Notify of first-time marketing of a food product in Poland

If you are introducing or intend to place on the Polish market dietary supplements, special purpose foodstuffs or foods enriched with vitamins and minerals for the first time, you must notify the General Sanitary Inspectorate (GIS). Below you will learn how to do this.

How to proceed

What you should know and who can use this service

You intend to import dietary supplements, fortified foods or special purposes foods into Poland - remember that they must comply with the requirements of food law regulations for foodstuffs.

The foodstuffs that you must report to the GIS are

• food supplements;
• foods enriched with vitamins, minerals or other substances;
• infant formula;
• dietary foods for special medical purposes.

The GIS treats these foodstuffs as food. When notifying that you intend to place them on the market, you do not need to provide e. g. test results on the efficacy of a particular product.

On the GIS website you will find detailed information about the requirements for:

• dietary supplements,
• fortified foods,
• foods for special purposes.

Who may file the notification

• Polish entrepreneurs,
• foreign entrepreneurs:
  • based in EU countries (no need to have a branch office in Poland);
  • established in third countries (must have at least one branch in an EU country).

Remember

Before you start placing foodstuffs on the market, at least 14 days prior to the start of your planned activity, an application for entry in the register of establishments or for approval of the establishment and entry in the register of establishments subject to Sanitary checks.

When you should complete this procedure

Before the planned date of first introduction of the foodstuff.

Where you can complete this procedure

GŁÓWNY INSPEKTORAT SANITARNY ul. Targowa 65, 03-729 Warszawa

What to do step by step

1. Notification of the intention to introduce a foodstuff into Poland for the first time

Submit the notification electronically to the General Sanitary Inspector. In order to access the electronic notification form, you must first set up an individual account on the GIS website.

If you have an electronic signature or Trusted Profile, after completing the form, save the document on your hard drive in pdf format and sign it electronically. A signed document should be attached to the system again.

If you do not have an electronic signature or Trusted Profile, print out the notification generated by the system in pdf format, sign it legibly and file it with a set of documents at the headquarters of the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate in Warsaw.

If the GIS has no objections to your notification, it will send you a letter that it has taken note of your notification.

What if GIS has doubts about the notified product?

Upon receipt of the notification, the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate may carry out an investigation into whether the food product you have notified falls within the category of food supplement, fortified food or special purpose food complies with the requirements of food law.

GIS will inform you of the opening of an investigation. The GIS may also request additional opinions from you (e. g. a Polish or EU scientific unit, the Office for Registration of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices and Biocidal Products or the Dietary Supplements Team within the framework of the Sanitary and Epidemiological Council).

Documents

Time limit

Before the planned date of first introduction of the foodstuff.

How much you will have to pay

The service is free of charge

How long you will have to wait

Good to know

Check on the GIS website which products have already been reported.