Polish fruit season faces high prices, quality worries and import fraud

Forest blueberries are entering the market at seasonal prices that can reach 50 zł per litre in north‑west Poland, while cheaper berries are available in the south and east. The season for strawberries in 2026 has been disrupted by spring frosts, cool and wet weather and heat waves, leading to reduced yields, an early end to the harvest and higher retail prices – tunnel‑grown strawberries are expected to cost around 20 zł per kilogram.

Czech consumers have begun to complain that recent shipments of Polish strawberries are sometimes overly soft, watery and lose freshness quickly, attributing the variability to unstable weather rather than cultivation methods. Meanwhile, the Polish Fruit Growers' Association has warned that imported cherries are being repackaged in Polish labels and sold as domestic fruit, prompting calls for urgent quality and labeling inspections by authorities.

These developments highlight price pressures, quality concerns and regulatory challenges across Poland’s seasonal fruit market.