Personal Food Imports

HANIFA · Post by **HANIFA** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 2:59 am

I am travelling to Pakistan in a couple of weeks and while surfing the net I came across the law regarding banned food items.

Do you know what it is about?

uklondonuser · Post by **uklondonuser** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 9:54 am

Hi,

I think you cannot bring meat and dairy items from outside the European Union

http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/pls/portalli ... 385696.PDF

Post by **PaperPusher** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 11:20 am

http://www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/imp ... sonal_imp/

Also see the government website for more details.

HANIFA · Post by **HANIFA** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 6:36 pm

But all my family usually brings a lot of stuff... mithai, meat and ghee...

Are they serious or is this just a law for the sake of it. Cos I have never heard of anyone talking about banned foods.

hamid84 · Post by **hamid84** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 11:58 pm

They may be bringing some stuff for personal use so that's not big issue however; if you are going to have regular business then you need to be carefull.

If you are going to import dairy items e,g Methai, Cakes then make sure you get them checked and authorised in dedicated labs to meet UK standard.

My parents came from Pakistan last week and were able to bring sweet but i have heard some cases where some people were not allowed to get them cleared and it was at heathrow.

Post by **PaperPusher** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 1:40 pm

The laws are in place to help prevent the spread of diseases and pests which can effect people, crops and livestock.

Mithai, ghee and meat are widely available in the UK. Please do not bring banned items to the UK.

It is a big issue when things are brought from outside the EU. Pests, diseases and food standards are different in different parts of the world.

Any banned items may be confiscated and destroyed.

Why are there controls on importing meat and other animal products?Illegal imports present unknown risks to human health because they have avoided health and hygiene checks, and could bring in diseases.

For more information about animal disease risks see the European Commission website and the Personal Imports section of the Defra website. The Defra website also provides information on bushmeat.

http://www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/imp ... sonal_imp/

Can I bring in milk based confectionery?
A. Milk based confectionery made with high quantities of unprocessed dairy ingredients (e.g. mithai) from countries that are not approved to export milk to the EU (see the list in Annex I of Commission Decision 2004/438/EC as amended) are not permitted.

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/illegal ... /qanda.htm

HANIFA · Post by **HANIFA** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 5:25 pm

It doesn't sound very convincing. I think these guys are just coming up with stuff to humiliate the community.

I just wanted to get some stuff for personal consumption, not business... you know how aunts would usually pack you some home made delicacies.

And we all know.... we get meat and mithai here but it doesn't taste the same.

uklondonuser · Post by **uklondonuser** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 6:04 pm

Hi,

I don't think its any thing to do about humiliating anyone..

the rule applies to all equally..

Many diseases like Mad cow disease etc were spread by meat products..

So its good for all that such rules are in place..

small amounts of personal foods for own consumption might be allowed..

hamid84 · Post by **hamid84** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 7:32 pm

Hanifa, Take it easy!!

Tell your aunts to get everything ready for you..

Since it's all for personal use you should be in safe zone provided you are not carrying full bag of such sweets

Post by **PaperPusher** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 7:44 pm

If you read the Defra website, even personal imports of these types of food are not allowed.

No meat, no homemade mithai.

HANIFA · Post by **HANIFA** » Mon Apr 13, 2009 8:01 pm

If the laws are so important how come my family is still bringing stuff and nothing happens to them

Just out of curiosity what will happen if I still bring my mithai...... And also how would they find out.

Coz I haven't heard of any such issues within my family. I doubt even if anyone in my family is aware. They would just carry stuff..... How are they supposed to know about the law.

thsths · Post by **thsths** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 10:17 am

uklondonuser wrote:the rule applies to all equally..

Actually I doubt that the rules apply for many people at all. From hearsay IÂ would conclude that most of these rules are commonly ignored. And to be honest, that is not a surprise. The rules are complicated, you are only told once you have purchased the food, and there is nearly no incentive to follow them (whereas there is an obvious strong disincentive to do so, or to even ask).

So yes, we should make an effort to stick to the rules, especially if the specialty in question is already available within the UK. But they are far from generally followed.

Post by **PaperPusher** » Tue Apr 14, 2009 8:17 pm

HANIFA wrote:If the laws are so important how come my family is still bringing stuff and nothing happens to them

Just out of curiosity what will happen if I still bring my mithai...... And also how would they find out.

Coz I haven't heard of any such issues within my family. I doubt even if anyone in my family is aware. They would just carry stuff..... How are they supposed to know about the law.

They didn't get their bags searched perhaps.

You would get found out if you got your bags searched.

Now you know the law and will not bring banned items I hope.

Ignorance of the law is never a valid excuse, you can now enlighten your family about the rules.

It may be ignored by some, but it is there for a good reason.

If you think the UK laws are strict, try doing the same thing in another country, such as Australia. Their rules are much more stringent.

paulp · Post by **paulp** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 8:32 am

It's not a "law just for the sake of it". If you are stopped in the "nothing to declare" channel and illegal foodstuff are found, you are liable to a fine up to Â£2000 and even prison.

There used to be hard-hitting posters in the baggage reclaim areas at Heathrow. Ignorance is not an excuse.

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Personal Food Imports

Personal Food Imports