Reading Polish Food Labels

The nutrition table

EU law requires all pre-packaged food to display a nutritional declaration. The table must include: energy (kJ/kcal), fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates, sugars, protein, and salt. All values are given per 100g (or per 100ml for liquids).

Per 100g vs per serving

The per-100g column allows fair comparison between products — it's the standard used by Nutri-Score and our TryVit Score. The per-serving column is optional and depends on the manufacturer's defined serving size, which can vary widely. Always check the serving size when using per-serving values.

Mandatory label elements in Poland

1. Product name (nazwa produktu)
2. Ingredients list (skład) — in descending order by weight
3. Allergens — highlighted in bold or UPPERCASE
4. Net weight (masa netto)
5. Best before / Use by date (najlepiej spożyć przed / należy spożyć do)
6. Storage conditions (warunki przechowywania)
7. Manufacturer/importer details
8. Country of origin (for certain products)
9. Nutritional declaration (wartość odżywcza)

Tips for comparing products

• Always compare per 100g values, not per serving — serving sizes differ between brands.
• Check the ingredients list length — shorter usually means less processed.
• Look for the first 3 ingredients — they make up most of the product.
• Watch for sugar under different names: syrop glukozowo-fruktozowy, maltodekstryna, dekstroza.
• The EAN barcode (kod kreskowy) is the product's unique identifier used in our database.

Sources & References