ENSURING CONFORMITY WITH UK REGULATIONS AND AVOIDING REJECTED IMPORTS
Imports of American pickles/Dill pickles /’Pickles in a bag’ from the USA must conform to the requirements of UK legislation.
For these products, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) have confirmed there are issues related to non-compliant labelling and ingredients lists declaring the presence of the unauthorised food additives stated below.
These additives are considered by the FSA to be unauthorised in the UK for pickles*.
- Yellow 5 (Tartrazine, E 102)
- Polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate (polysorbate 80) (E 433)
Potentially affected products are products prepared by treating raw vegetables or raw fruits with salt and/or vinegar solution and oil, contributing significantly to the stability of the food.
Examples include:
pickled cabbage, pickled cucumber, olives, pickled onions, pickled cauliflower, pickled carrots, mushrooms in oil, marinated artichoke hearts, pickled plums, mango pickles, lime pickles, pickled gooseberries, and pickled watermelon rind.
All imports must conform with UK legislation. It is the responsibility of the food business operator (FBO) to ensure that any food they import or place on the market meets the relevant legislative requirements.
Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, contains mandatory labelling requirements for all food. Other specific food legislation may apply to certain foods and all food additives are regulated by Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008.
Food additives must be authorised for use in food, and they can only be used in the specified permitted categories of food listed within assimilated law. Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 establishes conditions of use for all food additives authorised in Great Britain (GB). It sets out the acceptable conditions of use, the foods in which they may be used and, where necessary, maximum permitted levels.
Food and drinks found at ports which contain unauthorised additives will be rejected from import.
Further information is available on the FSA website https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/importing-table-sauces-preserves-pickles-and-chutney .
(* Note: this is when taking into account the relevant food category (4.2.2.) of which pickles (and other similar products – as listed above) are considered to be included. This is as per Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 ).
