Importing food products into the UK

It is well known that the UK holds a very diverse selection of preferred dishes and foods, with year-on-year popular dishes usually including many traditional dishes from foreign countries.

Just like it enjoys and imports many millions of bottles of wine annually, food products are also attracted to the markets of the UK. Many factors contribute to this love of international cuisine to include:

• Year round variety demand from a diverse population of natives and immigration.

• Limited arable land per person thanks to the high population density of the UK.

• Strong international trade infrastructure and global trade agreements.

Popular food categories include processed foods, diary, spices and more. Where would the UK be without it's tea or coffee?

How to get food products into the UK market: They a very lucrative market if you have the perfect product at a competitive price, but you will have to adhere to very strict rules and regulations in order to get your food products into the UK.

The process can be long, drawn out and costly, mostly consisting of:

Gaining the required paperwork / documentation for UK Food Imports which includes commercial invoicing, Landing of Airway Bill, Health Certificates.

Duties and VAT on food products to include customs duties.

Depending on type of food products, great consideration also needs to be put towards the Customs Clearance Process and its timeline to arrive at the distribution point (your business / warehouse / bond / port collection).