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 | 469,920,578 |
| Netherlands | 442,373,336 |
| Denmark | 377,167,444 |
| Ireland | 334,749,257 |
| France | 255,518,182 |
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 | 243,649,155 | 226,271,423 | -17,377,732 |
| Netherlands | 230,721,653 | 211,651,683 | -19,069,970 |
| Denmark | 205,436,425 | 171,731,019 | -33,705,406 |
| Ireland | 181,178,639 | 153,570,618 | -27,608,021 |
| France | 133,958,680 | 121,559,502 | -12,399,178 |
| Belgium | 101,429,079 | 100,922,580 | -506,499 |
| United States | 95,994,834 | 87,149,325 | -8,845,509 |
| China | 75,189,384 | 70,916,552 | -4,272,832 |
| Italy | 60,328,602 | 58,425,531 | -1,903,071 |
| Poland | 49,695,807 | 43,587,769 | -6,108,038 |
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 | 511,378,983 |
| Denmark | 383,812,106 |
| Netherlands | 302,424,798 |
| Ireland | 286,908,579 |
| France | 207,430,076 |
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 | 268,536,387 | 242,842,596 | -25,693,791 |
| Denmark | 208,392,589 | 175,419,517 | -32,973,072 |
| Netherlands | 154,431,097 | 147,993,701 | -6,437,396 |
| Ireland | 156,861,382 | 130,047,197 | -26,814,185 |
| France | 105,554,388 | 101,875,688 | -3,678,700 |
| United States | 103,996,718 | 87,813,766 | -16,182,952 |
| China | 83,943,581 | 77,002,976 | -6,940,605 |
| Belgium | 73,354,206 | 76,567,239 | +3,213,033 |
| Italy | 75,641,582 | 70,217,106 | -5,424,476 |
| Poland | 59,013,360 | 53,283,759 | -5,729,601 |
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 | 222 |
| Inner London - West | 221 |
| Inner London - East | 195 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 136 |
| Greater Manchester | 122 |
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 | 165 | 179 | +14 |
| Inner London - West | 170 | 170 | +0 |
| Inner London - East | 147 | 153 | +6 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 102 | 103 | +1 |
| Greater Manchester | 97 | 92 | -5 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 98 | 83 | -15 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 96 | 92 | -4 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 79 | 82 | +3 |
| West Midlands | 77 | 71 | -6 |
| West Yorkshire | 63 | 69 | +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) | 2,179,101,162 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 823,564,651 |
| Air transport | 220,729,169 |
| Other | 102,844,367 |
| Road transport | 11,191,829 |
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) | 1,193,517,312 | 985,583,850 | -207,933,462 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 373,865,687 | 449,698,964 | +75,833,277 |
| Air transport | 112,559,836 | 108,169,333 | -4,390,503 |
| Other | 56,623,388 | 46,220,979 | -10,402,409 |
| Road transport | 5,191,442 | 6,000,387 | +808,945 |
| Rail transport | 253,998 | 259,146 | +5,148 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 666,945,349 |
| Immingham Docks | 566,812,798 |
| Eurotunnel | 308,338,240 |
| Felixstowe | 293,705,933 |
| Liverpool Docks | 232,402,009 |
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 | 340,753,988 | 326,191,361 | -14,562,627 |
| Immingham Docks | 301,939,598 | 264,873,200 | -37,066,398 |
| Eurotunnel | 160,877,166 | 147,461,074 | -13,416,092 |
| Felixstowe | 164,042,662 | 129,663,271 | -34,379,391 |
| Liverpool Docks | 133,621,378 | 98,780,631 | -34,840,747 |
| London | 65,034,673 | 84,938,821 | +19,904,148 |
| Southampton | 75,890,223 | 66,647,157 | -9,243,066 |
| Hull | 55,155,736 | 52,070,638 | -3,085,098 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 53,599,871 | 52,127,466 | -1,472,405 |
| 000 | 56,623,388 | 46,220,979 | -10,402,409 |
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 | 1091 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 604 |
| Manufacture of food products | 457 |
| Food and beverage service activities | 252 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 97 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 729 |
| 2025-11 | 801 |
| 2025-10 | 803 |
| 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 | 959 |
| 0-1m | 718 |
| 54m+ | 425 |
| 15m-54m | 240 |
| Other | 133 |
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 | 300,405,696 |
| Ireland | 254,718,962 |
| Germany | 250,094,739 |
| China | 204,590,998 |
| France | 191,121,886 |
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 | 177,557,954 | 122,847,742 | -54,710,212 |
| Ireland | 137,622,616 | 117,096,346 | -20,526,270 |
| Germany | 138,727,712 | 111,367,027 | -27,360,685 |
| China | 107,175,188 | 97,415,810 | -9,759,378 |
| France | 103,679,267 | 87,442,619 | -16,236,648 |
| United States | 93,943,617 | 86,424,208 | -7,519,409 |
| Australia | 42,411,105 | 25,359,819 | -17,051,286 |
| United Arab Emirates | 33,889,210 | 31,997,370 | -1,891,840 |
| Saudi Arabia | 33,831,223 | 27,505,879 | -6,325,344 |
| Singapore | 29,941,482 | 27,455,895 | -2,485,587 |
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 | 52,752,950 |
| Ireland | 2,179,836 |
| Poland | 1,424,974 |
| Canada | 1,385,183 |
| Italy | 1,055,744 |
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 | 26,545,813 | 26,207,137 | -338,676 |
| Ireland | 1,093,522 | 1,086,314 | -7,208 |
| Poland | 885,037 | 539,937 | -345,100 |
| Canada | 805,053 | 580,130 | -224,923 |
| Italy | 584,541 | 471,203 | -113,338 |
| Germany | 554,052 | 378,206 | -175,846 |
| France | 283,477 | 206,318 | -77,159 |
| Belgium | 183,888 | 253,702 | +69,814 |
| Malaysia | 104,137 | 115,583 | +11,446 |
| Nicaragua | 211,622 | 2,386 | -209,236 |
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) | 1,323,110,183 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,084,535,445 |
| Air transport | 225,628,425 |
| Other | 73,764,448 |
| 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) | 721,551,877 | 601,558,306 | -119,993,571 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 583,605,090 | 500,930,355 | -82,674,735 |
| Air transport | 117,956,446 | 107,671,979 | -10,284,467 |
| Other | 38,654,279 | 35,110,169 | -3,544,110 |
| Rail transport | 1,178,156 | 2,142,317 | +964,161 |
| Road transport | 721,945 | 16,932 | -705,013 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 788,360,457 |
| London Gateway Port | 346,902,764 |
| Southampton | 222,214,112 |
| Liverpool Docks | 176,766,712 |
| Immingham Docks | 153,405,182 |
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 | 432,034,978 | 356,325,479 | -75,709,499 |
| London Gateway Port | 163,626,620 | 183,276,144 | +19,649,524 |
| Southampton | 117,089,712 | 105,124,400 | -11,965,312 |
| Liverpool Docks | 118,270,139 | 58,496,573 | -59,773,566 |
| Immingham Docks | 86,024,568 | 67,380,614 | -18,643,954 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 76,729,051 | 68,173,816 | -8,555,235 |
| Felixstowe | 67,524,331 | 51,149,139 | -16,375,192 |
| Hull | 64,160,564 | 50,027,811 | -14,132,753 |
| Dover | 62,746,129 | 38,243,298 | -24,502,831 |
| Holyhead | 42,504,211 | 44,818,117 | +2,313,906 |
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