Food exports

Food entering the EU has to satisfy the same rules as food produced there: traceability one step back and one step forward, hygiene requirements, maximum residue levels for pesticides, contaminant limits, and labelling in the language of the Member State of sale. Consignments arrive through an approved border control post with the health certificate the relevant regime requires, and rejected consignments are published, which is where reputational damage occurs.

• Register the establishment where the regime requires it and ship through a designated border control post with the correct certificate.
• Meet the maximum residue levels and the aflatoxin and contaminant limits; these are where Indian spice, rice, groundnut and sesame consignments are most often stopped.
• Operate HACCP-based controls and traceability records that let you identify the immediate supplier and the immediate recipient.
• Label to the Union rules: mandatory particulars, allergens, nutrition declaration and the language of the Member State of sale.
• Novel foods and food supplements need authorisation before placing on the market, which is a separate procedure and not a labelling matter.

• Regulation (EU) 2023/1115: where the product covers cocoa, coffee, soya or cattleArticle node

• Regulation (EC) 178/2002 laying down the general principles of food law
• Regulation (EU) 2017/625 on official controls
• Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 on food information to consumers

• What EU requirements apply to Indian food exporters?
• Is FSSAI compliance enough to export food to the EU?

• Deforestation-free supply chains
• General Product Safety Regulation
• Corporate sustainability due diligence
• All requirements
• Indian law against EU law

Sector

Spices, rice, seafood, processed food, agri

Read date

2026-08-26

Register version

in-export-v1.0.0

Address

/in/export/food