High-risk food import checks in England from Jan 2026
If you buy, teach about, or import foods like nuts, seeds, herbs and spices, a new rulebook matters from 1 January 2026. A Statutory Instrument published on legislation.gov.uk (S.I. 2025/1162) updates how England checks certain “high‑risk” foods of non‑animal origin at the border. It was made on 3 November 2025, laid before Parliament on 5 November 2025, and it amends the retained EU measure known as 2019/1793 to fit the post‑Brexit system for England.
It helps to read the three dates you’ll see on an instrument. “Made” is when the Minister signs it. “Laid” is when Parliament formally receives it. “Coming into force” is when the rule starts to apply in real life. For this law, that start date is 1 January 2026, so you have a short window to get lesson plans or import paperwork ready.
High‑risk foods are plant‑based items with a history of safety problems when conditions go wrong. Think groundnuts and peanut paste, sesame seeds and tahini, spices such as chilli or nutmeg, herbs like basil and mint, certain fruits and vegetables, and flours or meals from these ingredients. The risk is tied to the product‑and‑country pairings listed in the annexes, not to a whole category everywhere.
Why these foods? The science points to hazards that can appear before food reaches you. Aflatoxins are natural poisons made by moulds growing on crops like groundnuts, tree nuts and dried fruit; long‑term exposure raises liver cancer risk. Pesticide residues above legal limits can harm health if not controlled. Some consignments have been found with ethylene oxide (measured together with 2‑chloro‑ethanol), or illegal colourants known as Sudan dyes in chilli products. Microbiological concerns, set out in the law, are part of the picture too. The goal is simple: stop unsafe food at the border.
The biggest technical change is the language used to identify goods. References to EU “CN codes” and “TARIC” are replaced with a single UK “commodity code”. That term takes the meaning given in the UK customs tariff created under section 8(1) of the Taxation (Cross‑border Trade) Act 2018. For you, that means the 10‑digit commodity code on your customs entry is now the anchor for whether Annex I or Annex II checks apply.
Annex I lists foods that face a temporary increase in official controls. These consignments can be selected at specified percentages for identity and physical checks at Border Control Posts and control points. The table includes, for example, groundnuts and peanut products from several origins, sesame seeds, peppers of the genus Capsicum, enoki mushrooms, and fruits such as papaya or pomegranate. The exact products and frequencies are set line by line in the Schedule.
Annex II sets “special conditions” for higher‑concern cases. Here, importers must present sampling results from an accredited lab and, where required, a certificate from the competent authority in the exporting country. Annex II also captures compound foods when a listed at‑risk ingredient makes up more than 20% of the product-for instance, nut pastes in confectionery-so classroom examples can include everyday snacks, not just raw ingredients.
You may notice the small ‘ex’ mark next to some codes. It signals that only part of the products under that code are covered. Because the UK now uses its own Integrated Tariff presentation, the new law simplifies where ‘ex’ appears and removes some instances that are no longer needed. Where only certain products under a code are in scope, ‘ex’ remains to keep the rule precise.
Testing is meant to be consistent and defensible. The footnotes point to recognised methods-British Standards and ISO references for certain analyses-so that results are comparable between consignments and labs. Where the hazard is ethylene oxide, labs report the sum of ethylene oxide and 2‑chloro‑ethanol, expressed as ethylene oxide. Where dyes are a concern, the note names Sudan I to IV. This is the bit your science students will enjoy reading closely.
If you import into England, your to‑do list is clear. Identify the correct UK commodity code for your product‑and‑country. Check the new Annex I and Annex II entries for that exact line. Arrange any pre‑export sampling and certification that Annex II demands, and expect documentary, identity and physical checks at the listed frequency. Keep traceability documents tidy so consignments move faster through Border Control Posts.
For teachers and students, this is ready‑made project work. Take a jar of peanut butter or a tub of tahini, look up the commodity code, and ask: is this product from a country on the Annex I or Annex II table? Where could aflatoxins form in the supply chain? How do drying, storage and humidity change the risk? Build a mini case study that connects food science to trade paperwork.
One more jurisdiction tip. The instrument extends to England and Wales but applies in relation to England only. You will also see references to entry into Great Britain, because the checks happen at GB Border Control Posts. Wales and Scotland make their own versions on similar timelines, so UK‑wide businesses should read those alongside this one.
Finally, a record of accountability. The instrument is signed by Ashley Dalton, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care. The full schedules, including every line item and footnote, are on legislation.gov.uk under S.I. 2025/1162, with an Explanatory Memorandum and contact details for the Food Standards Agency if you need the referenced standards.