Minister for Agriculture Marek Sawicki has stated that “food in Poland is too expensive in relation to wages.”

“Food in Poland is cheap compared with western countries, but in relation to Polish earnings food is too expensive,” Minister Sawicki told Puls Biznesu.

Whilst the findings echo a global trend, the minister postulates that the contributing factors are middle men, distributors and retail businesses imposing high margins on food products or charging additional payments.

Sawicki noted that the problem, which is mirrored across the continent, has been perceived by the European Commission, which has appointed a committee to investigate food with regard to margins and prices.

Minister Sawicki added that it would be worth launching a monitoring system in Poland similar to that used by France, concerning margins and prices. Likewise, he advanced the idea of a code of good business practices that could be adopted in Poland.

The World Bank announced this week that rising food prices, globally, had pushed millions into poverty. "It's poor people who are now facing incredible pressure to feed themselves and their families," World Bank president Robert Zoellick said, Tuesday, noting that food inflation was "an aggravating factor" in recent uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere in North Africa and Asia. (nh/pg)