Illegal food product imports
To coincide with National Food Safety Week,
which runs between 9-13 June 2008, Broxbourne Council is warning
people planning their summer holidays of the risks they take if
they bring back certain foods from abroad.
With increased global travel, the issue of
illegal imports of food products has become more significant as
they threaten Britain’s public health, livestock, agriculture and
horticultural industries. The type of food that can be
brought into the UK depends on where someone has travelled from,
with different rules existing for travel inside and outside the
EU.
For travellers returning to the UK from
outside the EU, it is generally illegal to bring in any meat, meat
products, milk and milk based products. There are also limits on
bringing back other foods such as fish, shellfish, potatoes, eggs,
egg products and honey.
The rules for bringing in food from within the
EU are simpler and a reasonable amount of food can be brought back
for personal use, although it is always sensible to check before
travelling.
Detailed advice on what travellers can bring
into the UK is now available in the Health
& Social Care/Food section or by telephoning the Council’s
environmental health section on 01992 785511