Unlocking the Potential of the European Union Quality Schemes for Polish Regional and Traditional Food Products

Abstract The main aim of the study was to identify current problems encountered by the Polish producers of products registered under the PDO, PGI, and TSG labels and develop a set of recommendations that may support the development of the market of FQS products in Poland. The study findings showed that many factors are disrupting the functioning of the Polish market of FQS products and are related to product specificities, market relevance, supply chain governance, legitimacy, and law enforcement. The majority of products is characterized by a low value added, which makes it difficult to distinguish them on the market and therefore protect against counterfeit. There are also products with greater value added, but the lack of farmers’ collective action reduces the potential effect that could result from the economy of scale. Furthermore, a limited number of certified producers and small cultivation areas constraint the use of effective marketing strategies, hindering producers’ ability to gain more visibility for their produce. Consequently, Polish FQS producers cannot create more profitable market niches, often selling their certified products at regular market prices without the expected price premium. Moreover, FQS labels are also not recognized well by consumers, which indicates a serious problem of information asymmetry in the value chain. In order to improve the FQS sales in Poland, a joint commitment of the public administration agencies and producers is necessary in terms of providing support to producers in the process of developing applications, introducing the system for monitoring FQS distribution and reporting counterfeits, creating an umbrella association of certified producers acting on behalf of all the participants of the system. Moreover, producers are encouraged to increase the scale of production, introduce common packaging and joint promotional activities, as well as joint sales and distribution in order to avoid producer–producer competition and to strengthen producers bargaining position in the food supply chain.