ABSTRACT
The perspective of accession to the EU has been the most important factor influencing transformation within the Polish food safety regime since the mid-1990s. The core of transformation has been the adjustment of the Polish food safety regime to satisfy the criteria found within EU food safety regulations. The EU negotiation position was clear: the full adoption of the acquis communautaire is the precondition for Poland’s accession to the EU. This demand was accepted by Poland, which likewise did not request a transition period for the transposition of EU food safety law.1 Nonetheless, the greatest accession challenge has not proven to be legal harmonisation, but rather practical implementation and adjustment of practices. The principal transition challenge has been posed by the shift from a system of administrative regulation and control to a regulatory system where responsibility for food safety is primarily placed upon producers.
