Guides · Confectionery & dried-fruit snacks

Exporting confectionery and dried-fruit snacks to Poland

Factories making candies, jellies, coconut candy, dried and candied fruit, fruit snacks, biscuits and wafers.

Updated 28 Oct 2026 · 4 min read · Free

In short

Sweets and fruit snacks made only from plant ingredients take the simple route: normal customs clearance, with possible sampling by the Polish sanitary inspection.
If the recipe contains milk, butter, egg or honey, it is a composite product: check whether it needs a private attestation or a border check.
The most common problems are colours and preservatives not allowed in that EU food category, sulphites in dried fruit, pesticide residues on the fruit, and incomplete labels.
Sugar confectionery often pays an extra “agricultural component” on top of the standard duty, so a trade agreement can change your price a lot.

Check the recipe against EU rules

Additives by category. EU law lists which additives are allowed in “confectionery”, “dried fruit”, “fine bakery wares” and so on, often with maximum amounts. A colour allowed in candy can be banned in dried fruit. Check every E-number for your exact category in Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008.
Colour warning. If you use E102, E104, E110, E122, E124 or E129, the Polish label must say: „Może mieć szkodliwy wpływ na aktywność i skupienie uwagi u dzieci”.
Sulphites (E220–E228) are common in dried and candied fruit. They are allowed only up to set limits, and above 10 mg/kg (as SO₂) they must be declared as an allergen.
Jelly mini-cups. Konjac and some other gelling agents are banned in jelly confectionery sold in mini-cups because of the choking risk.
Fats. Industrial trans fat is limited to 2 g per 100 g of fat. Biscuits and wafers made with partly hydrogenated fat often fail this.
Acrylamide. Biscuits, wafers and crackers fall under EU acrylamide reduction rules; buyers may ask for test results.

Residues and contaminants in the fruit

Dried fruit concentrates whatever was on the fresh fruit. The EU limits for pesticide residues apply to the dried product, adjusted for drying, and where the EU has no limit for a pesticide the default is 0.01 mg/kg. Mycotoxins (aflatoxins in figs and nuts, ochratoxin A in dried vine fruit) come from drying and storage. Test the finished product, not only the raw fruit, before each shipment.

Milk, egg, butter or honey in the recipe

A sweet made with milk powder, condensed milk, butter or egg is a composite product. Most shelf-stable composite products that contain only processed dairy or egg do not go through a border control post, but the importer signs a private attestation confirming that the dairy or egg comes from an approved source and was treated in the required way. Since 23 July 2026 more low-risk products are exempt from border checks altogether, including sweets made with synthetic sweeteners and fruit or nut products where honey is the only animal ingredient (Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/908).

Gelatine is an animal ingredient too. Shelf-stable products containing gelatine or collagen not made from ruminant bones need no private attestation, but the gelatine itself must come from an approved source.

The Polish label

The label must carry the EU mandatory information in Polish: a descriptive name (for example „Cukierki z suszonym mango”), ingredients with the percentage of the fruit named on the pack, allergens in bold, the nutrition table, net weight, „Najlepiej spożyć przed” (best before), storage, lot number and the name and address of the Polish importer. Products sold in Polish retail need an EAN-13 barcode.

Claims such as “no added sugar”, “high fibre” or “natural” follow strict EU rules. “No added sugar” is not allowed if the product contains fruit juice concentrate used as a sweetener.

Duty

Sugar confectionery, chocolate products and some biscuits pay a standard EU duty plus an extra amount based on their sugar, milk and starch content (the “agricultural component”). Look up your exact code in Access2Markets: for Vietnamese products the EU–Vietnam agreement reduces or removes the duty with a valid proof of origin. Fruit preparations (HS 2008) and dried fruit (HS 0813) are often at low or zero duty under the agreements.

Who buys and when

Sweets and fruit snacks sell in the confectionery and “healthy snack” shelves of the chains, in Asian food shops and online. Retail chains buy many such products as private label through Polish importers. Demand peaks before Christmas and Easter, so buyers plan listings months ahead.

Polish buyers will usually ask for: a product specification in English, a Polish label proposal, lab reports against EU limits, a food safety certificate (IFS, BRCGS or FSSC 22000; HACCP at minimum), shelf life and the shelf life left on arrival, pallet configuration and prices. See How to find a distributor in Poland and the Trade fairs page (WorldFood Warsaw, PLMA for private label, ISM in Cologne for sweets).

What Poland imports: latest figures

Imports into Poland, € (Eurostat Comext), latest month Aug 2026. Change: vs the same months a year earlier. We do not yet track sugar confectionery (HS 1704) or dried fruit (HS 0813) as separate lines; they will be added to Market data.

Official sources

This guide is a plain-language overview, not legal, tax or customs advice. Rules change: check the official text and your product code before you ship.

In short

Sweets and fruit snacks made only from plant ingredients take the simple route: normal customs clearance, with possible sampling by the Polish sanitary inspection.

If the recipe contains milk, butter, egg or honey, it is a composite product: check whether it needs a private attestation or a border check.

The most common problems are colours and preservatives not allowed in that EU food category, sulphites in dried fruit, pesticide residues on the fruit, and incomplete labels.

Sugar confectionery often pays an extra “agricultural component” on top of the standard duty, so a trade agreement can change your price a lot.

Check the recipe against EU rules

Additives by category. EU law lists which additives are allowed in “confectionery”, “dried fruit”, “fine bakery wares” and so on, often with maximum amounts. A colour allowed in candy can be banned in dried fruit. Check every E-number for your exact category in Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008.

Colour warning. If you use E102, E104, E110, E122, E124 or E129, the Polish label must say: „Może mieć szkodliwy wpływ na aktywność i skupienie uwagi u dzieci”.

Sulphites (E220–E228) are common in dried and candied fruit. They are allowed only up to set limits, and above 10 mg/kg (as SO₂) they must be declared as an allergen.

Jelly mini-cups. Konjac and some other gelling agents are banned in jelly confectionery sold in mini-cups because of the choking risk.

Fats. Industrial trans fat is limited to 2 g per 100 g of fat. Biscuits and wafers made with partly hydrogenated fat often fail this.

Acrylamide. Biscuits, wafers and crackers fall under EU acrylamide reduction rules; buyers may ask for test results.

Residues and contaminants in the fruit

Milk, egg, butter or honey in the recipe

The Polish label

Claims such as “no added sugar”, “high fibre” or “natural” follow strict EU rules. “No added sugar” is not allowed if the product contains fruit juice concentrate used as a sweetener.

Duty

Who buys and when