Can I bring food into Great Britain?
Pick where you are travelling from and what is in your bag. The checker applies official personal import rules for England, Scotland and Wales.
Important geographic notice: This checker applies to arrivals into Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). Northern Ireland follows different sanitary and phytosanitary rules.
Ordinary cheese from the EU and from countries outside the EU cannot be brought into Great Britain for personal use. Some infant foods and special foods needed for medical reasons are allowed: up to 2kg per person, in branded, unopened packaging (unless already in use), and only if they do not need refrigeration before use.
Raw milk Camembert cheese
From: France
Customs quiz score
UK customs rules are counter-intuitive: EU chicken is allowed, but EU parmesan and ham are banned; mango from India passes freely, but Turkish strawberries are seized.
Official rules summary by category
Summary of requirements set by DEFRA and UK Border Force for passenger arrivals.
🍞 Unrestricted from any country
The following foods can be brought in without limits or health certificates:
- Plain bread (no meat or dairy filling)
- Biscuits and cookies
- Cakes without fresh cream
- Chocolate and confectionery (plain)
- Dry pasta and noodles (unfilled)
- Roasted coffee, tea, spices, and olive oil
- Pickles, spreads, and canned vegetables
🇪🇺 Products from EU and EFTA countries
Due to animal disease outbreaks, products are strictly partitioned:
- PERMITTED: Poultry (chicken, duck, turkey), fish, eggs, honey.
- PROHIBITED: Cheese and other dairy, except up to 2kg of powdered infant milk, infant food or special food needed for medical reasons, in branded, unopened packaging (unless already in use) and not needing refrigeration before use.
- PROHIBITED: Pork and pork products (ham, bacon, salami).
- PROHIBITED: Beef, lamb, mutton, goat, and venison.
🌍 From countries outside the EU (third countries)
For arrivals from third countries (US, Turkey, India, UAE, etc.):
- MEAT AND DAIRY: Meat and meat products are prohibited. Milk and milk-based products are prohibited, except up to 2kg of powdered infant milk, infant food or special food needed for medical reasons, in branded, unopened packaging (unless already in use) and not needing refrigeration before use.
- HONEY: Permitted up to 2 kg per person.
- FISH: Up to 20 kg per person in total. Fresh fish must be gutted; processed fish must be dried, cooked, cured or smoked. Sturgeon caviar has separate rules.
- SNAILS: Up to 2 kg per person, only preserved or shelled, cooked and prepared. This rule does not permit live snails.
- LIVE MUSSELS AND OYSTERS: Up to 2 kg per person. Snail preparation conditions are separate.
- STURGEON CAVIAR, FROM ANY ORIGIN: The CITES permit exemption covers up to 125 g per person in personal luggage, for personal use, in containers individually marked under Article 66(6). If any condition is not met, check the required permits before travel, including the departure country’s rules. Official CITES conditions.
🥭 Fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds
From the EU, Switzerland or Liechtenstein: you can bring them for personal use without a phytosanitary certificate (apples, strawberries, tomatoes and the rest). Exceptions: ware potatoes need a certificate, and so do plants and seeds for planting.
From other countries: most fruit and vegetables need a phytosanitary certificate. Only these can enter without one:
- Pineapple, bananas and plantains, mango, coconut
- Citrus (oranges, lemons, limes, mandarins, grapefruit)
- Kiwi, dates, passion fruit, kumquat
- Persimmon, durian, guava, curry leaves
- Peeled and processed nuts and nut butters, rice and some other grains, processed and packaged plant products (bagged salads, frozen plant material)
- Apples, strawberries, tomatoes and other fresh vegetables from outside the EU need a certificate.
⚠️ What happens if you bring banned food?
If you declare banned food products to Border Force officers at customs (in the red channel or on the red point phone), they will seize and destroy them without financial penalties.
If you do not declare banned food products and are found carrying them, you could be fined up to £5,000 (in England) or face criminal prosecution.