Polish ruling party pledges to promote local food
Poland’s governing conservatives have promised to ensure that two-thirds of the products in the food shops come from local suppliers, in their latest pledge ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for October 15.
Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski.PAP/Waldemar Deska
The party announced the plan on the X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party said: “Retailers will be required to source two-thirds of the fruit, vegetables, milk and meat products and bread from local suppliers.”
The party added: “This will strengthen the position of local suppliers in relation to other links in the food-supply chain, and give consumers easier access to products made by smaller local producers.”
In an attached video message, Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski, an adviser to President Andrzej Duda, said that the „Local Shelf” programme would “help every Pole because every Pole loves tasty and healthy Polish food” as well as benefiting domestic food makers.
Earlier this week, Law and Justice pledged to improve the quality of meals for hospital patients and modernise the country’s pre-1989 apartment buildings, which house more than 8 million people, as part of its manifesto for the upcoming parliamentary elections.
More policy proposals are set to be unveiled later this week, according to Poland’s conservative leader Jarosław Kaczyński.
Party spokesman Rafał Bochenek has said that the ruling conservatives will unveil their „full electoral manifesto” at an event in the south-central town of Końskie on Saturday, September 9.
Last month, Poland’s lawmakers approved a government plan to combine the parliamentary elections with a nationwide referendum on issues including illegal migration.
In the parliamentary elections, Poles will head to the ballot box on October 15 to elect 460 new MPs and 100 senators for a four-year term.
The Law and Justice party and its government coalition allies have maintained a clear lead over the opposition in most recent surveys, polling ahead of the Civic Coalition (KO) and the far-right Confederation group.
The ruling conservatives in 2019 won a convincing victory over opposition parties at the ballot box, securing a second term in power.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP
