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 | 1,396,398,312 |
| Germany | 895,945,365 |
| Belgium | 636,525,441 |
| France | 569,545,574 |
| Ireland | 527,380,540 |
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 | 755,691,693 | 640,706,619 | -114,985,074 |
| Germany | 455,494,856 | 440,450,509 | -15,044,347 |
| Belgium | 328,201,671 | 308,323,770 | -19,877,901 |
| France | 300,948,940 | 268,596,634 | -32,352,306 |
| Ireland | 278,794,731 | 248,585,809 | -30,208,922 |
| Spain | 227,149,109 | 262,547,130 | +35,398,021 |
| Italy | 257,356,631 | 231,868,488 | -25,488,143 |
| Denmark | 213,138,644 | 177,348,940 | -35,789,704 |
| Poland | 197,676,247 | 170,699,424 | -26,976,823 |
| United States | 130,595,375 | 119,105,569 | -11,489,806 |
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 | 1,072,299,438 |
| Netherlands | 947,345,091 |
| Italy | 570,013,205 |
| France | 556,182,726 |
| Spain | 514,787,390 |
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 | 556,592,529 | 515,706,909 | -40,885,620 |
| Netherlands | 521,705,922 | 425,639,169 | -96,066,753 |
| Italy | 299,542,664 | 270,470,541 | -29,072,123 |
| France | 288,886,363 | 267,296,363 | -21,590,000 |
| Spain | 239,881,772 | 274,905,618 | +35,023,846 |
| Belgium | 208,545,018 | 214,410,577 | +5,865,559 |
| Poland | 217,745,033 | 195,032,421 | -22,712,612 |
| Denmark | 216,094,734 | 182,086,627 | -34,008,107 |
| Ireland | 207,324,696 | 174,309,742 | -33,014,954 |
| United States | 144,025,882 | 124,128,679 | -19,897,203 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 345 |
| Inner London - East | 317 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 316 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 232 |
| Greater Manchester | 204 |
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 | 269 | 256 | -13 |
| Inner London - East | 250 | 246 | -4 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 254 | 249 | -5 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 190 | 177 | -13 |
| Greater Manchester | 169 | 130 | -39 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 135 | 121 | -14 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 140 | 130 | -10 |
| West Midlands | 120 | 104 | -16 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 107 | 103 | -4 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 96 | 90 | -6 |
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) | 4,794,072,749 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,498,104,565 |
| Other | 290,301,612 |
| Air transport | 252,167,262 |
| Road transport | 25,424,259 |
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) | 2,568,219,308 | 2,225,853,441 | -342,365,867 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,252,216,587 | 1,245,887,978 | -6,328,609 |
| Other | 151,532,963 | 138,768,649 | -12,764,314 |
| Air transport | 129,531,648 | 122,635,614 | -6,896,034 |
| Road transport | 11,676,062 | 13,748,197 | +2,072,135 |
| Rail transport | 322,805 | 280,120 | -42,685 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 1,335,219,622 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,227,111,876 |
| London | 691,624,414 |
| Eurotunnel | 633,907,136 |
| Felixstowe | 593,454,340 |
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 | 707,933,304 | 627,286,318 | -80,646,986 |
| Immingham Docks | 643,312,467 | 583,799,409 | -59,513,058 |
| London | 350,704,910 | 340,919,504 | -9,785,406 |
| Eurotunnel | 334,220,316 | 299,686,820 | -34,533,496 |
| Felixstowe | 337,295,950 | 256,158,390 | -81,137,560 |
| Liverpool Docks | 253,845,843 | 226,667,524 | -27,178,319 |
| Hull | 266,609,130 | 194,893,224 | -71,715,906 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 168,526,959 | 241,344,361 | +72,817,402 |
| London Gateway Port | 172,605,749 | 159,576,796 | -13,028,953 |
| Southampton | 161,604,633 | 164,252,898 | +2,648,265 |
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 | 1635 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 942 |
| Manufacture of food products | 599 |
| Food and beverage service activities | 443 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 141 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 1148 |
| 2025-11 | 1248 |
| 2025-10 | 1247 |
| 2025-09 | 1220 |
| 2025-08 | 1211 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| NESTLE UK LTD. | 120 |
| ABF GRAIN PRODUCTS LIMITED | 120 |
| PETTY, WOOD & CO. LIMITED | 120 |
| WANIS LIMITED | 120 |
| W.WING YIP PLC | 120 |
| VITABIOTICS LIMITED | 120 |
| HOO HING HOLDINGS LIMITED | 120 |
| TAZAKI FOODS LIMITED | 120 |
| AB WORLD FOODS LIMITED | 120 |
| K.T.C. (EDIBLES) LIMITED | 120 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 1411 |
| 0-1m | 1213 |
| 54m+ | 525 |
| 15m-54m | 328 |
| Other | 212 |
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 | 710,740,893 |
| Netherlands | 449,122,827 |
| Germany | 379,421,291 |
| France | 366,259,360 |
| United States | 228,408,366 |
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 | 374,296,510 | 336,444,383 | -37,852,127 |
| Netherlands | 262,218,915 | 186,903,912 | -75,315,003 |
| Germany | 212,776,132 | 166,645,159 | -46,130,973 |
| France | 194,933,786 | 171,325,574 | -23,608,212 |
| United States | 114,663,813 | 113,744,553 | -919,260 |
| China | 111,864,280 | 102,062,099 | -9,802,181 |
| Spain | 65,430,834 | 60,190,678 | -5,240,156 |
| Australia | 67,975,136 | 50,649,270 | -17,325,866 |
| Sweden | 53,152,186 | 50,674,454 | -2,477,732 |
| United Arab Emirates | 49,145,233 | 47,945,075 | -1,200,158 |
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 | 97,495,865 |
| Ireland | 10,988,536 |
| Netherlands | 5,892,705 |
| France | 5,099,349 |
| Italy | 2,328,372 |
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 | 50,064,915 | 47,430,950 | -2,633,965 |
| Ireland | 6,198,137 | 4,790,399 | -1,407,738 |
| Netherlands | 3,476,502 | 2,416,203 | -1,060,299 |
| France | 2,795,279 | 2,304,070 | -491,209 |
| Italy | 1,465,978 | 862,394 | -603,584 |
| Poland | 1,146,558 | 847,409 | -299,149 |
| Belgium | 942,474 | 829,736 | -112,738 |
| Canada | 805,571 | 580,130 | -225,441 |
| Germany | 807,520 | 552,240 | -255,280 |
| Spain | 672,965 | 603,656 | -69,309 |
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) | 2,567,403,859 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,534,005,469 |
| Air transport | 241,821,738 |
| Other | 171,791,674 |
| Rail transport | 3,320,473 |
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) | 1,384,253,890 | 1,183,149,969 | -201,103,921 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 821,460,749 | 712,544,720 | -108,916,029 |
| Air transport | 127,009,276 | 114,812,462 | -12,196,814 |
| Other | 91,631,753 | 80,159,921 | -11,471,832 |
| Rail transport | 1,178,156 | 2,142,317 | +964,161 |
| Road transport | 747,550 | 16,932 | -730,618 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 1,285,456,598 |
| London Gateway Port | 504,373,759 |
| Liverpool Docks | 417,050,887 |
| Immingham Docks | 281,737,577 |
| Southampton | 277,397,975 |
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 | 685,766,923 | 599,689,675 | -86,077,248 |
| London Gateway Port | 237,312,954 | 267,060,805 | +29,747,851 |
| Liverpool Docks | 254,961,630 | 162,089,257 | -92,872,373 |
| Immingham Docks | 152,109,193 | 129,628,384 | -22,480,809 |
| Southampton | 140,494,515 | 136,903,460 | -3,591,055 |
| Dover | 149,909,604 | 89,526,671 | -60,382,933 |
| Holyhead | 112,351,640 | 113,423,193 | +1,071,553 |
| Felixstowe | 114,329,069 | 86,190,314 | -28,138,755 |
| 000 | 91,626,314 | 79,083,760 | -12,542,554 |
| Hull | 95,794,142 | 67,794,629 | -27,999,513 |
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