You need to comply with regulations when importing or exporting food
Keep reading for all the information you need to comply with regulations when importing or exporting food.
We have a responsibility to make sure that food and feed imported into and exported from Scotland meets legal requirements.
Food Standards Scotland sets the rules for importing food, feed, and food contact materials (FCM), such as plastics and ceramics, into Scotland and the rest of Great Britain. Different rules apply in Northern Ireland. FSS does not set export rules; businesses should refer to Defra for export requirements.
Imported food, feed and FCM must meet GB standards for public and animal health.
Additional controls apply to goods such as products of animal origin (POAO), or plant based products that are higher risk (high risk food of non-animal origin (HRFNAO)).
Certain types of food, feed and FCM need to be checked at border control posts approved to handle each type of product. These checks are known as “official controls” and for food, are carried out by local authorities. In England, the checks are carried out by Port Health Authorities.
A list of GB Border Control Posts (BCP) can be found at the following link - Animals, animal products and HRFNAO imports: authorised border control posts in the UK - GOV.UK
Visit the Food Standards Agency website for more information on imports to Great Britain:
Importing products of animal origin
Importing products of non-animal origin
Importing fishery products or bivalve molluscs
Importing plastic kitchenware from China and Hong Kong
Food businesses are responsible for ensuring that their products meet the standards set by the importing country. FSS does not provide business specific advice on export standards. Keep reading for more information on exports and export certification.
The UK Government and the EU have agreed specific measures for businesses selling certain retail products, including food, onto the retail market in Northern Ireland.
Further detail on what is known as the Retail Movement Scheme (ReMoS) can be found on the UK Government website - The Windsor Framework - further detail and publications - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Qualifying Northern Ireland goods can move with unfettered access into Great Britain directly from Northern Ireland, or indirectly through Ireland.
Only food and animal feed dispatched from a registered or approved food or feed establishment in Northern Ireland are ‘qualifying Northern Ireland goods’.
This means that EU goods moving via Northern Ireland into GB are not qualifying Northern Ireland goods. These non qualifying goods are therefore subject to certain SPS controls.
Full information on moving goods under the unfettered market access arrangements is available on gov.uk (Opens in a new window).
There have been a number of instances of spices or other food ingredients, such as dried chilli, chilli products, curry powder and palm oil, being contaminated with very low levels of illegal dyes. In these cases there is a strong suggestion that rather than being present as a result of deliberate adulteration, the dyes may be present at very low levels as a result of accidental contamination from the environment or from machinery used to process the spice or other ingredient.
Port Health Authorities will reject products if the presence of illegal dyes is discovered at or above the level of 0.5 parts per million (0.5ppm). The action limit should apply irrespective of whether the High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) or Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry/Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analytical methods have been used.
Scottish Ministers and Food Standards Scotland can issue a written Declaration to suspend or restrict the introduction of food or feed into Scotland if they reasonably suspect it poses a serious risk to public or animal health.
Certain countries, including the European Union (EU) require that some UK food and drink exports are certified by a UK certifying authority before being exported.
A composite product is a food for human consumption containing processed animal products combined with plant material. This would include things like a sandwich, or a duck spring roll.
Food and food products of non-animal origin are any products that do not contain any ingredients derived from animals or animal products.
Imported products of animal origin (POAO) and live animals present a high level risk as they can transmit series human and animal diseases.
