Personal imports: What food may I bring into the UK?
The rules on bringing food into the UK from outside the European Union,
apply to all food, whether it was bought from a shop (including at an
airport), was home made or grown/produced at home. Different rules apply for different products:
- Guidance for products of animal origin (please read first)
- Personal imports of animal products (PDF 51 KB)
- Personal imports of plants and plant produce and products (PDF 110 KB)
Leaflets produced by HM Revenue and Customs are also available giving guidance to travellers on the import of products of animal origin and plants or plant products.
The law
The European Commission Decision on personal imports (EC) No 745/2004: Commission Decision of 16 April 2004 laying down measures with regard to imports of products of animal origin for personal consumption. This is transposed into UK law by: The Products of Animal Origin (Third Country Imports) (England) Regulations 2006.
Further information
- See our International Trade pages if you are interested in importing goods commercially.
- Personal imports information on the EUROPA site.
Page last
modified:
September 3, 2008