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 | 6,181,138 |
| South Korea | 4,659,761 |
| United States | 1,175,605 |
| Iceland | 1,157,283 |
| Japan | 1,003,550 |
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 | 2,491,987 | 3,689,151 | +1,197,164 |
| South Korea | 3,051,237 | 1,608,524 | -1,442,713 |
| United States | 462,174 | 713,431 | +251,257 |
| Iceland | 630,293 | 526,990 | -103,303 |
| Japan | 406,881 | 596,669 | +189,788 |
| Taiwan | 825,165 | 83,779 | -741,386 |
| Philippines | 181,354 | 421,480 | +240,126 |
| Ireland | 265,067 | 278,807 | +13,740 |
| Denmark | 485,455 | 16,919 | -468,536 |
| Australia | 196,515 | 274,065 | +77,550 |
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 | 6,509,730 |
| South Korea | 5,143,250 |
| Iceland | 1,157,452 |
| Japan | 1,049,311 |
| United States | 1,018,305 |
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 | 2,740,243 | 3,769,487 | +1,029,244 |
| South Korea | 3,183,468 | 1,959,782 | -1,223,686 |
| Iceland | 630,462 | 526,990 | -103,472 |
| Japan | 420,951 | 628,360 | +207,409 |
| United States | 372,421 | 645,884 | +273,463 |
| Taiwan | 829,142 | 83,779 | -745,363 |
| Philippines | 300,000 | 536,352 | +236,352 |
| Denmark | 476,411 | 18,693 | -457,718 |
| Australia | 196,515 | 274,065 | +77,550 |
| Ireland | 165,828 | 185,760 | +19,932 |
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 - East | 11 |
| Inner London - West | 9 |
| 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 | 10 | 12 | +2 |
| Inner London - East | 10 | 10 | +0 |
| Inner London - West | 9 | 5 | -4 |
| 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 | 3 | -2 |
| 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) | 14,383,161 |
| Air transport | 2,725,545 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,249,621 |
| Other | 742,883 |
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) | 6,883,126 | 7,500,035 | +616,909 |
| Air transport | 1,531,255 | 1,194,290 | -336,965 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,653,707 | 595,914 | -1,057,793 |
| Other | 427,547 | 315,336 | -112,211 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Southampton | 7,377,523 |
| Felixstowe | 4,031,409 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,929,963 |
| Sharpness Docks | 1,087,683 |
| Liverpool Docks | 878,914 |
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 | 3,877,403 | 3,500,120 | -377,283 |
| Felixstowe | 1,581,172 | 2,450,237 | +869,065 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,097,869 | 832,094 | -265,775 |
| Sharpness Docks | 598,793 | 488,890 | -109,903 |
| Liverpool Docks | 389,746 | 489,168 | +99,422 |
| London | 394,974 | 369,651 | -25,323 |
| 000 | 427,547 | 315,336 | -112,211 |
| Immingham Docks | 378,833 | 122,865 | -255,968 |
| Harwich | 271,029 | 135,542 | -135,487 |
| Poole | 313,746 | 25,554 | -288,192 |
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 | 67 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 27 |
| 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 |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 21 |
| 2025-11 | 28 |
| 2025-10 | 28 |
| 2025-09 | 30 |
| 2025-08 | 31 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| TAZAKI FOODS LIMITED | 118 |
| H MART EUROPE LIMITED | 113 |
| INTERLINK DIRECT LIMITED | 112 |
| KOREA FOODS COMPANY LIMITED | 100 |
| JFC (UK) LIMITED | 85 |
| CAMBRIDGE COMMODITIES LIMITED | 66 |
| COSTCO WHOLESALE UK LIMITED | 63 |
| NEW WORLD IMPORTS (UK) LTD | 56 |
| THE BASIC INGREDIENTS LTD | 51 |
| FORTUNE FOODS UK LTD | 48 |
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 | 5,164,327 |
| Russia | 883,043 |
| Germany | 734,501 |
| Netherlands | 693,450 |
| 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 | 3,623,669 | 1,540,658 | -2,083,011 |
| Russia | 569,410 | 313,633 | -255,777 |
| Germany | 501,170 | 233,331 | -267,839 |
| Netherlands | 370,684 | 322,766 | -47,918 |
| Kenya | 209,639 | 258,464 | +48,825 |
| France | 95,641 | 365,548 | +269,907 |
| Pakistan | 84,551 | 234,549 | +149,998 |
| Denmark | 230,370 | 84,244 | -146,126 |
| Slovakia | 161,096 | 137,237 | -23,859 |
| Sweden | 205,499 | 74,162 | -131,337 |
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 | 374 |
| 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 | 374 | +374 |
| 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) | 5,757,998 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 4,924,182 |
| Air transport | 2,409,530 |
| Road transport | 7,648 |
| Other | 617 |
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) | 3,182,384 | 2,575,614 | -606,770 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,867,677 | 2,056,505 | -811,172 |
| Air transport | 1,850,903 | 558,627 | -1,292,276 |
| Road transport | 7,648 | 0 | -7,648 |
| Other | 150 | 467 | +317 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Southampton | 3,878,603 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 3,529,580 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,725,941 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,220,704 |
| Immingham Docks | 562,415 |
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 | 2,315,670 | 1,562,933 | -752,737 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 2,108,919 | 1,420,661 | -688,258 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,381,520 | 344,421 | -1,037,099 |
| London Gateway Port | 589,367 | 631,337 | +41,970 |
| Immingham Docks | 356,453 | 205,962 | -150,491 |
| Dover | 220,489 | 209,703 | -10,786 |
| East Midlands Airport | 199,208 | 103,129 | -96,079 |
| Jersey | 0 | 214,385 | +214,385 |
| ZLC | 154,563 | 49,483 | -105,080 |
| Holyhead | 52,924 | 102,485 | +49,561 |
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