The FSA have asked that we share with members, a letter they have sent to importers regarding foods that do not conform with UK food legislation. Please see below.

We are writing to you, as an importer and food business operator, over concerns that the Food Standards Agency (FSA) have in relation to some food and drink products imported from outside of Great Britain (GB).

We have reason to believe that a number of imported products are not formulated for the GB market and may contain unauthorised additives or may not comply with GB food information requirements, meaning consumers could be at risk from:

• missing/incorrect allergen labelling,
• the inclusion of ingredients that don’t meet GB food safety standards,
• the inclusion of ingredients that are not permitted for use in GB, and /or
• food additives at levels that exceed the permitted maximum use level in GB.

The attached Annex 1 provides a list of examples of unauthorised additives and potentially non-compliant products where these additives are commonly found. These have been identified through import surveillance sampling and the occurrence of food incidents.

Non-compliant products must not be placed on the GB market, and we are working with local authorities to tackle offending behaviour to ensure such products are removed from the market and potentially destroyed.

We would like to remind you of your responsibilities as an importer under food law – please see Annex 2 for the relevant legislation. Failure to comply with legal requirements is an offence and may lead to enforcement action, including destruction of non-compliant imported goods. Supplying non-compliant food products can lead to financial, legal and reputational risks for a business, who may be required to recall and withdraw products from the market, risk breaching business contracts and in instances where an allergen fatality occurs, risk being the subject of a criminal investigation.

If you have any queries, please contact the Trading Standards or Food Safety team at your local authority.