On this page
- What Changed for UK Food Imports After Brexit?
- What Are the Key Differences Between UK and EU Rules?
- What Is IPAFFS and How Does Pre-Notification Work?
- Which Documents and Certificates Are Required?
- How Do Border Checks Work for High-Risk Foods?
- What Are the Labelling and Food Safety Requirements?
- What Are the Basics of Customs Declarations and Duty?
- How Do You Source Food Commodities from India for the UK?
- Frequently asked questions
To import food to the UK, you need a UK importer registered as a food business, goods that meet Great Britain’s own food safety limits, a customs declaration, and, for products on the high-risk list, pre-notification on IPAFFS plus checks at a border control post. Since Brexit, Great Britain runs its own food import system, separate from the EU’s, although many rules started as copies of EU law. This guide explains what changed, how IPAFFS works, which documents you need, and how to source food commodities from India for the UK market.
Key takeaways
- Great Britain uses its own systems: IPAFFS for pre-notification and the Customs Declaration Service for customs.
- High-risk food and feed of non-animal origin (HRFNAO) must be pre-notified on IPAFFS at least one working day before arrival.
- Food businesses, including importers, must register with their local authority at least 28 days before trading.
- Northern Ireland follows different rules from Great Britain under the Windsor Framework.
What Changed for UK Food Imports After Brexit?
The UK left the EU single market and customs union at the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020. Since then, Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) has had its own food import controls. EU food laws that applied at that date were kept in UK law, now called “assimilated law”, and UK authorities can change them separately from the EU.
For food from outside the EU, such as India, the basic rules did not change overnight. The UK had already applied EU-style checks to Indian food. What changed is the system around them: UK importers now pre-notify on the UK’s own platform, IPAFFS, instead of the EU’s TRACES. They clear goods through UK customs, and they follow UK lists of high-risk foods and UK residue limits, which can diverge from the EU’s over time.
The UK then introduced the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), a risk-based framework for sanitary and phytosanitary checks on imports, phased in during 2024. It groups goods by risk and sets the certificates and checks needed for each group.
What Are the Key Differences Between UK and EU Rules?
For an Indian exporter, UK and EU requirements are still similar in substance, but the details differ:
- Pre-notification system: IPAFFS in Great Britain; TRACES/IMSOC in the EU.
- High-risk lists: Great Britain keeps its own list of products and countries under increased controls, based on assimilated Regulation 2019/1793. It is reviewed separately from the EU list.
- Residue limits: GB maximum residue levels are set under the assimilated version of Regulation (EC) 396/2005 and can differ from EU levels for some pesticides.
- Labelling address: prepacked food sold in Great Britain needs a UK food business name and address; an EU address alone is not enough.
- Customs: UK declarations go through the Customs Declaration Service and the UK Global Tariff applies.
- Northern Ireland: under the Windsor Framework, Northern Ireland continues to apply EU food rules for many goods.
If you sell to both markets, test to whichever limit is stricter and keep separate document templates. Our guide on how to import food to the EU covers the EU side in detail.
What Is IPAFFS and How Does Pre-Notification Work?
IPAFFS, the Import of Products, Animals, Food and Feed System, is the UK government’s online system for notifying imports of live animals, animal products, plants and high-risk food and feed. The importer in Great Britain, or an agent acting for them, registers on IPAFFS and creates the notification.
According to GOV.UK guidance, importers must use IPAFFS to notify the border control post (BCP) at least one working day before high-risk food and feed of non-animal origin (HRFNAO) arrives. The goods must enter through a point of entry with a BCP designated for that type of product. After checks, inspectors record the result on IPAFFS and issue a validated Common Health Entry Document (CHED).
The same guidance notes that emergency controls apply to certain nuts, fruits, seeds, spices and other products listed under assimilated Regulation 2019/1793. Where an official certificate is required, the original must travel with the consignment. Ask your UK buyer to confirm whether your product and origin are on the current GB list before shipment, because the list can change.
Which Documents and Certificates Are Required?
The table lists the documents that usually travel with an agro-commodity shipment from India to Great Britain.
| Document | Issued by | When needed |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial invoice and packing list | Exporter | Every shipment |
| Bill of lading or air waybill | Carrier | Every shipment |
| Certificate of origin | Authorised Indian agency | Every shipment; preferential proof if a tariff preference is claimed |
| Certificate of Analysis | Accredited laboratory | Every shipment, to the buyer’s specification |
| Phytosanitary certificate | Plant Quarantine, India | Plants and plant products that require one under GB plant health rules |
| Official certificate and lab results | Competent Indian authority | HRFNAO products where the GB list requires it |
| IPAFFS notification (CHED) | GB importer or agent | HRFNAO and other notifiable goods |
| Customs declaration | GB importer or customs agent | Every shipment, via the Customs Declaration Service |
Documents and certificates for food imports from India into Great Britain. Check current rules for your product.
Keep names, weights, lot numbers and container numbers identical across every document. Our certificates page shows the registrations and documents we provide with each shipment.
How Do Border Checks Work for High-Risk Foods?
For goods on the HRFNAO list, the BCP carries out three types of check:
- Documentary checks on every consignment: the IPAFFS notification, official certificate and lab results are reviewed.
- Identity checks: inspectors confirm that the goods match the documents and seals.
- Physical checks at the frequency set for each product and country, which may include sampling for laboratory analysis.
Checks are carried out by port health authorities at the BCP. If a sample fails, the consignment can be detained, destroyed or re-exported, usually at the importer’s cost. Most other plant-based foods from India are not on the high-risk list, but they can still be checked at random and must meet GB limits for pesticides, mycotoxins, heavy metals and microbiology. For spices, sesame and nuts, the main risks are pesticide residues, ethylene oxide, aflatoxin and Salmonella, so lot-wise testing is essential. Our lab testing page lists the tests we run.
What Are the Labelling and Food Safety Requirements?
Prepacked food in Great Britain is labelled under the assimilated version of Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 and the Food Information Regulations 2014. A label shows the name of the food, ingredients, the 14 allergens emphasised, net quantity, a date mark, storage conditions, country of origin where required, and the name and address of a UK food business operator.
Importers are food business operators. They must register with their local authority at least 28 days before they start trading, follow food hygiene rules and keep traceability records showing where each product came from and where it went. Bulk ingredients for further processing do not carry consumer labels, but the documents must identify the product, lot, origin and allergens clearly. Our traceability page explains how we link every bag to its lot.
What Are the Basics of Customs Declarations and Duty?
Every import into Great Britain needs a customs declaration, made through HMRC’s Customs Declaration Service. The importer needs an EORI number starting with “GB”. Most importers use a customs broker or freight forwarder to file declarations.
Duty is set by the UK Global Tariff and depends on the commodity code and origin. Many raw agricultural commodities have low or zero duty, but rates vary, and VAT may also apply. If a trade preference is available for Indian goods, the importer must hold valid proof of origin to claim it. Check the current rate and rules on the UK government’s trade tariff service before you price the deal. Our HS code finder helps you identify the right code.
How Do You Source Food Commodities from India for the UK?
To import food to the UK smoothly, choose an Indian exporter that already ships to UK and EU buyers and tests to the stricter of the two sets of limits. Check its IEC, APEDA and FSSAI registrations, and Spices Board registration for spices, and ask for lot-wise reports from an NABL-accredited laboratory. Plan around Indian harvests too; our article on harvest seasons of Indian crops shows when each crop is freshest.
Elysium Agri Corporation exports spices, sesame, peanuts, pulses, dehydrated onion and garlic, chia, flax and psyllium from Jamnagar, Gujarat. The UK is one of the main export markets for Indian moong, urad and toor dal, and we supply UK importers and ethnic-grocery distributors in bulk or under their own brand through our private label service. Every lot is tested before loading, and we provide the certificates your UK importer needs for IPAFFS.
Tell us the product, grade, quantity and UK port, and we will send a quote and specification sheet. Request a UK shipment quote →
Frequently asked questions
What changed for food imports into the UK after Brexit?
Since 1 January 2021, Great Britain has run its own food import controls. EU rules were kept as assimilated law but can now diverge. Importers pre-notify on IPAFFS instead of TRACES, clear goods through the Customs Declaration Service, and follow GB high-risk lists and residue limits. Northern Ireland largely follows EU rules.
What is IPAFFS and who has to use it?
IPAFFS is the UK government's Import of Products, Animals, Food and Feed System. Importers in Great Britain, or agents acting for them, use it to pre-notify imports of animals, animal products, plants and high-risk food and feed of non-animal origin. High-risk food must be notified at least one working day before it arrives.
Do food imports to the UK need health certificates?
It depends on the product. Animal products need health certificates. Plant-based foods on the GB high-risk list may need an official certificate and lab results from the exporting country, with the original travelling with the goods. Most other plant-based foods do not need a health certificate but must meet GB safety limits.
What are UK border checks on food of non-animal origin?
High-risk food of non-animal origin enters through a designated border control post. Every consignment gets documentary checks, plus identity and physical checks at set frequencies, which can include laboratory sampling. Results are recorded on IPAFFS. Other plant-based foods may be checked at random against GB limits for residues, contaminants and microbiology.
Do UK importers need to register as a food business?
Yes. Importers are food business operators and must register with their local authority at least 28 days before they start trading. They must follow food hygiene rules, keep traceability records, and make sure prepacked food carries a UK business name and address. They also need a GB EORI number for customs.
Related reads
