Food Standards Agency
Sunday 5 July 2009
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Listen to this siteThere are a number of important considerations before importing food. It is the responsibility of the importer to ensure that products imported into the UK, or any other European Union (EU) country, are safe and legal. Failure to comply with UK and EU hygiene and safety rules could cause delay in shipments, increase costs and require action to be taken by enforcement authorities.
All food imported into the UK must comply with the food hygiene requirements of Commission Regulation (EC) 852/2004 , and there are additional measures for imports of food of animal origin under Commission Regulation (EC) 853/2004 .
If you are new to importing food for commercial purposes, please contact SITPRO who are the UK's Trade Facilitation Agency supported by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR), formerly the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI):
SITPRO
tel: 020 7215 8150
fax: 020 7215 4242
email:
info@sitpro.org.uk
website: (External)
www.sitpro.org.uk
You can discuss with them what trade procedures and documentation you might need to comply with to import food into the UK and the EU, as well as any trade concerns or issues, before you arrange for the food to be imported.
Back to topImporters must ensure that their goods are safe and legal before they are purchased from producers and imported into the UK.
Some products can only come into the European Union (EU) through specific ports. For example, animal products (such as meat, dairy foods and fish) can only enter through a port with a Border Inspection Post (BIP). Some other foods that are not of animal origin have similar rules.
There are a number of major sea ports and airports in the UK and all have Border Inspection Posts (BIPs) where checks can be performed on products with wholly or predominantly animal ingredients.
In most cases animal products imported into the European Union (EU) must originate from a country that is approved to export that category of product to the EU. To become approved the Food and Veterinary Office of the European Commission (FVO) must visit the non-EU country and its establishments to check hygiene standards are equivalent to those in the EU.
European Commission guidance and interpretation of the new rules on hygiene of foodstuffs coming into force on 1 January 2006 is available.
Guidance notes for feed and food businesses on the imports provisions for products of non-animal origin are available.
Some frequently asked questions about importing food that you are planning to put on sale.
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