Import/export HS code 121221: Food-grade products
Products fit for human consumption, such as edible plants and algae
Why this is important if you are looking for potential customers in the UK:
- It helps you understand the market size for your product in the UK.
- It provides you with a list of potential leads who have bought similar products.
* UK only, last 24 months analysed
Imports by country
What this shows: Import market volume by exporter country into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Country | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 5,893,240 |
| South Korea | 4,691,039 |
| Iceland | 1,157,283 |
| United States | 1,111,819 |
| Japan | 999,037 |
Countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month volume, right side by second 12-month volume, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Country | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 2,211,223 | 3,682,017 | +1,470,794 |
| South Korea | 3,175,855 | 1,515,184 | -1,660,671 |
| Iceland | 630,293 | 526,990 | -103,303 |
| United States | 643,709 | 468,110 | -175,599 |
| Japan | 397,729 | 601,308 | +203,579 |
| Taiwan | 696,122 | 212,822 | -483,300 |
| Philippines | 181,354 | 421,480 | +240,126 |
| Ireland | 246,231 | 273,794 | +27,563 |
| Denmark | 488,720 | 16,919 | -471,801 |
| Netherlands | 260,887 | 227,427 | -33,460 |
Imports by country of origin
What this shows: Import volume by production origin country. Differences from exporter-country data can indicate re-export routes.
Top 5 values
| Origin | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 6,248,921 |
| South Korea | 5,168,998 |
| Iceland | 1,157,452 |
| Japan | 1,044,607 |
| United States | 952,942 |
Country of origin rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Origin countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Origin | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 2,476,265 | 3,772,656 | +1,296,391 |
| South Korea | 3,310,633 | 1,858,365 | -1,452,268 |
| Iceland | 630,462 | 526,990 | -103,472 |
| Japan | 410,875 | 633,732 | +222,857 |
| United States | 553,956 | 398,986 | -154,970 |
| Taiwan | 700,099 | 212,822 | -487,277 |
| Philippines | 333,815 | 536,352 | +202,537 |
| Denmark | 476,411 | 18,693 | -457,718 |
| Australia | 151,076 | 283,931 | +132,855 |
| France | 259,412 | 82,979 | -176,433 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Outer London - West and North West | 13 |
| Inner London - West | 11 |
| Inner London - East | 10 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 7 |
| Outer London - South | 7 |
UK regions rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: UK regions are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month importer count, right side by second 12-month importer count, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| UK region | First 12m | Second 12m | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outer London - West and North West | 9 | 12 | +3 |
| Inner London - West | 11 | 7 | -4 |
| Inner London - East | 9 | 9 | +0 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 4 | 7 | +3 |
| Outer London - South | 7 | 7 | +0 |
| Essex | 4 | 4 | +0 |
| Kent | 5 | 3 | -2 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 5 | 4 | -1 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 4 | 4 | +0 |
| Greater Manchester | 4 | 3 | -1 |
Import volume by transport
What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 14,385,252 |
| Air transport | 2,379,905 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,231,618 |
| Other | 772,099 |
Transport rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Transport modes are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Transport | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 6,962,029 | 7,423,223 | +461,194 |
| Air transport | 1,480,003 | 899,902 | -580,101 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,538,685 | 692,933 | -845,752 |
| Other | 418,017 | 354,082 | -63,935 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Southampton | 7,299,386 |
| Felixstowe | 3,904,106 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,613,777 |
| Sharpness Docks | 1,087,683 |
| Liverpool Docks | 907,984 |
Port rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Ports are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Port | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | 3,755,308 | 3,544,078 | -211,230 |
| Felixstowe | 1,532,067 | 2,372,039 | +839,972 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,030,928 | 582,849 | -448,079 |
| Sharpness Docks | 598,793 | 488,890 | -109,903 |
| Liverpool Docks | 458,072 | 449,912 | -8,160 |
| 000 | 418,017 | 354,082 | -63,935 |
| London | 401,619 | 365,979 | -35,640 |
| Immingham Docks | 378,833 | 122,865 | -255,968 |
| Harwich | 269,303 | 138,547 | -130,756 |
| Poole | 185,909 | 153,391 | -32,518 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 68 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 26 |
| Manufacture of food products | 14 |
| Food and beverage service activities | 8 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 6 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 28 |
| 2025-10 | 28 |
| 2025-09 | 30 |
| 2025-08 | 31 |
| 2025-07 | 31 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| TAZAKI FOODS LIMITED | 117 |
| H MART EUROPE LIMITED | 112 |
| INTERLINK DIRECT LIMITED | 111 |
| KOREA FOODS COMPANY LIMITED | 99 |
| JFC (UK) LIMITED | 84 |
| CAMBRIDGE COMMODITIES LIMITED | 66 |
| COSTCO WHOLESALE UK LIMITED | 62 |
| NEW WORLD IMPORTS (UK) LTD | 56 |
| THE BASIC INGREDIENTS LTD | 50 |
| FORTUNE FOODS UK LTD | 47 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 58 |
| 15m-54m | 21 |
| 54m+ | 21 |
| 0-1m | 11 |
| Other | 4 |
Import seasonality
What this shows: Average monthly import pattern from historical data.
Exports by country
What this shows: Export market volume by destination country from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Country | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 5,323,008 |
| Russia | 883,043 |
| Germany | 729,262 |
| Netherlands | 669,775 |
| Kenya | 468,103 |
Export countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Destination countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export volume, right side by second 12-month export volume, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Country | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 3,836,092 | 1,486,916 | -2,349,176 |
| Russia | 488,765 | 394,278 | -94,487 |
| Germany | 475,896 | 253,366 | -222,530 |
| Netherlands | 334,344 | 335,431 | +1,087 |
| Kenya | 179,853 | 288,250 | +108,397 |
| France | 95,999 | 364,641 | +268,642 |
| Pakistan | 57,213 | 286,549 | +229,336 |
| Denmark | 227,310 | 87,304 | -140,006 |
| Sweden | 200,295 | 76,108 | -124,187 |
| Belgium | 126,786 | 136,383 | +9,597 |
Exports by country of origin
What this shows: Export volume by production origin country. For re-exports, indicates where goods originated before UK export.
Top 5 values
| Origin | £ |
|---|---|
| Ireland | 352 |
| Nicaragua | 150 |
| Japan | 93 |
Export origin countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Origin countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Origin | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 0 | 352 | +352 |
| Nicaragua | 150 | 0 | -150 |
| Japan | 0 | 93 | +93 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 5,802,656 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 4,838,907 |
| Air transport | 2,514,530 |
| Road transport | 21,601 |
| Other | 595 |
Export transport rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Transport modes are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Transport | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 3,193,385 | 2,609,271 | -584,114 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,607,515 | 2,231,392 | -376,123 |
| Air transport | 2,002,332 | 512,198 | -1,490,134 |
| Road transport | 21,601 | 0 | -21,601 |
| Other | 150 | 445 | +295 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Southampton | 3,913,172 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 3,482,812 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,826,574 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,221,092 |
| Immingham Docks | 562,867 |
Export port rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Ports are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Port | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | 2,320,744 | 1,592,428 | -728,316 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 1,956,006 | 1,526,806 | -429,200 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,537,598 | 288,976 | -1,248,622 |
| London Gateway Port | 579,606 | 641,486 | +61,880 |
| Immingham Docks | 356,690 | 206,177 | -150,513 |
| Dover | 130,573 | 282,995 | +152,422 |
| East Midlands Airport | 196,739 | 115,650 | -81,089 |
| Jersey | 0 | 214,385 | +214,385 |
| ZLC | 168,516 | 43,798 | -124,718 |
| Holyhead | 51,811 | 94,539 | +42,728 |
Quick facts
HS code: 121221
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Products fit for human consumption, such as edible plants and algae