Contents 7/2022

This article presents the challenges faced by enterprises in the field of „green” transformation, including the Polish agri-food sector. Particular attention was paid to barriers in the adaptation of Polish companies to the current EU climate policy, new pro-climate requirements for enterprises, including calculating of the carbon footprint, and the necessary institutional measures supporting the energy transformation. In the coming years, Polish companies from the agri-food sector will compete not only in terms of the quality of products and prices, but also in terms of meeting pro-climate requirements. If no action is taken regarding the energy transformation, they can expect higher production costs, and even falling out of the market in the absence of „green” investments. Taking into account the market demand for „green” products, new legal regulations, support from public and private funds dependent on climate indicators and the change in consumer attitudes, it should be stated that companies – at least in the medium and long term – will be forced to change their business models and implement climate issues in development strategies.

KEY WORDS: low-emission economy, agri-food sector, climate competitiveness

The food service sector has developed dynamically in recent years, but in 2020, as a result of the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic and a number of unfavorable changes in the market environment, the tendency was reversed. The potential of the sector, measured by the number of food establishments in 2015-2020, decreased, shifting the sector back several years. This phenomenon applies to all types of food service establishments. The most profound changes took place in 2020 as a result of the restrictions introduced due to the prevailing pandemic. As a result, the sales value of food service establishments (in constant prices) in 2020 decreased by over 30% y/y and was only 1.2% higher than in 2015, while food purchased at retail increased by 3.7% y/y and was 8.1% higher than in 2015. Along with s the increase in the wealth of the population , spending on food consumed away from home initially increased, and then in 2020 it declining by a leap, retreating to the level 0.8% lower than in 2015. As a result, the share of gastronomy service in household expenditures on food and non-alcoholic beverages decreased from 15.6% in 2015 to 12.1% in 2020. These phenomena indicate a large reduction in gastronomy services, both on the supply and demand sides, and it may take several years to return to pre-pandemic conditions.

KEY WORDS: food services, food establishments, household expenditures

The subject of the article is franchise as a system for selling goods on the Polish food market after 2010. The adopted time limit was justified by the dynamic changes that took place on the described market in the last decade. The current literature and industry studies have taken into account various facts, statistical data and trends in order to better understand the role of franchise in determining changes on the Polish food market after 2010. This allows to believe that the analyzed phenomenon is complex, with significant effects on economic practice. The article presents only selected characteristics of this market, due to the complexity of issues related to the development of franchise in Poland in the 21st century. It was undertaken to establish franchise data on the Polish food market and selected aspects of the functioning of the largest franchise networks on this market after 2010.

KEY WORDS: franchise, franchise networks, Polish food market

In the article, the properties of sugarcane, describes the types of cane sugar and characterizes its components, taking into account biologically active substances were presented. The attention was paid to the physiological functions of carbohydrates in the body and the influence of eating sugar-rich food on the occurrence of diet-related diseases. The qualitative assessment was performed on the unrefined cane sugars available on the market . The tested cane sugar samples, compared to white sugar, were characterized by higher moisture content, color, lower polarization and sucrose content, and a higher level of total polyphenols. Organic products with a lower degree of purification of molasses were characterized by a darker color and a richer quantitative composition than the other analyzed cane sugars. The coexistence of a statistically significant correlation between sugar color and its polarization and moisture content was demonstrated.

KEY WORDS: unrefined cane sugar, quality characteristics, organic products

The SARS-COVID-2 pandemic had causedin Poland by 6/07/22. infection of 6,018 million (including recovery 5.335 million), death of over 116 thousand people. Proper nutrition and dietary supplementation during times of danger can prevent infection and accelerate healing. Assumptions of a balanced diet for adults (according to Com.Nutr.S. PAN) and recommendations for supplementation (according to PZH Standards) with vitamins and mineral salts in doses preventing overdosing are given. Nutritional recommendations for infants and children were also discussed.

KEY WORDS: virus pandemic, immunity, recommended nutrition: supplementation, vitamin and mineral salt standards

Fish and unprocessed fish products are perishable products. This is the result of changes in raw fish that are not preserved after being caught, as well as poor storage of this raw material. For this reason, more and more attention is paid to research into the introduction of modern methods of food preservation and packaging. Edible coatings or films are an interesting alternative to traditional methods of extending the shelf life of food by protecting against external and internal environmental factors. In addition, the introduction of such a method of protection for fish products will have a positive effect on ecology, thanks to the reduced production of synthetic packaging.

KEY WORDS: edible coatings, edible films, fish, fishery products, food safety

Food packaging has a significant impact on the quality and safety of the packaged food, and also it performs other important functions, such as: informational, marketing and ecological. The aim of the study was to analyze consumer opinions on the safety and functions of food packaging. 231 respondents took part in the survey. Almost everyone noticed the impact of packaging on the safety of packaged food, and ¾ of the respondents claimed that this effect may be harmful. However, only a few took into account the type of packaging when making their purchasing decisions. Retirees and pensioners paid the greatest attention to packaging. Women considered stationery to be the safest in contact with food, and men – glass . Beverages packed in glass and plastic bottles found to be equally popular. According to the respondents, the most important thing was the tightness of the packaging and legibility of the label as well as their protection and ecological functions. Despite such declarations, the majority didn’t pay attention to the recyclability of the packaging. It can therefore be assumed that the convenience of use and the price are still more important than safety and ecology.

KEY WORDS: packaged food, consumer opinions, safety, quality of the packaged food, survey research