Food Imports
China or Hong Kong
If you are planning a trip to China or Hong Kong, you should be aware that it is against the law to bring back any meat and dairy products to the UK.
There are also some bans and restrictions for other types of food products. Use the information below to check which products you are completely banned from bringing back from China or Hong Kong and those which have a restriction.
This information is also available as a printable leaflet and in traditional and simplified Chinese.
- Download the printable English leaflet (PDF, 861k)
- Download the printable Traditional Chinese leaflet (PDF, 955k)
- Download the printable Simplified Chinese leaflet (PDF, 861k)
Remember: Most of these products are available in the UK, so there’s no need to bring them back and risk prosecution
Banned Products
Meat products
All meat products are banned – whether they are fresh, dried, cured, cooked, frozen, powdered, canned or vacuum packed.
Banned products include:
- Beef jerky
- Chicken
- Duck
- Goose
- Moon cakes containing meat or made from lard (pig fat)
- Meat sausages
- Noodles with meat/chicken
- Pork
- Soups with meat/chicken
- Shin chan
Products containing meat (such as beef, lamb, goat or pig meat) may carry diseases such as Foot and Mouth Disease and Swine Fevers. Poultry meat (like chicken and guinea fowl) may carry diseases such as Bird Flu.
Dairy products
All dairy products are banned - whether they are fresh, dried, cooked, frozen, powdered, canned or vacuum packed.
Banned products include:
- Milk desserts
- Milk drinks
- Milk powder
Milk and other dairy products can carry diseases such as Foot and Mouth Disease.
Fruits and vegetables
All potatoes are banned as they can carry pests and diseases that are harmful to the environment in the UK.
Restricted Products
Fish/fishery products/bivalves (dead)
20kg total weight per person or the weight of one fish, whichever weight is the highest:
- Fish – Fresh (must be gutted)
- Fishery products/processed fish (dried, cooked, cured or smoked) eg Bombay duck, Crayfish, Oyster sauce, Prawns, Shrimp paste, Shrimps and Shukti
- Bivalves (dead) eg Clams, Cockles, Mussels, Oysters, Scallops, Sea cucumbers, Sea squirts, Sea urchins, Whelks and Winkles
Other animal products
2kg total weight per person:
- Bivalves (live) eg Clams, Cockles, Mussels, Oysters, Scallops, Sea cucumbers, Sea squirts, Sea urchins, Whelks and Winkles
- Eggs/egg products eg Mayonnaise and Omelette
- Frogs’ legs**
- Honey
- Reptile and insect meat
- Snail meat***
**The skin/internal organs must be removed. If still attached then you cannot bring them to the UK
***Must be shelled, cooked and prepared/preserved meat of edible land snails, including canned snail meat, and snail shells re-filled with snail meat. Live snails, dead snails still in their shells and water snails are not permitted
Animal products from protected species
For certain protected species, additional restrictions may apply e.g.
125g per person:
- Caviar of sturgeon species****
****If you wish to send caviar by post, regardless of the amount, or bring in more than 125g in your personal luggage you MUST have the correct CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) permits, or all of the product will be seized. Please contact the UK CITES Management Authority on 0117 372 8774
Powdered infant milk, infant food, special foods and special pet feed required for medical reasons
2kg total weight per person:
- Powdered infant milk
- Infant food
- Special foods required for medical reasons
2kg per person:
- Special pet feed required for medical reasons
Provided that in both cases:
- The product does not require refrigeration before consumption
- The product is in commercially branded packaging
- The packaging is unbroken unless in current use
Allowed animal products
- Bread, cakes, biscuits, chocolate and confectionery (including sweets) not mixed or filled with meat or dairy products
- Food supplements packaged for the final consumer (i.e. not in bulk quantities and not for re-sale)
- Meat extracts and meat concentrates
- Olives stuffed with fish
- Pasta and noodles not mixed or filled with meat or dairy products
- Soup stocks and flavourings packaged for the final consumer not containing meat pieces
- Any other food product not containing any fresh or processed meat or dairy and with less than 50% of processed egg or fishery products
Fruits and vegetables
2kg total weight per person:
- All Citrus fruits eg Lemons, Limes, Mandarins and Oranges
- Certain Fruits eg Mangoes
- Certain Vegetables eg Aubergines
More information
To find out more about what food products you can and cannot bring into the UK, you can search the Imports Database on the Defra website.
