German import conditions for food

Source: pdtnc - Fotolia.com

The European Commission has published the following guidance document which refers to key Community law requirements: "Guidance document – Key questions related to import requirements and the new rules on food hygiene and official food controls".

Specific enquiries regarding food legislation

Under Germany’s Basic Law, the German Länder (federal states) are responsible for carrying out the official food checks. Please understand that the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection is therefore not able to answer specific queries on how the regulations are implemented in the Länder as it is not competent for this area. Should you have questions regarding the implementation and interpretation of food regulations, you are recommended to apply to the competent food supervisory authority. The competent authority is the authority at the importer's location in Germany. Please apply to the Ministries of the Länder to find out the addresses of the respective authorities.

You can also apply to an officially appointed and sworn commercial chemist in order to clarify legal questions regarding the import of food. You can find out the addresses of commercial chemists from the chamber of industry and commerce competent for your area. You can obtain the addresses of the local chambers of industry and commerce from the Deutscher Industrie- und Handelskammertag, Breite Straße 29, 10178 Berlin, phone: 00 49 - 30 / 20 30 8 - 0, fax: 00 49 - 30 / 20 30 8 - 10 00.

The German customs authority also publishes a list of existing national and EU "prohibitions and restrictions that are to be complied with when importing food".

Further information

Should you have any further questions regarding customs legislation, you are recommended to contact the Zollinfo-Center (customs information centre).

A licence may be required for trade in agricultural products between the European Community and third countries; this basically depends on the product concerned (although for some products there are allowances up to a certain quantity). For further information, please follow the link to the Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung (BLE - Federal Office of Agriculture and Food), Deichmanns Aue 29, 53179 Bonn, phone: 00 49 / 22 8 - 68 45 - 0, fax: 00 49 - 22 8 - 68 45 - 34 44, email: poststelle@ble.de.

We would like to draw your attention to the fact that the above information may not be exhaustive. Depending on the product, country of origin etc, you may need to obtain additional information and/or apply to other authorities.