
Fats and oils (15)2,100+6%
Cereal, flour and milk preparations, bakery products (19)2,056+14%
Beverages (22)2,011+2%
Coffee, tea and spices (09)1,986+36%
Vegetables (07)1,674+6%

Where Turkish food stands in Poland

In Turkish export statistics, fruit and nuts are the largest food group sold to Poland: 145 million US dollars in 2025, the tenth-largest product group in Turkish exports to Poland (Ministry of Trade). In 2024, hard-shelled nuts alone were the third-largest single export item to Poland, after passenger cars and vehicle parts (Warsaw counsellor's presentation).

Polish import records show where Turkish suppliers hold their strongest positions (Eurostat):

Product (HS code)Türkiye's share of Polish imports, 2025Türkiye's rank among suppliers
Prepared fruit and nuts (2008)10.5%3rd
Jams and fruit pastes (2007)10.0%4th
Citrus fruit (0805)8.9%4th
Tomatoes (0702)4.0%5th
Preparations of vegetables and fruit (20)4.9%6th
Vegetables (07)3.3%6th
Fruit and nuts (08)2.7%10th
Sugar confectionery (1704)2.5%10th
Biscuits, wafers and bakery products (1905)1.4%12th

In 2025, Turkish sales of biscuits and wafers to Poland grew 29.7% and sugar confectionery 24.2%, while fruit and nuts fell 17.5% (Eurostat). The Turkish Trade Counsellor in Warsaw lists chocolate, food preparations, sweet biscuits and wafers, citrus fruit, sugar confectionery, and prepared nuts and fruit as products with potential in Poland (Warsaw counsellor's presentation).

Turkish and Polish figures differ. For goods arriving from another EU country, Eurostat records the country they were shipped from, so Turkish food that clears customs elsewhere in the EU and travels on to Poland counts as an import from that country (Eurostat). The shares above show direct trade only, not every Turkish product on Polish shelves.

Rules for selling food in Poland

Food follows its own EU rules, separate from the CE marking that applies to many industrial goods. Five points matter most for a Turkish supplier:

  • Customs: basic agricultural products are outside the EU–Türkiye customs union. They trade under a separate preferential agreement, Decision No 1/98, and need a proof of origin such as a EUR.1 certificate to claim its terms. For processed agricultural products, only the industrial part is free of duty (European Commission, Ministry of Trade). Check the duty for your product code in the EU's Access2Markets database (Access2Markets).
  • Border checks: plants, plant products, products of animal origin and goods under increased controls are checked at the EU border control post where they first arrive. The importer files a Common Health Entry Document (CHED) before the goods arrive, and customs release them only after the post has finalised it (Regulation 2017/625). In Poland, the State Sanitary Inspection carries out these checks on imported food of non-animal origin (GIS).
  • Extra checks on some Turkish products: 20% of consignments of lemons, peppers and tomatoes from Türkiye are checked for pesticide residues, and 30% of pomegranates. Dried oregano and sesame seeds are checked at 30%, for plant toxins and Salmonella. Dried figs, pistachios, vine leaves, mandarins, oranges and apricot kernels also need an official certificate with sampling and laboratory results (Implementing Regulation 2019/1793). The list changes often: it was amended three times in the first half of 2026.
  • Labels in Polish: food sold in Poland must carry its information in Polish; other languages may be added. The label must show, among other things, the name, the ingredients with allergens highlighted, the net quantity, the date of minimum durability or use-by date, a nutrition declaration and the business name and address (GIS). The company under whose name the food is sold is responsible for this information; if that company is outside the EU, the importer is (Regulation 1169/2011).
  • Fresh fruit and vegetables: the agri-food quality inspection, IJHARS, checks imports from outside the EU against EU marketing standards, and each lot is declared through the customs Single Window (IJHARS). Its Warsaw office names Türkiye among the origins it checks most often, and lists missing Polish-language marking, missing size or class and a missing country of origin among the usual faults (IJHARS Warsaw).

Food handed out at your stand is consumed in Poland, so it is imported and cannot travel on an ATA carnet. Our guide on how to exhibit at a trade fair in Poland explains how to plan exhibits and samples.

The food trade fairs that matter

Poland's main food fairs fall in spring, early summer, September and November. The table gives each fair's next edition and its latest published size. Audited figures come from the Polish Chamber of Exhibition Industry (PIPT); the others are the organisers' own (WorldFood Poland, Warsaw Food Expo, World Hotel).

FairCityNext editionLatest size
WorldFood PolandWarsaw (EXPO XXI)13–15 April 2027370 exhibitors, 7,535 participants (2026)
Warsaw Food ExpoNadarzyn, near Warsaw (Ptak Warsaw Expo)8–10 June 2027402 exhibitors, 16,101 participants (2025)
POLAGRAPoznań15–17 September 2027190 exhibitors, 9,190 visitors with TAROPAK (2025, audited)
HORECA and ENOEXPOKraków4–6 November 2026208 exhibitors, 11,265 visitors (2025, audited)
Warsaw Food Industry Week, with Global Food Expo and BIOEXPONadarzyn, near Warsaw (Ptak Warsaw Expo)17–19 November 2026no dated figures published
EuroGastro and World HotelNadarzyn, near Warsaw (Ptak Warsaw Expo)9–11 March 2027nearly 600 exhibitors, 24,726 visitors (2026, World Hotel report)

WorldFood Poland and POLAGRA both publish figures for their organised buyer programmes. WorldFood Poland brought 144 buyers from retail chains and distributors in 2026 (WorldFood Poland), and nearly 100 hosted buyers from more than 20 countries confirmed for POLAGRA 2026 (POLAGRA). The next dates come from the organisers (WorldFood Poland, Warsaw Food Expo, HORECA, Warsaw Food Industry Week, EuroGastro). POLAGRA shares its dates and venue with TAROPAK, a packaging fair. Polagra Premiery, held in Poznań in January, is an agricultural fair, not a food fair (Grupa MTP).

For Turkish companies, Warsaw Food Expo and Warsaw Food Tech Expo (part of Warsaw Food Industry Week) were on the Ministry of Trade's 2026 list for individual stands, and WorldFood Poland was on the 2025 list (Ministry of Trade). The 2027 lists had not been published by October 2026; see our guide to Ministry of Trade support for fairs in Poland. More food fairs, with their dates, are on our food and beverage fairs page.

Who you meet at these fairs

  • WorldFood Poland: the largest visitor groups in 2026 came from Poland, Ukraine, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Italy, and the fair had 370 exhibitors from 30 countries (WorldFood Poland).
  • HORECA and ENOEXPO, Kraków: the organiser says 75% of visitors are decision-makers in their companies. ENOEXPO's visitors work in catering, hotels and the wine trade and come from Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Ukraine as well as Poland (HORECA, ENOEXPO).
  • POLAGRA: three zones, FOOD, FOODTECH and HORECA, cover processed food, food-processing machinery and the restaurant and hotel trade (POLAGRA).
  • Warsaw Food Expo: the exhibits cover high-quality, organic and artisanal food, plant-based products and food-production technology; the organiser publishes no visitor profile (Ptak Warsaw Expo).

Before you book, ask the organiser for last year's visitor report: the share of trade visitors and of buyers from retail chains tells you more than the total count.

Exhibiting at a Polish food fair with us

We coordinate the practical side for food exhibitors from Warsaw: the stand, a Turkish–Polish interpreter, hostesses and the logistics of your exhibits. Start with the timeline in how to exhibit at a trade fair in Poland, read about the wider market in exporting to Poland, and see our services and interpreters and hostesses.

Planning to exhibit at a Polish food fair?

We coordinate stands, interpreters, hostesses and logistics for food exhibitors at Polish fairs, from Warsaw. You get a written quote before anything is booked.

Ask for a quote

Frequently asked questions

What are the main food trade fairs in Poland?

WorldFood Poland in Warsaw (13–15 April 2027), Warsaw Food Expo at Ptak Warsaw Expo (8–10 June 2027) and POLAGRA in Poznań (15–17 September 2027). In November, HORECA with ENOEXPO in Kraków serves hotels, restaurants and the wine trade, and Warsaw Food Industry Week takes place near Warsaw.

Which Turkish food products sell best in Poland?

In Turkish statistics, fruit and nuts lead, at 145 million US dollars in 2025. In Polish import records, Türkiye ranks third for prepared fruit and nuts, fourth for jams and for citrus fruit, and fifth for tomatoes.

Which Turkish food products face extra EU border checks?

Lemons, pomegranates, peppers, tomatoes, dried oregano and sesame seeds from Türkiye are checked at a higher rate. Dried figs, pistachios, vine leaves, mandarins, oranges and apricot kernels also need an official certificate with laboratory results. The list is in EU Implementing Regulation 2019/1793 and changes often.

Do food labels have to be in Polish?

Yes. Food sold in Poland must carry its mandatory information in Polish, and other languages can be added. If the food is sold under the name of a company outside the EU, the importer is responsible for the label.

Is food covered by the EU–Türkiye customs union?

Basic agricultural products are not. They trade under a separate preferential agreement and need a proof of origin such as EUR.1. For processed food, only the industrial part is free of duty. Check your product code in the EU's Access2Markets database.

Can we hand out food samples at a fair in Poland?

Yes, but food that is eaten or given away at the stand stays in Poland, so it is imported and must meet EU food rules. It cannot travel on an ATA carnet. Plan samples with your importer well before the fair.

Related guides

Sources