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 | 5,936,183 |
| South Korea | 4,127,549 |
| United States | 1,092,674 |
| Iceland | 1,007,901 |
| Japan | 965,342 |
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 | 2,990,823 | 2,945,360 | -45,463 |
| South Korea | 2,833,611 | 1,293,938 | -1,539,673 |
| United States | 402,799 | 689,875 | +287,076 |
| Iceland | 480,911 | 526,990 | +46,079 |
| Japan | 663,730 | 301,612 | -362,118 |
| Taiwan | 769,536 | 58,225 | -711,311 |
| Philippines | 360,682 | 242,152 | -118,530 |
| Ireland | 281,503 | 232,051 | -49,452 |
| Australia | 203,817 | 266,763 | +62,946 |
| Denmark | 399,078 | 13,522 | -385,556 |
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 | 6,168,573 |
| South Korea | 4,531,805 |
| United States | 1,010,265 |
| Iceland | 1,008,070 |
| Japan | 1,006,489 |
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 | 3,169,372 | 2,999,201 | -170,171 |
| South Korea | 3,022,886 | 1,508,919 | -1,513,967 |
| United States | 383,118 | 627,147 | +244,029 |
| Iceland | 481,080 | 526,990 | +45,910 |
| Japan | 678,281 | 328,208 | -350,073 |
| Taiwan | 773,513 | 58,225 | -715,288 |
| Philippines | 437,848 | 357,024 | -80,824 |
| Australia | 203,817 | 266,763 | +62,946 |
| Denmark | 387,817 | 17,513 | -370,304 |
| Ireland | 186,785 | 151,692 | -35,093 |
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 | 8 |
| 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 | 11 | +1 |
| Inner London - East | 11 | 8 | -3 |
| Inner London - West | 8 | 5 | -3 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 4 | 7 | +3 |
| Outer London - South | 7 | 7 | +0 |
| Essex | 4 | 4 | +0 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 5 | 2 | -3 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 4 | 4 | +0 |
| Kent | 4 | 3 | -1 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 3 | 2 | -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) | 13,309,092 |
| Air transport | 2,537,570 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,984,672 |
| Other | 674,177 |
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) | 7,514,996 | 5,794,096 | -1,720,900 |
| Air transport | 1,427,899 | 1,109,671 | -318,228 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,481,416 | 503,256 | -978,160 |
| Other | 408,718 | 265,459 | -143,259 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Southampton | 6,774,781 |
| Felixstowe | 3,844,727 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,828,160 |
| Sharpness Docks | 938,301 |
| Liverpool Docks | 844,137 |
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 | 4,283,898 | 2,490,883 | -1,793,015 |
| Felixstowe | 1,879,470 | 1,965,257 | +85,787 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,013,336 | 814,824 | -198,512 |
| Sharpness Docks | 449,411 | 488,890 | +39,479 |
| Liverpool Docks | 429,383 | 414,754 | -14,629 |
| London | 422,181 | 281,990 | -140,191 |
| 000 | 408,718 | 265,459 | -143,259 |
| Immingham Docks | 342,095 | 97,554 | -244,541 |
| Poole | 339,300 | 0 | -339,300 |
| Harwich | 183,162 | 135,542 | -47,620 |
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 | 63 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 26 |
| Manufacture of food products | 14 |
| Food and beverage service activities | 8 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 5 |
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 | 57 |
| 54m+ | 20 |
| 15m-54m | 18 |
| 0-1m | 10 |
| 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 | 4,479,972 |
| Netherlands | 649,835 |
| Russia | 637,464 |
| Germany | 500,790 |
| Kenya | 435,269 |
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 | 3,034,114 | 1,445,858 | -1,588,256 |
| Netherlands | 368,269 | 281,566 | -86,703 |
| Russia | 395,062 | 242,402 | -152,660 |
| Germany | 360,368 | 140,422 | -219,946 |
| Kenya | 176,805 | 258,464 | +81,659 |
| France | 118,370 | 287,429 | +169,059 |
| Pakistan | 147,230 | 148,040 | +810 |
| Sweden | 195,083 | 65,173 | -129,910 |
| Slovakia | 157,576 | 95,088 | -62,488 |
| Denmark | 162,015 | 82,303 | -79,712 |
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) | 5,078,177 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 4,159,228 |
| Air transport | 2,067,226 |
| Road transport | 891 |
| 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) | 2,771,701 | 2,306,476 | -465,225 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 2,662,487 | 1,496,741 | -1,165,746 |
| Air transport | 1,659,769 | 407,457 | -1,252,312 |
| Road transport | 891 | 0 | -891 |
| Other | 150 | 467 | +317 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Southampton | 3,439,859 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 2,859,238 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,440,754 |
| London Gateway Port | 1,026,829 |
| Immingham Docks | 556,963 |
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 | 1,962,761 | 1,477,098 | -485,663 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 1,874,394 | 984,844 | -889,550 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 1,188,986 | 251,768 | -937,218 |
| London Gateway Port | 518,132 | 508,697 | -9,435 |
| Immingham Docks | 373,655 | 183,308 | -190,347 |
| Dover | 179,113 | 161,049 | -18,064 |
| East Midlands Airport | 181,974 | 87,237 | -94,737 |
| Jersey | 0 | 214,385 | +214,385 |
| ZLC | 133,170 | 42,828 | -90,342 |
| Holyhead | 77,070 | 73,757 | -3,313 |
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