Bringing food into Great Britain

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1. Overview

There are rules for bringing food or animal products into Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) for your own use.

There are different rules if you’re bringing food or animal products into Northern Ireland.

You can bring the following into Great Britain from any country without any restrictions:

  • bread, but not sandwiches filled with meat or dairy products
  • cakes without fresh cream
  • biscuits
  • chocolate and confectionery, but not those made with a lot of unprocessed dairy ingredients
  • pasta and noodles, but not if mixed or filled with meat or meat products
  • packaged soup, stocks and flavourings
  • processed and packaged plant products, such as packaged salads and frozen plant material
  • food supplements containing small amounts of an animal product, such as fish oil capsules

Restricted items

There are restrictions on bringing meat, dairy, fish and animal products and fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds into Great Britain from abroad.

If you’re bringing in any food or animal products protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), you’ll need to apply for a CITES permit.

2. Meat, dairy, fish and animal products

The rules on bringing meat, dairy, fish and other animal products depend on the country you’re bringing it from.

From the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Faroe Islands and Greenland

You can bring in the following for personal use:

  • dairy
  • fish
  • meat (there are restrictions if you’re bringing in more than 2kgs of pork or pork products)
  • other animal products - for example, eggs and honey

Because of an outbreak of African swine fever you need to properly dispose of any leftover meat so that pigs and wild boar cannot eat it.

You cannot bring in food from other countries on a connecting flight.

If you’re bringing in pork or pork products over 2kgs

You can only bring in pork or pork products over 2kgs if they’re either:

  • commercially packaged with an EU identification mark 
  • stamped with a health mark if it’s a carcass

If you’re bringing in animal by-products they must be commercially packaged with the name and address of the feed business operator or have an animal by-product commercial document.

If you need to dispose of any pork or pork products before entering the UK, you must do it in a secure bin.

From countries outside the EU

If you’re bringing food from a country outside the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, the following rules apply.

You cannot bring in:

  • meat or meat products
  • milk or milk-based products, except powdered infant milk, infant food or special food (including pet food) needed for medical reasons

You can bring in up to 2kg per person of:

  • honey
  • powdered infant milk, infant food, or special food (including pet food) needed for medical reasons - you can only bring it in if it does not need to be refrigerated before use, and is in branded, unopened packaging (unless in current use)
  • shellfish, such as mussels or oysters
  • snails - these must be preserved or shelled, cooked and prepared
  • frogs’ legs - these must be the back (hind) part of the frog with the skin and internal organs removed
  • insect meat

You can bring in up to 20kg per person in total of fish, including:

  • fresh fish - must be gutted
  • fish products
  • processed fish - must be dried, cooked, cured or smoked
  • lobsters
  • prawns

You cannot bring in caviar unless you have a CITES permit.

3. Fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds

The rules on bringing fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds depend on the country you’re bringing it from.

From the EU, Switzerland or Liechtenstein

You can bring in the following for personal use:

  • fruit
  • vegetables
  • nuts and seeds

From other countries outside the EU

You cannot bring in most fruit or vegetables unless you have a ‘phytosanitary’ (plant health) certificate for them.

You can get a certificate from the plant health authorities in the country you’re leaving.

You can only bring in the following without a phytosanitary certificate:

  • pineapple
  • kiwi
  • coconut
  • citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruit
  • kumquat
  • persimmon
  • durian
  • curry leaves
  • banana and plantain
  • mango
  • dates
  • passion fruit
  • guava
  • processed and packaged plant products, such as packaged salads or frozen plant material
  • peeled and processed nuts or nut butters
  • certain grains, such as rice

4. Check if you need a CITES permit

You’ll need to apply for a permit or certificate if you’re bringing any food or animal products protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) into Great Britain.

This includes:

  • foods such as caviar and eel fillets
  • beauty products containing caviar extract
  • edible cacti, for example prickly pear

Check if you need a CITES permit.

How to get a CITES permit

You need to download and complete a CITES permit application form. Send it to the address on the form.

When travelling to Great Britain, you’ll need to arrive at one of the ports or airports that handles CITES items.

Border Force can seize your items if you do not have a CITES permit and they think you’ve brought them into the country illegally.

Get help

To check the CITES rules, contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) Centre for International Trade in Bristol.

APHA Centre for International Trade: Bristol
wildlife.licensing@apha.gov.uk
Telephone: 03000 200 301
Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm
Fax: 028 415 2510
Find out about call charges

APHA Centre for International Trade: Bristol
Horizon House
Deanery Road
Bristol
BS1 5AH

5. If you break the rules

If you declare banned food products to Border Force officers at customs, they’ll take them away and destroy them.

If you do not declare banned food products, you could be prosecuted.

Border Force can take away (‘seize’) your products if they think:

  • you’ve brought something into the country illegally
  • you’ve brought in too much of a restricted product
  • it’s been cross-contaminated, for example with blood from meat - if any clothing or a bag the item’s in is contaminated, it’ll be destroyed

If you’re not sure about any of the products you’re bringing in, speak to a Border Force officer in the ‘red channel’ at customs or on the red point phone.

Appeals

You can appeal to Border Force if you think your products were wrongly seized and destroyed. If your appeal is successful, you could get compensation.