The list of High-Risk Food and Feed Not of Animal Origin (HRFNAO) stems from European Union legislation, specifically Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1793. This legislation is updated every six months in the EU with the latest update being Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/608, which came into force across the EU on 21 April 2021.
Does this amendment apply to imports into the UK?
The simple answer is No.
The UK left the EU on 31 January 2020 but agreed to keep many things the same until 31 December 2020. The ‘high risk’ legislation that was in force at that point (31 December 2020) was retained in UK legislation. The retained regulation is available by clicking here.
The UK is not unilaterally adopting amendments to EU legislation. The UK competent authorities will consider the available evidence and information as to what the risks are to determine what changes, if any, are to be made. Any agreed changes will need to be incorporated into the retained UK regulations before being applied to imports into Great Britain.
Port Health will provide an update as soon as we hear formally from the Food Standards Agency about the decisions that have been made regarding the list of HRFNAO subject to specific import controls.
Guidance
