Import/export HS code 2106: General food preparations
Food products not listed elsewhere, including various ready-to-eat or ready-to-cook items
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Germany | 488,039,140 |
| Netherlands | 461,622,293 |
| Denmark | 393,277,355 |
| Ireland | 348,916,985 |
| France | 265,819,408 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 241,474,512 | 246,564,628 | +5,090,116 |
| Netherlands | 232,764,913 | 228,857,380 | -3,907,533 |
| Denmark | 206,913,296 | 186,364,059 | -20,549,237 |
| Ireland | 183,384,040 | 165,532,945 | -17,851,095 |
| France | 134,189,420 | 131,629,988 | -2,559,432 |
| Belgium | 100,629,926 | 109,176,326 | +8,546,400 |
| United States | 100,698,190 | 92,207,736 | -8,490,454 |
| China | 73,027,093 | 77,323,292 | +4,296,199 |
| Italy | 59,608,094 | 62,658,014 | +3,049,920 |
| Poland | 50,641,434 | 47,847,564 | -2,793,870 |
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 | 531,779,169 |
| Denmark | 400,151,437 |
| Netherlands | 315,124,552 |
| Ireland | 299,111,644 |
| France | 215,359,449 |
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 | 267,601,106 | 264,178,063 | -3,423,043 |
| Denmark | 210,129,458 | 190,021,979 | -20,107,479 |
| Netherlands | 155,798,854 | 159,325,698 | +3,526,844 |
| Ireland | 158,854,288 | 140,257,356 | -18,596,932 |
| France | 105,053,598 | 110,305,851 | +5,252,253 |
| United States | 108,791,374 | 93,544,899 | -15,246,475 |
| China | 81,389,598 | 84,596,450 | +3,206,852 |
| Belgium | 74,165,443 | 81,978,276 | +7,812,833 |
| Italy | 74,504,565 | 75,622,490 | +1,117,925 |
| Poland | 59,580,017 | 58,460,945 | -1,119,072 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 232 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 222 |
| Inner London - East | 200 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 137 |
| Greater Manchester | 126 |
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 | 176 | 178 | +2 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 165 | 177 | +12 |
| Inner London - East | 151 | 156 | +5 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 101 | 109 | +8 |
| Greater Manchester | 98 | 95 | -3 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 101 | 96 | -5 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 96 | 87 | -9 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 80 | 86 | +6 |
| West Midlands | 76 | 71 | -5 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 62 | 56 | -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) | 2,273,598,612 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 848,920,768 |
| Air transport | 230,240,404 |
| Other | 106,712,235 |
| Road transport | 11,829,902 |
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) | 1,198,660,410 | 1,074,938,202 | -123,722,208 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 369,526,890 | 479,393,878 | +109,866,988 |
| Air transport | 113,316,268 | 116,924,136 | +3,607,868 |
| Other | 56,573,136 | 50,139,099 | -6,434,037 |
| Road transport | 5,267,816 | 6,562,086 | +1,294,270 |
| Rail transport | 236,803 | 276,341 | +39,538 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 693,177,736 |
| Immingham Docks | 589,302,885 |
| Eurotunnel | 318,724,601 |
| Felixstowe | 304,142,363 |
| Liverpool Docks | 243,670,699 |
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 | 339,510,815 | 353,666,921 | +14,156,106 |
| Immingham Docks | 303,381,289 | 285,921,596 | -17,459,693 |
| Eurotunnel | 157,332,829 | 161,391,772 | +4,058,943 |
| Felixstowe | 160,909,173 | 143,233,190 | -17,675,983 |
| Liverpool Docks | 136,755,698 | 106,915,001 | -29,840,697 |
| London | 61,139,467 | 92,441,060 | +31,301,593 |
| Southampton | 76,807,370 | 71,361,523 | -5,445,847 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 58,351,048 | 55,660,298 | -2,690,750 |
| Hull | 56,757,666 | 55,260,503 | -1,497,163 |
| 000 | 56,573,136 | 50,139,099 | -6,434,037 |
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 | 1100 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 611 |
| Manufacture of food products | 460 |
| Food and beverage service activities | 265 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 99 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 728 |
| 2025-11 | 801 |
| 2025-10 | 804 |
| 2025-09 | 776 |
| 2025-08 | 775 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| W.WING YIP PLC | 120 |
| VITABIOTICS LIMITED | 120 |
| HOO HING HOLDINGS LIMITED | 120 |
| AB WORLD FOODS LIMITED | 120 |
| JFC (UK) LIMITED | 120 |
| KOREA FOODS COMPANY LIMITED | 120 |
| INTERLINK DIRECT LIMITED | 120 |
| FIRST GRADE INTERNATIONAL LIMITED | 120 |
| WORLD WISE FOODS LIMITED | 120 |
| MCCORMICK (UK) 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 | 968 |
| 0-1m | 738 |
| 54m+ | 431 |
| 15m-54m | 241 |
| Other | 134 |
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 | £ |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | 317,441,373 |
| Ireland | 268,053,902 |
| Germany | 263,858,632 |
| China | 211,680,396 |
| France | 199,866,892 |
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 £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 181,674,272 | 135,767,101 | -45,907,171 |
| Ireland | 140,114,549 | 127,939,353 | -12,175,196 |
| Germany | 140,358,770 | 123,499,862 | -16,858,908 |
| China | 102,572,039 | 109,108,357 | +6,536,318 |
| France | 104,297,427 | 95,569,465 | -8,727,962 |
| United States | 92,635,501 | 93,952,343 | +1,316,842 |
| Australia | 43,750,886 | 27,581,434 | -16,169,452 |
| United Arab Emirates | 34,710,625 | 33,672,481 | -1,038,144 |
| Saudi Arabia | 35,709,661 | 29,089,794 | -6,619,867 |
| Singapore | 30,074,514 | 30,076,894 | +2,380 |
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 | 54,852,734 |
| Ireland | 2,214,092 |
| Poland | 1,477,744 |
| Canada | 1,429,902 |
| Italy | 1,084,586 |
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 | 26,582,498 | 28,270,236 | +1,687,738 |
| Ireland | 1,085,883 | 1,128,209 | +42,326 |
| Poland | 896,226 | 581,518 | -314,708 |
| Canada | 821,530 | 608,372 | -213,158 |
| Italy | 565,980 | 518,606 | -47,374 |
| Germany | 555,454 | 419,600 | -135,854 |
| France | 280,729 | 212,025 | -68,704 |
| Belgium | 211,552 | 269,491 | +57,939 |
| Nicaragua | 238,094 | 2,386 | -235,708 |
| Malaysia | 94,353 | 129,385 | +35,032 |
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) | 1,377,900,089 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,139,096,973 |
| Air transport | 235,426,943 |
| Other | 76,598,872 |
| 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) | 714,259,365 | 663,640,724 | -50,618,641 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 598,434,183 | 540,662,790 | -57,771,393 |
| Air transport | 118,484,799 | 116,942,144 | -1,542,655 |
| Other | 38,680,174 | 37,918,698 | -761,476 |
| Rail transport | 1,337,555 | 2,142,317 | +804,762 |
| Road transport | 1,089,921 | 16,932 | -1,072,989 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 825,043,035 |
| London Gateway Port | 357,181,681 |
| Southampton | 231,014,451 |
| Liverpool Docks | 187,763,856 |
| Immingham Docks | 160,572,586 |
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 | 432,760,831 | 392,282,204 | -40,478,627 |
| London Gateway Port | 166,286,299 | 190,895,382 | +24,609,083 |
| Southampton | 113,594,516 | 117,419,935 | +3,825,419 |
| Liverpool Docks | 122,888,277 | 64,875,579 | -58,012,698 |
| Immingham Docks | 86,640,085 | 73,932,501 | -12,707,584 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 74,710,060 | 74,917,562 | +207,502 |
| Felixstowe | 69,594,041 | 55,666,139 | -13,927,902 |
| Hull | 65,050,098 | 55,176,981 | -9,873,117 |
| Dover | 64,559,855 | 43,935,862 | -20,623,993 |
| Holyhead | 42,610,221 | 49,308,479 | +6,698,258 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 2106
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Food products not listed elsewhere, including various ready-to-eat or ready-to-cook items