Imports From Outside the UK
Imports from outside the UK/EU
Food Labelling Services regularly checks labels for products that are planned to be imported into the UK from the EU, USA, China, Eastern Europe, the Far East and Australia where labelling regulations and often ingredients are conflicting with EU requirements.
Traders importing food from outside the EU need to ensure that they comply with UK & EU regulations on food hygiene and safety, and also food labelling and food composition regulations. Failure to comply could result in the shipment being detained or destroyed, and additional costs could be incurred. Where foods are pre-packed outside the EU the importer must ensure the packaging complies with EU rules on food packaging.
In the UK, food labelling must be in English and it is an offence to supply food without English labelling.
The Food Information Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 states that, where labelling is required, it should be ‘in a language easily understood by the consumers of the Member States where a food is marketed’, so if you are exporting food products to the European Union, labelling needs to be in the most appropriate language for the country you are exporting to.
Our expert consultants can assess your imported food labels quickly to ensure they meet UK and EU legislation, to ensure that your product is suitable for the UK and EU markets. These checks will include: (list not exhaustive):
- Ensuring all mandatory information is declared
- Product name approval
- Ingredient verification for appropriate market
- Additive review for specific food categories
- Novel Food identification
- Allergen declaration check
- Nutrition format verification
- Quantity marking
- Date coding
- Storage instructions and instructions for use
- Field of vision requirements
- Country of origin declarations
- Health & Nutrition Claims and other claims
- Product warnings and other mandatory requirements
- Language
If there is anything we can assist you with, please don't hesitate to contact us today.