Importing food for commercial use

You will need an import licence for importing any foods that are products of animal origin (POAO), including meat, poultry, eggs, dairy products, honey, fishery products or bivalve molluscs. See advice on licences for importing fishery products or bivalve molluscs, including information on health certificates and advice on licences for importing all other POAO foods on Defra's Animal Health website.

You do not need an import licence for health purposes for importing any foods that have no animal content, such as rice, fruit, bread and vegetables. However, for all foods you may need a licence for trading purposes. You will need to check with the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) as many foods from non-EU countries require import licences for trading purposes and may be subject to import quotas. For more information see the RPA website.

Some food products being imported will attract duty (tax) and it is important that the correct duty rate is paid. If you pay too little, you are likely to have to pay the additional amount later, perhaps after you have sold the goods on. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is the Government body with responsibility for import duties on certain foods. See the HMRC website.

It may be helpful to arrange for a sample of your products to be tested in the UK, although there is no legal requirement for you to do so. See more information on how to arrange testing. Remember that failure to comply with UK and European Union hygiene and safety rules could cause delay in shipments, increase costs and require action to be taken by enforcement authorities.

The Agency does not have facilities to carry out tests on imported food products. We do not approve food products for import to the UK. It is the responsibility of the importer to ensure that there are sufficient quality controls in place in the country of origin where the product is produced. It is also up to the importer to ensure that the food they import to the UK is fit for human consumption and that no one will become ill if they eat it.

The Food Standards Agency is not able to recommend any particular commercial company. The environmental health department of your local authority may be able to arrange for chemical analysis and/or microbiological examination for you, but they will charge for the service. To locate the contact details of your nearest local authority, you can use our online search facility by entering the postcode of your business.

Alternatively, see a list of Official Food Control Laboratories in the UK. There are also a number of other laboratories in the UK and abroad that could undertake the work that you may require. You could then arrange for the analysis report to form the basis of your quality controls in the exporting country.

Imports of food that is not of animal origin (such as fruit and vegetables) can only enter through a UK seaport or airport that has the necessary facilities in place to handle food. Highly trained Environmental Health Officers employed by the appropriate local authority staff such ports. There are also a number of European Union approved Border Inspection Posts (BIPs) at major seaports and airports that deal with the import of food that is or that contains products of animal origin (POAO). BIPs are staffed by highly trained Official Veterinary Surgeons, Environmental Health Officers and specialist technical staff. These personnel carry out checks on imported food products to protect both human and animal health.

Further to documentary checks and any identity checks carried out on consignments, physical checks may comprise some or all of these:

• sensory (visual, odour, taste)
• thawing, cooking, temperature
• wrapping and labelling
• packaging integrity
• bacteriological quality
• analysis for contaminants, bio-cumulative compounds/toxins and prohibited substances (e.g. growth promoters)
• transport conditions including thermograph records, evidence of damage or alteration and evidence of pest infestation

Consignments failing checks will be destroyed or re-exported outside the European Union.