7. Importation Requirements

Dietary Supplements
United Kingdom

This section provides information on the importation process (shipment, customs, licenses required, and test requirements). 

7.1 Shipment Declaration

7.2 Customs Procedure

The category "Food Supplements" should comply with the Customs Procedures explained in Section 7.2 of the "General Foods" guidebook for the UK.

7.3 Manufacturing License

N/A

7.4 Test for Importation

Many ports and airports in the UK have specialist facilities that deal with high-risk food imports such as food of animal origin, meat, and fish products, as well as other high-risk foods such as peanuts.

Local authorities (including the port health authorities) enforce controls on UK food imports. Port health authorities carry out checks on food and feed consignments in order to:

1. Ensure that only products that are safe to eat enter the food chain
2. Safeguard animal and public health
3. Check compliance with EU rules and international trading standards

Port health authorities are responsible for monitoring all food imports but will not physically check all food imports. It is the FBO’s responsibility to ensure that your products are safe to eat.

Although detailed import checks may be carried out on any food products from non-EU countries (‘third countries’), the actual checks carried out are determined on a risk basis [1]. For products that have been declared as high risk at an EU/UK level, special health controls are in place, and checks must be carried out at the import stage. Port health authorities must be notified in advance of the arrival of the goods.

7.5 Other Notes or Requirements for Importation

Imports from Certain Countries [2] 

There is specific information on two types of supplements that need to be considered before importing:

1. Semax from Russia – Semax is used in Russia as a nutritional food supplement. In the UK it is considered by MHRA to be a medicine rather than a food supplement. Semax may only be sold or supplied in GB/UK if a marketing Authorisation has previously been granted.
2. Lead Calabash, Chalk & Clay – Calabash chalk is eaten in West Africa as a remedy for morning sickness in pregnant women. The FSA surveillance had revealed high levels of lead in the calabash chalk of over 1mg/kg which is considered unfit for human consumption. This product is also known as ‘sikor’, ‘shikor mati’.

7.6 Overview Flowchart for Importation Process

Please refer to the step-by-step process for importing goods in the UK [3].

7.7 References

1. Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1793 of 22 October 2019 on the temporary increase of official controls and emergency measures governing the entry into the Union of certain goods from certain third countries implementing Regulations (EU) 2017/625 and (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Commission Regulations (EC) No 669/2009, (EU) No 884/2014, (EU) 2015/175, (EU) 2017/186 and (EU) 2018/1660

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2019/1793/oj#:~:text=Commission%20Implementing%20Regulation%20(EU)%202019,European%20Parliament%20and%20of%20the

2. Importing food supplements and health foods

https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/importing-food-supplements-and-health-foods 

3. Importing goods into the UK: step by step

https://www.gov.uk/import-goods-into-uk