There are rules for bringing food or animal products into Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) for your own use.

You can bring the following into Great Britain from any country without any restrictions:

• bread, but not sandwiches filled with meat or dairy products
• cakes without fresh cream
• biscuits
• chocolate and confectionery, but not those made with a lot of unprocessed dairy ingredients
• pasta and noodles, but not if mixed or filled with meat or meat products
• packaged soup, stocks and flavourings
• processed and packaged plant products, such as packaged salads and frozen plant material
• food supplements containing small amounts of an animal product, such as fish oil capsules

Restricted items

There are restrictions on bringing meat, dairy, fish and animal products and fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds into Great Britain from abroad.

If you’re bringing in any food or animal products protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), you may need to apply for a CITES permit.

The rules on bringing meat, dairy, fish and other animal products depend on the country you’re bringing it from.

From the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Faroe Islands and Greenland

You can bring in the following for personal use:

• fish
• poultry, for example chicken, duck, goose and any other products made from these meats
• other animal products, for example eggs and honey

Because of recent and ongoing animal disease outbreaks in the EU, there are restrictions in place for bringing in most meat and all dairy products.

You can bring in up to 2kg per person of powdered infant milk, infant food, or special food needed for medical reasons. You can only bring it in if it does not need to be refrigerated before use, and is in branded, unopened packaging (unless in current use).

Restrictions on meat, dairy and animal products for human consumption

You cannot bring in any of the following:

• cheese, milk and dairy products like butter and yoghurt
• pork
• beef
• lamb
• mutton
• goat
• venison
• other products made from these meats, for example sausages

From countries outside the EU

If you’re bringing food from a country outside the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, the following rules apply.

You cannot bring in:

• meat or meat products
• milk or milk-based products, except powdered infant milk, infant food or special food needed for medical reasons

You can bring in up to 2kg per person of:

• honey
• powdered infant milk, infant food, or special food (including pet food) needed for medical reasons – you can only bring it in if it does not need to be refrigerated before use, and is in branded, unopened packaging (unless in current use)
• live mussels or oysters
• snails – these must be preserved or shelled, cooked and prepared
• frogs’ legs – these must be the back (hind) part of the frog with the skin and internal organs removed
• insect protein

You can bring in up to 20kg per person in total of fish, including:

• fresh fish – must be gutted
• fish products
• processed fish – must be dried, cooked, cured or smoked
• lobsters
• prawns

The rules on bringing fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds depend on the country you’re bringing it from.

From the EU, Switzerland or Liechtenstein

You can bring in the following for personal use:

• fruit
• vegetables
• nuts and seeds

From other countries outside the EU

You cannot bring in most fruit or vegetables unless you have a ‘phytosanitary’ (plant health) certificate for them.

You can get a certificate from the plant health authorities in the country you’re leaving.

You can only bring in the following without a phytosanitary certificate:

• pineapple
• kiwi
• coconut
• citrus fruits, such as oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruit
• kumquat
• persimmon
• durian
• curry leaves
• banana and plantain
• mango
• dates
• passion fruit
• guava
• processed and packaged plant products, such as packaged salads or frozen plant material
• peeled and processed nuts or nut butters
• certain grains, such as rice

The rules on bringing pet food depend on the country you’re bringing it from.

From the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Faroe Islands and Greenland

You cannot bring in pet food if it contains meat or other animal products from pig, cow, sheep, goat or deer.

You can bring in pet food made with other ingredients (for example, chicken) if it is commercially packaged with the manufacturer’s name and address.

You can bring up to 2kg per person.

From countries outside the EU

You cannot bring in pet food, unless your pet needs it for health-related reasons.

Health-related pet food

You can bring in up to 2kg per person of pet food needed for health-related reasons, from any country.

The pet food must:

• not need to be refrigerated before use
• be in branded, unopened packaging (unless it is currently in use)

Your pet must be travelling with you. You should have evidence that the pet food is needed for health-related reasons, such as a letter from your vet.

Contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) if you want to bring in more than 2kg of health-related pet food per person.

You’ll need to provide:

• details of why you cannot buy the specific pet food in Great Britain
• a letter from your vet confirming your pet needs this specific food

You may need to apply for a permit or certificate if you’re bringing any food or animal products protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) into Great Britain.

This includes:

• foods such as caviar and eel fillets
• beauty products containing caviar extract

Check if you need a CITES permit.

How to get a CITES permit

You can apply for a CITES permit online.

When travelling to Great Britain, you’ll need to arrive at one of the ports or airports that handles CITES items.

Get help

To check the CITES rules, contact the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) Centre for International Trade in Bristol.

If you declare banned food products to Border Force officers at customs, they’ll take them away and destroy them.

If you do not declare banned food products, you could be fined up to £5,000 (in England) or you could be prosecuted.

Border Force can take away (‘seize’) your products if they think:

• you’ve brought something into the country illegally
• you’ve brought in too much of a restricted product
• it’s been cross-contaminated, for example with blood from meat – if any clothing or a bag the item’s in is contaminated, it’ll be destroyed

If you’re not sure about any of the products you’re bringing in, speak to a Border Force officer in the ‘red channel’ at customs or on the red point phone.

Appeals

You can appeal to Border Force if you think your products were wrongly seized and destroyed. If your appeal is successful, you could get compensation.