Food Imports | Food Safety Authority of Ireland

Food imports refer to the movement of products into the EU from countries outside the EU (often referred to as Third Countries).

Checks (controls) are carried out on food entering the EU market to ensure they meet the same high requirements as foods from EU Member States. Controls carried out on food and food contact materials imports include:

documentary checks
identity checks, and
physical checks

Some foods are considered to pose a higher risk to public health, animal health, or the environment in terms of diseases, pests, or contaminants. Additional requirements are in place for these foods to control such risks. The requirements include:

additional documentation, e.g., Health certificate, Certificate of Analysis, Single Administrative Documents (SADs) or other commercial documents
prior notification before arrival of the food into Ireland (this is done by submitting the appropriate CHED)

These foods must enter Ireland through a specific entry point called a Border Control Post (BCP).

Common Health Entry Documents (CHED’s)

The Common Health Entry Document (CHED) is a standardised EU form used to notify border control authorities (BCP’s) about the arrival of goods that require veterinary, sanitary or phytosanitary controls. It ensures that imports of animals, foods, plants, and related products comply with EU regulations. CHEDs are mandatory for certain types of consignments entering the EU, including some food products, plants, plant products, animal products, and live animals.

CHEDs are issued and managed within the European Commission's TRACES (Trade Control and Expert System) platform. There are different Common Health Entry Documents depending on the type of consignment presented for checks:

Different types of CHED:

CHED-D for consignments of High-risk food and feed of non-animal origin
CHED-P for consignments of products of animal origin, germinal products, animal by-products and derived products, composite products, and hay and straw
CHED-PP for consignments of plants, and plant products
CHED-A for consignments of live animals

Process:

Pre-notification: The operator responsible for the consignment completes Part I of the CHED in TRACES and submits it to the Border Control Post of entry into the EU
Border control: The Border Control Post staff processes Part II of the CHED.
Follow-up: The competent authority at the final destination records the checks performed in Part III.

When do I need to submit a CHED?

A CHED must be submitted when importing foods subject to official controls upon entry into the European Union.

Not every import requires a CHED, it depends on what food is being imported and where it is coming from.

You may not need a CHED in these instances:

Low-risk goods: If you're importing foods that aren't subject to SPS or veterinary checks (like processed plant-based foods).
Personal imports: Limited quantities for personal use might be exempt, though customs rules still apply.
Internal EU trade: If goods are circulating freely between EU member states.

Checks/Controls on the Common Health Entry Documents

Document check

Document checks can be carried out on CHEDs, and the products cleared before the food products arrive at the point of import into Ireland. To avoid delays it is essential that all necessary import documents are complete, accurate and submitted within the notification timelines.

Identity check

This a visual inspection to ensure that certificates or other documents accompanying the food consignment match the labelling and the content of the consignment.

Physical check

A physical check is a check on food which may include checks on:

the means of transport
packaging
labelling
temperature

Sampling for analysis and laboratory testing may be done and any other check necessary to verify compliance with food law.

General food law requirements

When importing foods into the EU, you must comply with the general principles of food law set out in Regulation 178/2002/EC.

This legislation requires that:

the food is safe and defines what is meant by unsafe food
that food imported into the EU complies with the relevant requirements of food law, or
where an agreement exists between the EU and the exporting country, with the agreed requirements which are recognised by the EU as equivalent

The operator responsible for the consignment (who is often the importer) is responsible for ensuring that the consignment complies with all import requirements. Importers who consider, or have reason to believe, that the imported food does not meet food safety requirements, must act immediately to withdraw the food from the market, where it has left their immediate control. They must also inform the competent authorities.

Imports must also comply with the food hygiene requirements of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004. Get more details on general hygiene requirements.

Specific food law requirements

You will need to comply with specific legislation if you are importing the following types of foods:

food of animal origin e.g., meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, dairy products, honey etc. or foods containing these as an ingredient
food of non-animal origin e.g., fruit, vegetables, nuts, spices, deserts, bakery products, mineral water, fruit juices, etc.
composite products (i.e., food containing both processed ingredients of animal origin and product of non-animal origin) e.g., ham sandwich, pepperoni pizza, spinach and ham quiche.

There are also specific import requirements for certain food contact materials.

Register with TRACES

For certain food products the person responsible for importing the consignment must register with TRACES NT (Trade Control and Expert System).

This is the EU’s online management tool which notifies, certifies and monitors trade in animals, products of animal origin, certain food of non-animal origin, as well as other non food items such as plants and plant products.

Custom Requirements

Revenue is responsible for controlling imports into Ireland for customs purposes and on behalf of other government departments.

All goods imported into Ireland must be declared to Revenue on arrival.

If you import goods from outside the EU, you or your customs agent must complete a customs declaration. This customs declaration must be made electronically using Revenue’s Automated Export System (AES) system.

To trade with countries outside the EU, a business must have an EORI number (Economic Operators Registration and Identification number). This number is unique to a business.