Bringing food into Great Britain
Overview
There are rules for bringing food or animal products into Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) for your own use.
There are different rules if you’re bringing food or animal products into Northern Ireland.
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.