Import composite products to Great Britain
Check the definition of composite products and understand the import rules and restrictions, depending on the ingredients in your food product.
When you import any food that contains products of animal origin (POAO) such as meat, dairy or eggs, you must follow the聽guidance for importing animal products for human consumption.
This additional guidance applies to composite products from EU and non-EU countries. This guidance explains which composite products are exempt from import controls and what documents you need for your specific product.
Composite product definition
Composite products are food products for human consumption that contain both:聽
- processed products of animal origin (POAO)
- plant products
Processed products
A processed product is one that has been significantly altered from its raw state. Examples of processing include heating, smoking, curing, maturing, drying, marinating and extracting. A product that contains any unprocessed animal products (such as raw meat) is not a composite product.
Examples
Examples of composite products include:聽
- lasagne聽(with processed meat and dairy products, plus tomatoes and wheat)
- pork pies聽(with processed meat and dairy, plus wheat)
- pepperoni pizza聽(with processed meat, plus tomatoes and wheat)
- cream liqueurs聽(with processed dairy products, plus whiskey derived from plants)
- chicken burritos (with processed meat and dairy, plus wheat, tomatoes and peppers)
When plants are not an integral ingredient
If plants are only included to add flavour, texture or decoration (or used to process the animal products), they are not considered integral and it is not a composite product. In this case follow:
- compound product guidance if the product contains 2 or more POAOs
- general POAO guidance if the product contains just one POAO
Examples of plants elements that are not considered to be integral include:
- fruit in yogurt (adds flavour)
- herbs in cheese (adds flavour)
- oil in tinned tuna (used for processing the animal product)
If you바카라 사이트檙e not sure if your product is a compound or composite product, contact the border control point where your goods will enter Great Britain for confirmation.
Check if your import is permitted
Certain animal products in composite products must come from:
- a country approved to export to Great Britain
- an establishment approved to export to Great Britain
This depends on the quantity of each ingredient of animal origin in your product.
Read more in the import information note for composite products.
Documents required
Imports that are exempt from import controls
Composite products that are exempt from import controls must travel with a commercial document from the exporter. See the 바카라 사이트楶roducts exempt from import controls바카라 사이트� section to find out which products this applies to.
The commercial document or product labelling must be in English and must include:聽
- the nature, quantity and number of packages of the composite products聽
- the country of origin聽
- the manufacturer聽
- a list of ingredients
Low risk imports
Composite products are low risk if they are from:
- any EU country
- a non-EU country, if shelf stable at ambient temperature and sterilised
Low risk imports must travel with a commercial document from the exporter.
Medium risk imports
Composite products from non-EU countries that are not shelf stable at ambient temperature and sterilised are medium risk.
If they contain meat, milk, eggs or fish, they need a composite product health certificate.
If they contain any other ingredients of animal origin, you need a specific health certificate for each of these ingredient (examples include honey, gelatine or collagen).
Find more information on these documents in the聽guidance on importing products of animal origin.
Products that contain fish
You may need a catch certificate and processing statement or storage document if your product contains fish.
Find out more in the聽guidance on importing fish.
Products exempt from import controls
Some composite products are exempt from import controls. This means:
- you don바카라 사이트檛 need to notify the authorities through IPAFFS
- the products can enter Great Britain through any point of entry
- the only document required is a commercial document from the exporter
Products are exempt if they are all of the following:聽
- shelf-stable at ambient temperature or have undergone complete cooking or heat treatment during manufacture so that any raw product is denatured聽
- made without processed meat, meat extracts or powders聽
- made with less than 50% of any other processed POAO (any dairy must come from an approved country and have had the correct heat treatment for that country)聽
- securely packaged or sealed in clean containers聽
- labelled for human consumption聽
Examples of exempt products are:聽
- confectionery (including sweets) and chocolate that is heat-treated and contains less than 50% processed dairy and egg products聽
- pasta and noodles not mixed or filled with a processed meat product, that have been heat-treated and contain less than 50% processed dairy and egg products聽
- bread, cakes, biscuits, waffles, wafers, rusks, toasted bread and similar toasted products that are heat-treated and contain less than 20% processed dairy and egg products聽
- olives stuffed with fish聽
- soup stocks and flavourings packaged for the final consumer that are heat-treated and contain less than 50% fish oils, fish powders or fish extracts聽
- food supplements packaged for the final consumer that contain less than 20% in total of processed animal products (including glucosamine, chondroitin or chitosan) other than meat products聽
See the list of exempt composite products in바카라 사이트� Annex 2 of the import information note for composite products (IIN - CP/1).听
When to submit an import notification
If your composite product is exempt from import controls you do not need to submit an import notification on IPAFFS.
For all other composite products, you need to submit an import notification on IPAFFS at least one working day before the聽import聽is expected to arrive.
Read more IPAFFS guidance in the general聽guidance for importing animal products for human consumption.
Updates to this page
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This guidance has been edited for usability and now explains the rules for importing composite products from anywhere in the world. It should be used alongside the general guidance for importing products of animal origin (POAO).
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Updated with information about commercial documents, and to take account of new rules coming into force on 30 April 2024.
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The page has been updated in line with regulations from 31 January 2024.
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Removed guidance relating to documents needed to import composite products from 1 November 2022.
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Removed references to changes to import controls previously due to come into effect on 1 July 2022, as these have been postponed. The page will be updated in autumn 2022 with new dates for import controls.
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Import controls on EU goods to Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) planned from July will not be introduced in 2022. The controls that have already been introduced remain in place. This page will be updated in autumn 2022.
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Updated the section 'If you need help with your customs declaration'.
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Added a 'If you need help with your customs declaration' section.
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Updated with helpline for import notifications.
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Guidance updated to show change in rules from 1 January 2022 for imports from the Republic of Ireland to Great Britain.
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Updated to show changes to dates when import rules apply to imports from the EU to Great Britain.
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Updated with new dates for the introduction of controls on imports of composite products.
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Content added about products that cannot be imported using a composite health certificate from 1 October 2021.
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First published.