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Minister launches online personal food import checker

   

News Release

Ref: 101/09
Date: 4 May 2009

People travelling outside the EU this summer can now easily check what food they can, and can’t, bring back to the UK, with the new Food Widget – an online food travel checker launched today by Food and Farming Minister Jane Kennedy. 

From today 4 May, travellers can use the Food Widget on the Directgov website as an online quick reference checker to see examples of three foods they can safely bring back from popular destinations – and examples of three foods they can’t bring back.  They can then click through to a more comprehensive list of which food items are allowed and which are prohibited.  

Diseases like Foot and Mouth Disease and Bird Flu can be brought into the UK via food products (particularly those containing meat or milk), which can have a devastating impact on our farming industry and crops and the environment.

Ms Kennedy said:

“No one wants to end their holiday being delayed as sniffer dogs indicate concealed food and their bags are searched, having the food they’ve brought home confiscated, or even facing prosecution for breaking the law.

“The rules are there to reduce the risk of diseases and pests entering the UK – they can have a devastating impact on our farming industry and even risk public health.

“Anyone planning to bring food back from outside the EU should check before they travel, or while they’re on holiday, to make sure anything they’re planning to bring back is within the law – which is easy to do from anywhere in the world by logging onto Directgov.

“And if you’re in any doubt at all – don’t bring it back.”

Since 2004 Defra, in partnership with HM Revenue and Customs and the Food Standards Agency, have been using various mechanisms to help raise travellers’ awareness of the personal import rules and also to highlight the dangers of bringing illegal food products into the UK, including a public information film taking a light-hearted look at this serious subject, available at www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/illegali/publicity/publicity.htm.

New EU rules covering the personal import of animal products such as meat, dairy and fish took effect on Friday 1 May.  There is no change to the ban on imports of meat and dairy products from most countries outside the EU, but some changes to the amounts of other animal products which are permitted, including certain fishery products, eggs, infant food and caviar.  More information about the new rules is available at www.direct.gov.uk/dontbringmeback.

The new food checker is available at: www.direct.gov.uk/dontbringmeback.

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Page published: 4 May 2009