Exporting to outside the EU
Wednesday 28 December 2011
If you are exporting food from the UK to a country outside the European Union (EU) and intend to make it available for sale, contact the country's embassy in the UK to check if there are restrictions on the food products that can be exported to that country.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is not responsible for food exported from the UK to other countries.
Foreign Embassies – a list of representatives in the UK of foreign states and Commonwealth countries is normally published on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website.
While this document is being updated you can contact the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Exporting food to the United States
There are restrictions on commercial exporters of food to the United States. Owners, operators or agents in charge of a domestic or foreign facility must register with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). UK companies wishing to export food to the US must have a US registered agent.
This does not apply to food imported solely for personal use.
Registration is now a requirement since the US President signed into law a Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 ('the Bioterrorism Act').
Please contact the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) for advice.
Export certificates
The FSA does not issue export certificates for any food items. Certain non-EU countries may require food items to be certified by a UK government authority before being exported as they are concerned about the implications on consumer health. In these instances the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) will issue Certificates of Free Sale for certain food items (alcoholic drinks and products of animal origin but not fish and shellfish) being exported to non-EU countries. These certificates state that the products are free from harmful radioactive material, are fit for human consumption and are freely sold in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
For more details, please contact the RPA directly:
Certificates of Free Sale Team
Data Control Centre
Rural Payments Agency
Lancaster House
Hampshire Court
Newcastle Business Park
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE4 7YH
tel: 0191 226 5111
email: Certificate.ofFreesale@rpa.gsi.gov.uk
website: http://rpa.defra.gov.uk/rpa/index.nsf/home
For export certificates for products of non-animal origin, fish and shellfish, contact your local authority environmental health service who may issue a letter stating that the products have been produced in establishments that meet UK food hygiene requirements.