New figures discussed by Manchester councillors have raised concerns that unsafe food and kitchenware products could be entering the UK through Manchester Airport.
The data, set out in a report by Manchester council and considered at a recent scrutiny meeting, showed a number of imports failing checks at the border control post.
Import checks data
In 25/26, there were 454 imports of products of animal origin and 21 failed import checks. There were 533 imports of food not of animal origin, with 72 being sampled and 11 failing. Nine imports of plastic kitchenware from China and Hong Kong were recorded, with one import being sampled and one failing.
Green Party Councillor Rob Nunney said the figures were concerning.
"I find this alarming to be honest, the public put their faith in the health and safety standards of the products that they buy," he said at a council meeting.
"If my calculations are correct, according to these figures, on average 81 of 533 imports of food not of animal origin would fail if they had all been checked. That's potentially 70 unsafe imports making it through to British consumers."
"The figures for plastic kitchenware are even more worrying. At least one in nine imports were unsafe, and potentially none of them were safe because only one of the nine imports was checked."
Government response
Manchester Airport is a border control post and handles 100,000 tonnes of import and export freight and mail annually. Checks are managed by Border Force and other government departments.
When contacted for comment, the Home Office said Border Force does have a role in seizing certain products of animal origin, and that this is done on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
A DEFRA spokesperson said: "This government is fully committed to protecting our biosecurity, consumers and our farming industry. We have tightened import rules and increased checks at the border. These strengthened measures are working as intended, intercepting unsafe imports before they can enter the UK food chain."
DEFRA explained that risk-based checks are done at the border, determined according to an assessment of the risk presented by the import of the goods.
Most imports to Manchester Airport come from Asia and the Middle East, with connections to more than 200 destinations. The airport is next to the M56 motorway and about ten miles from Manchester city centre.
