An overview of items to consider when exporting food from the UK.

1. Food Exports from UK
Prepared by Louise Roberts from Alimenti Food Sciences March 2017

2. Alimenti Food
Sciences - an
introduction
 New company set up to help food
businesses grow by getting to the core
of food safety and compliance
 Principal is Louise Roberts, an
experienced food safety professional
 Experienced in manufacturing, retail
and food service.
 Degree in microbiology and post
graduate certificate in education
 Last corporate role was with Sodexo,
supporting the buying team as the
technical lead for food safety and
quality.
 Interested in food crime- particularly
food fraud

3. Food Exports
Q1-Q3 2016

4. Exporting food
 Target Market
 Engage customers for local knowledge
 Certificates of Origin and Export Health
Certificates (animal origin)
 Identify any potentially restricted ingredients
 Engage with local UK regulatory authorities
 Does the UK site/facility needs to be registered
with importing country?
 Marketing terms and claims
 Do you need to nominate an agent in the importing
country to handle issues?
 Check labelling requirements in importing country
and language requirements General food labelling
and commodity requirements (Codex)
 Obtain all necessary licences and approvals prior
to despatch
 Check packaging requirements

5. Example
restricted
product- chia
 EU ruling 2013 determined that chia
seed use was restricted
 CHIA (SALVIA HISPANICA) SEED to be
labelled as such
 Baked products, Breakfast cereals,
Fruit, nut and seed mixes
 not more than 10 %
 Pre-packaged Chia seed labelled to
advise the consumer not more than 15
g per day

6. USA
 Prior notification to FDA unless exempt
 Exemptions- food for personal use/domestic
production for individual consumption/ food
landed but not imported/diplomatic pouches/
meat, eggs and poultry covered by USDA
Inspection Acts
 FDA’s Voluntary Qualified Importer Program
(VQIP) once exporting for 3 years to USA to
expedite imports

7. USA Labelling
 Principal label (PDP) must include
name, net quantity
 To the right of the PDP, the
information panel has to include
the name and address of the
manufacturer, packer or
distributor, the ingredient list,
nutrition labelling and any
required allergy labelling (Milk,
egg, fish, Crustacea, tree nuts,
wheat, peanuts, and soybeans)
 Durability coding is state specific

8. China
 Each importer has to audit exporting
producers
 “Specially controlled food”- 3
categories currently
 Focus on imported food additives,
focus on aluminium based additives
 Restrictions on additives e.g. peroxide
values
 Allergen labelling voluntary but
recommended

9. Surprising banned foods
Chewing gum in
Singapore (except
on prescription)
Fugu fish banned
from sale in EU
Marmite is not
banned in Denmark-
urban myth- not
approved
Ackee fruit in USA
unless from
approved suppliers