Nationwide Five-Year Official Surveillance of Microbiological Hazards in Retail Food in Poland.

This study presents the results of a completed nationwide, five-year official surveillance programme (2016-2020) conducted in Poland to assess microbiological hazards in retail food products. The programme combined official food control and national monitoring activities targeting major foodborne pathogens and hygiene indicators of public health relevance. Compliance with both EU microbiological criteria and national guidelines was assessed for Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli (including Shiga toxin-producing E. coli), Campylobacter spp., and coagulase-positive staphylococci. The programme covered all 16 administrative regions of Poland and included 380,314 retail food samples representing major food categories. Analyses were performed in accredited laboratories using ISO standard methods. Isolates obtained from positive samples were confirmed by the National Reference Laboratory (NIPH NIH-NRI), ensuring high data reliability and consistency. The findings provide a comprehensive and nationally representative assessment of microbiological compliance in retail food over a complete five-year surveillance cycle. The dataset represents one of the largest officially generated microbiological surveillance collections of retail food in Europe, providing robust evidence for risk-based food safety management and regulatory decision-making. Food categories requiring targeted control measures were identified.