How Polish Nutritional Guidelines for the Inhabitants of Poland Have Changed
Alicja Kowalska
2026-03-25
5 min. read
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In 2020, an important publication, Polish nutritional guidelines for the inhabitants of Poland and their application, was released, which is especially relevant for food producers. The work was funded under the National Health Program 2016-2020. Compared to the guidelines from 2017, it includes several new topics and updates.
Daily consumption standards
For diverse nutrients, vitamins and minerals, daily consumption standards are established. There are several types of standards.
EAR - a crucial component for the proper functioning of the organism
Average level of nutrient consumption that is indispensable for the proper functioning of the organism of individuals in a specific age or gender category. Requirements at this level fulfill the needs of half of the individuals in that group.
Recommended Daily Allowance
Recommended Daily Allowance - a level of intake that is expected to meet the needs of nearly all individuals in a particular group.
RDA standards are developed by nutrition experts to ensure that people are getting enough nutrients.
RDA is given as the amount of nutrients that an adult should consume daily.
RDA is important because it ensures that people are getting enough nutrients to maintain health and prevent disease.
Artificial Nourishment
sufficient ingestion. It is employed when it is not feasible to determine the exact EAR or RDA standards. Attention should be paid to the standards. In the process of planning individual meals, the RDA should be adhered to. If RDA is not available, the AI standard is applied. However, if the evaluation pertains to the usual intake of an individual to estimate the likelihood of sufficient consumption of specific nutrients, the EAR standard can be employed, but also RDA. In 2020, the RI standards for fats and carbohydrates were established, which means they were presented as a percentage of the consumption of other energy products. For instance, fat in the diet should constitute 20–35% of the energy intake. Norms regarding energy were developed on the EAR level. Protein and other nutrients were set on EAR, RDA, or AI levels. During the planning process of meals, the bioavailability of a specific nutrient must be considered, thus increasing the intake of a specific nutrient in relation to the norms from time to time. It is important to thoroughly read the section on the evaluation and planning of intake based on norms, which is a summary of the practical use of nutritional standards.
Energy demands for women during pregnancy
The norms regarding energy requirements for women during pregnancy have been updated. In 2017, specialists recommended increasing the calorie intake in the diet only from the second trimester. In 2020, already from the first trimester, it is suggested to raise the energy intake from food. A slight increase - only by 85 kcal per day. In the second trimester, the recommended dose is slightly less than before. Comparison of the recommended energy amount in the diet for pregnant women. In the case of breastfeeding women, the standards remain unchanged - the recommended daily energy intake should be 505 kcal.
Cholesterol
The general stance concerning cholesterol intake in the diet remains unchanged – there are no detailed guidelines, but the average intake in Europe at a level of 300 mg per day appears to be safe. A healthy adult can safely consume up to 7 eggs per week (one egg contains approximately 200 mg of cholesterol). Additional information is available for the elderly – due to the high nutritional value of eggs and the ease of their intake, people with a normal blood cholesterol level can consume up to 2 eggs per day (according to the American Heart Association's egg statistics). In the Norms… from 2017, people with cardiovascular diseases, dyslipidemia, and diabetes were recommended to limit their egg intake to 2 per week. This was not specified in 2020, but caution is advised when consuming cholesterol and saturated fatty acids. It is worth noting that the human body is capable of meeting the demand for this nutrient through internal production, hence the intake of cholesterol in food is not necessary.
Dietary fibers in food
In the year 2020, dietary fiber fractions in food were characterized in terms of their water solubility, viscosity, fermentability, and primary sources, including hemicellulose, cellulose, pectins, hydrocolloids, inulin, fructans, resistant oligosaccharides, and resistant starch.
Products made from raw materials of any category, except for:
In the year 2020, there was a minor increase in the recommended daily intake of folia for boys. A comparison of the guidelines for folia in the group of boys aged 10-18 years.
Sodium and chloride
In contrast to previous norms, the requirement for sufficient intake of chloride and sodium does not decrease after 51 years of age. For all adults, regardless of gender and age, the norms for these elements are: sodium - 1500 mg/day, chloride - 2300 mg/day. Previously, these values decreased after 51 years of age. Comparison of sodium and chloride norms in the adult group (from 19 years of age).
Reference consumption values for food labeling
In 2020, the key information about the currently applicable standards in the European Union for providing nutritional value information on food was announced. Reference values were developed for adults, as well as reference values for energy and macronutrients (energy, fat, protein, sugars, carbohydrates). One of the manufacturers' obligations under Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council on providing food information to consumers is to provide a percentage value that determines the degree to which a product in 100 g or 100 ml meets the reference values for the ingredients listed on the label. However, in cases where less than 190 g g g/g/g is indicated, there is no obligation to provide percentage values. Daily reference values for adults have been established as follows: energy - 2000 kcal, fat - 70 g, saturated fatty acids - 20 g, carbohydrates - 260 g, sugar - 90 g, protein - 50 g, salt - 6 g. However, it is important to note that these are average values. For example, a man with a weight of 90 kg and a height of 190 cm will have a significantly higher daily energy requirement than 2000 kcal.
Dietary supplements
In 2020, information is also included about the most recent decisions of the Nutritional Supplements Team (Advisory Team of the Inspectorate-General for Health). These can be found in the Standards and Supplementation section. In 2019 and 2020, professionals developed recommendations regarding the maximum amounts of vitamins and minerals that should be included in the daily dose of the dietary supplement for adults recommended by the manufacturer.
