Import/export HS code 21: Miscellaneous food products
Various food items and preparations not classified elsewhere, including extracts, essences, and concentrates
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | 1,467,591,625 |
| Germany | 927,741,066 |
| Belgium | 660,410,513 |
| France | 589,949,367 |
| Ireland | 548,223,209 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 759,782,818 | 707,808,807 | -51,974,011 |
| Germany | 461,223,846 | 466,517,220 | +5,293,374 |
| Belgium | 327,707,464 | 332,703,049 | +4,995,585 |
| France | 303,984,012 | 285,965,355 | -18,018,657 |
| Ireland | 277,202,618 | 271,020,591 | -6,182,027 |
| Italy | 256,163,939 | 251,127,694 | -5,036,245 |
| Spain | 228,167,830 | 274,314,035 | +46,146,205 |
| Denmark | 213,557,873 | 195,170,746 | -18,387,127 |
| Poland | 202,383,277 | 187,870,499 | -14,512,778 |
| United States | 135,234,838 | 126,621,183 | -8,613,655 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 1,113,020,424 |
| Netherlands | 1,002,644,633 |
| Italy | 592,302,441 |
| France | 573,922,358 |
| Spain | 527,881,555 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 557,858,261 | 555,162,163 | -2,696,098 |
| Netherlands | 530,810,688 | 471,833,945 | -58,976,743 |
| Italy | 300,769,077 | 291,533,364 | -9,235,713 |
| France | 290,229,259 | 283,693,099 | -6,536,160 |
| Spain | 241,381,956 | 286,499,599 | +45,117,643 |
| Belgium | 208,308,178 | 227,515,589 | +19,207,411 |
| Poland | 223,351,028 | 210,715,382 | -12,635,646 |
| Denmark | 216,849,802 | 199,548,366 | -17,301,436 |
| Ireland | 206,227,417 | 189,169,236 | -17,058,181 |
| United States | 149,315,948 | 132,998,749 | -16,317,199 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 357 |
| Inner London - East | 324 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 323 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 232 |
| Greater Manchester | 211 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 277 | 262 | -15 |
| Inner London - East | 251 | 256 | +5 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 259 | 253 | -6 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 184 | 186 | +2 |
| Greater Manchester | 170 | 141 | -29 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 134 | 127 | -7 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 139 | 133 | -6 |
| West Midlands | 112 | 110 | -2 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 106 | 104 | -2 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 96 | 89 | -7 |
Import volume by transport
What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 5,022,381,686 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,563,447,472 |
| Other | 302,368,547 |
| Air transport | 260,191,690 |
| Road transport | 25,499,924 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,602,083,650 | 2,420,298,036 | -181,785,614 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,233,906,927 | 1,329,540,545 | +95,633,618 |
| Other | 148,839,733 | 153,528,814 | +4,689,081 |
| Air transport | 128,506,612 | 131,685,078 | +3,178,466 |
| Road transport | 11,032,557 | 14,467,367 | +3,434,810 |
| Rail transport | 242,611 | 359,426 | +116,815 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 1,389,654,344 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,279,826,782 |
| London | 698,987,571 |
| Eurotunnel | 660,493,131 |
| Felixstowe | 617,895,276 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | 721,334,911 | 668,319,433 | -53,015,478 |
| Immingham Docks | 642,803,610 | 637,023,172 | -5,780,438 |
| London | 331,384,924 | 367,602,647 | +36,217,723 |
| Eurotunnel | 335,546,545 | 324,946,586 | -10,599,959 |
| Felixstowe | 336,601,237 | 281,294,039 | -55,307,198 |
| Liverpool Docks | 263,690,234 | 242,682,488 | -21,007,746 |
| Hull | 275,991,198 | 217,708,787 | -58,282,411 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 166,141,864 | 258,599,679 | +92,457,815 |
| London Gateway Port | 166,845,240 | 174,027,123 | +7,181,883 |
| Southampton | 162,002,827 | 169,513,676 | +7,510,849 |
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 | 1649 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 959 |
| Manufacture of food products | 597 |
| Food and beverage service activities | 462 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 144 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 1248 |
| 2025-10 | 1246 |
| 2025-09 | 1220 |
| 2025-08 | 1211 |
| 2025-07 | 1302 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| NESTLE UK LTD. | 119 |
| ABF GRAIN PRODUCTS LIMITED | 119 |
| PETTY, WOOD & CO. LIMITED | 119 |
| WANIS LIMITED | 119 |
| W.WING YIP PLC | 119 |
| VITABIOTICS LIMITED | 119 |
| HOO HING HOLDINGS LIMITED | 119 |
| TAZAKI FOODS LIMITED | 119 |
| AB WORLD FOODS LIMITED | 119 |
| K.T.C. (EDIBLES) LIMITED | 119 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 1414 |
| 0-1m | 1262 |
| 54m+ | 529 |
| 15m-54m | 324 |
| Other | 219 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Ireland | 740,890,265 |
| Netherlands | 484,820,218 |
| Germany | 403,943,532 |
| France | 386,282,986 |
| United States | 237,073,419 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | 374,346,642 | 366,543,623 | -7,803,019 |
| Netherlands | 274,901,112 | 209,919,106 | -64,982,006 |
| Germany | 219,763,230 | 184,180,302 | -35,582,928 |
| France | 198,400,502 | 187,882,484 | -10,518,018 |
| United States | 113,959,677 | 123,113,742 | +9,154,065 |
| China | 111,536,529 | 115,514,558 | +3,978,029 |
| Spain | 66,860,812 | 63,862,146 | -2,998,666 |
| Australia | 71,107,385 | 55,196,814 | -15,910,571 |
| Sweden | 51,202,687 | 55,650,961 | +4,448,274 |
| United Arab Emirates | 49,505,278 | 51,050,888 | +1,545,610 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| XI | 101,313,684 |
| XU | 34,973,565 |
| Ireland | 11,504,764 |
| Netherlands | 6,291,155 |
| France | 5,360,111 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| XI | 50,262,485 | 51,051,199 | +788,714 |
| XU | 17,774,889 | 17,198,676 | -576,213 |
| Ireland | 6,223,203 | 5,281,561 | -941,642 |
| Netherlands | 3,365,155 | 2,926,000 | -439,155 |
| France | 2,707,774 | 2,652,337 | -55,437 |
| Italy | 1,421,086 | 1,029,716 | -391,370 |
| Poland | 1,155,640 | 974,210 | -181,430 |
| Belgium | 923,972 | 920,100 | -3,872 |
| Canada | 909,605 | 549,575 | -360,030 |
| Germany | 789,285 | 654,006 | -135,279 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,656,810,148 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,658,242,079 |
| Air transport | 254,005,786 |
| Other | 179,285,649 |
| Rail transport | 3,479,872 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,359,071,130 | 1,297,739,018 | -61,332,112 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 876,271,592 | 781,970,487 | -94,301,105 |
| Air transport | 131,851,138 | 122,154,648 | -9,696,490 |
| Other | 91,579,937 | 87,705,712 | -3,874,225 |
| Rail transport | 1,337,555 | 2,142,317 | +804,762 |
| Road transport | 1,346,353 | 16,932 | -1,329,421 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 1,356,890,298 |
| London Gateway Port | 522,523,004 |
| Liverpool Docks | 445,067,796 |
| Immingham Docks | 293,210,876 |
| Southampton | 289,036,460 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 705,965,656 | 650,924,642 | -55,041,014 |
| London Gateway Port | 238,196,385 | 284,326,619 | +46,130,234 |
| Liverpool Docks | 262,256,729 | 182,811,067 | -79,445,662 |
| Immingham Docks | 150,160,211 | 143,050,665 | -7,109,546 |
| Southampton | 139,560,471 | 149,475,989 | +9,915,518 |
| Dover | 151,318,089 | 102,277,157 | -49,040,932 |
| Holyhead | 117,124,331 | 118,802,188 | +1,677,857 |
| Felixstowe | 116,070,152 | 101,372,944 | -14,697,208 |
| 000 | 91,574,503 | 86,941,999 | -4,632,504 |
| Hull | 97,882,077 | 77,044,506 | -20,837,571 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 21
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Various food items and preparations not classified elsewhere, including extracts, essences, and concentrates