On 14 March 2024, the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) published a consultation paper proposing to amend the official control requirements for the importation of high-risk foods of non-animal origin, with a feedback period ending on 25 April 2024 for comments.

The main points are as follows: amendments to Annexes 1 and 2 of Regulation 2019/1793, special conditions to be complied with by food products from third countries when entering the UK due to the risk of mycotoxins (including aflatoxins), pesticide residues, pentachlorophenol and dioxin, and microbiological contamination. In relation to Chinese products, mainly tea, the proposed stricter control measures have been added from the original Annex 1 to Annex 2, where the original requirement for Chinese tea to be subject to surveillance and inspection at border points on entry into the UK has been changed to: Chinese tea to be tested for pesticide residues at a rate of 5 per cent of the sample.

Learn more: https://www.food.gov.uk/news-alerts/consultations/amendments-to-assimilated-regulation-20191793-official-controls-applied-to-imported-high-risk-food-and-feed-not-of-animal-origin