Port Health If you are importing food and feed products into the UK, these consignments may be subject to port health controls and restrictions. We work closely with UK Port Health authorities to fully understand all procedures, controls and restrictions which will have an impact on our food, drink & ingredients customers' imports and exports. We have our own in-house Port Health specialists who are able to offer expert advice and information on what controls may apply to your goods being Imported to the UK.
Port Health Services
Food and feed products imported into the UK may be subject to Port Health controls and restrictions. As it’s your responsibility to ensure your products are safe for human and animal consumption, you must know the checks your goods should comply with.
Fortunately, Boast International has close relationships with a network of UK Port Health authorities to offer services that reflect their rules and regulations.
Our Port Health specialists fully understand all procedures, controls and restrictions that could impact your imports and exports and are ready to offer expert advice and Port Health services to you.
What do the Port Health Authorities do?
Our Port Health authorities control the risks of damage to human and animal health, ensuring that only safe consumables that comply with international trading standards enter the food chain.
Port Health authorities conduct strict checks on your products on a risk basis. High-risk cargo is always assessed at the import stage, so you should prepare in advance. And although not all cargo is checked, you should always ensure it's fit for purpose.
Boast International ensures that your cargo is processed correctly to most current Port Health regulations and will assist with Common Health Entry Documents (CHED-D or CHED-P) and IPAFFS pre-notifications for organic goods.
With Boast International, you’ll know which standards apply to your products to prevent interrupting your supply chain and interfering with your business.
What Products are Subject to Port Health Restrictions?
Food and drink products are categorised based on their intended use and risk level to the public or animals. These consumables are assessed differently depending on these factors, so it’s important you know which regulations apply to which types of products.
But what are the different types of products?:
POAO - These are Products of Animal Origin, including (but not limited to) meat, lard and rendered fats, processed animal proteins and pet foods.
Dried fruits ABP - These are Animal By-Products not intended for human consumption and can include skin, bones, horns and hooves, to name a few.
Spices FNAO - These are Foods of Non-Animal Origin, including palm oil and spices.
HRFNAO - These are High-Risk Foods of Non-Animal Origin and cover nuts, dried fruits, rice and tea leaves.
What are the Port Health Restrictions My Products Must Comply With?
Any POAO will undergo veterinary checks, which involve verifying the documentation vouching for the product's health status, ensuring the products are correctly labelled and packed, analysing samples and temperature checking.
You will need CVED (Common Veterinary Entry Documentation) for this type of cargo.
These products will include:
Meat
Dairy Products
Fish and Shellfish
Honey
Gelatine
Hay and Straw
FNAO can present particular risks to public health, so documentary, identity and physical checks similar to those of POAO will take place. You will need CHED-D for these products. These include, but are not limited to:
FNAO
FNAO can present particular risks to public health, so documentary, identity and physical checks similar to those of POAO will take place. You will need CHED-D for these products. These include, but are not limited to:
Peanuts
Spices
Palm Oil
Figs
Pistachios
In some cases, these products will also be subject to Aflatoxin checks. Please click on the below link to find out which products will be subject to sampling and the selection rate by percentage based on the country of origin:
https://www.porthealth.uk/import-guidance/non-animal-origin/aflatoxin-list/
DEFRA - Plants and Produce
If you’re importing plants or plant produce, DEFRA will assess them. DEFRA is responsible for protecting biodiversity by preventing the introduction of invasive species and controlling the movement and keeping of certain plants, including:
Certain fruits
Potatoes
Vegetables
Bulbs
How can Boast International Assist with Port Health?
Boast International’s Port Health Specialists have extensive experience developing complete documentation for your cargo. Whether you’re a first-time importer for POAO or an experienced exporter with a combination of the products above, we’re ready to help.
We’ll assign a personal point of contact so you can ask questions any time you need to and regularly update you with the progress of your documentation and Port Health checks.
We can arrange for warehousing throughout the UK and internationally and ensure your products are stored and transported in temperature-controlled containers to maintain quality.
Contact us for more information about our Port Health services, and find out what Boast International can do for you.
FAQS
Some products are subject to strict restrictions, whereas others are banned entirely from certain countries. Many Port Health authorities work separately from freight forwarders. But here at Boast International, we have a team of highly-qualified in-house Port Health specialists who can offer expert advice and information about Port Health regulations and restrictions.
Port health offers the information required to safely and legally import various goods overseas. At Boast International, we’re different in that we have in-house Port Health specialists who advise us and our customers on best practices and changing standards.
Here at Boast International, we ensure to work closely alongside our customers to ensure that your goods meet Port Health Standards before shipping. So you don’t experience any unexpected obstacles after your goods leave the country. If you’d like to learn more about how we can help with Port Health checks, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Why should you choose Boast International?
Boast International not only organise the collection and delivery of our products from Europe and manage the majority of our containerised shipments from around the world, in my opinion they do so with the commitment to providing an excellent service at a very reasonable rate.
First started using boast 6 months ago when I started my business, so far they have helped me with several container shipments and couldn't thank them more for their great customer service .
Absolutely great company and great team always willing to go the extra mile would recommend to everyone!
The team at Boast have been responsible for our inbound UK shipments for approximately 6 years and throughout this time we have always found the service they provide to be professional, efficient, friendly and reliable. We would recommend their service without hesitation.
We use Boast for all our sea and air freight requirements. Why? Because they are always professional, efficient and thorough.
They offer helpful, tailored advice which is cost-effective and they make themselves very easy to do business with.
