South African products not allowed to be imported into the UK

UPDATE Jan 2023:

Beacon have produced a small range of Easter Egg products with approved dairy. Get them while you can!!

2017

We have finally received confirmation of the reason there are issues for certain South African products being imported into the EU.

The reason behind this change of events is that since 31 March 2017, South Africa do not have an EU Approved Residue Control Plan in place for animal products used as ingredients in our favourite South African foods, like biscuits, rusks, sauces and chocolates.

Why is an EU Approved Residue Control Plan important?

EU law requires that ingredients of animal origin used in all foods for consumption in the EU are sourced from a country that has an EU Approved Residue Control Plan. If the food is a product of animal origin - and not a composite product, the country of manufacture must also have an EU Approved Residue Control Plan for the animal origin ingredient (except where the animal origin ingredient is present only in small amounts for technical purposes). If the food is a composite product - the country of origin of the individual animal products must have a relevant approved residue control plan but the country of manufacture of the composite product does not have to. About veterinary residues & residue control plans Medicines used to treat animals need to be controlled to make sure that they do not end up in our food at harmful levels. Veterinary residues are the small amount of medicine that can remain in animal products after slaughter or collection, and make their way into the food chain. Veterinary medicine residues also include any breakdown products from the veterinary medicine that occur after administration. Countries with an EU Approved Residue Control Plan have demonstrated to the European Commission that they are able to control the use of veterinary medicines and monitor residues in animal products destined for the EU. Taken from http://www.porthealth.eu/import-process-poao_residues.htm

The products we know that are affected:

The offending stock we have to have removed and destroyed before receiving it are the following items:

Bakers Tennis Biscuits, Bakers Iced Zoo, Bakers Choc-Kits, Bakers Lemon Creams, Bakers Pro-Vita, Ouma Plain Rusks, Ouma Apple and Raisin, Ouma Blueberry and Poppyseed, Ouma Three Seed, Willards CheasNaks, Cadbury's, Nestle and Beacon chocolates, Damascus Nougat

Simba Cheese Nik Naks has 2 issues - Trademark infringement and dairy

BUT:

From time to time, producers do use approved imported dairy which is why we can import Ouma Buttermilk Rusks and Romany Creams. Ouma Condense Milk and Muesli Rusks do not contain dairy.

BREXIT has not changed this, unfortunately as the EU laws were signed into UK  law