Impending EU legislation may classify numerous food items as high-end commodities
The European Union (EU) has announced stricter import controls for certain foodstuffs of non-animal origin, effective from August 12, 2025. These measures aim to enhance food safety and protect consumers, impacting trade, consumers, and specific products.
Starting August 2025, consignments of food and feed of non-animal origin from third countries listed in Regulation (EU) 2019/1793 (revised in 2025/1441) will be subject to temporary enhanced checks at border inspection posts and control posts within the EU. Controls are risk-based and adjusted according to data from rapid alert systems and inspections.
Some products will see increased control frequencies. For example, tahini and halva from Syria will undergo Salmonella checks 30% of the time, while 20% of tomato consignments from Turkey will be checked for pesticide residues. Yardlong beans from India will be inspected 50% of the time, but other products like grapefruit from Turkey will see reduced checks due to improved compliance (10%).
The retail sector has expressed concerns about the increased administrative burden, with millions of declarations of care and complex recording of geodata potentially leading to higher costs. However, the EU Commission expects "very limited impacts" on the costs of the affected raw materials.
Companies will have to provide exact information about the origin of their raw materials, including GPS coordinates of the cultivation areas. Processed products such as chocolate, leather goods, and furniture also fall under the regulation. Seven raw materials are affected: coffee, cocoa, palm oil, soy, beef, wood, and rubber. The affected goods must not have been cultivated after December 31, 2020, for forest clearance.
The coffee industry is particularly concerned about the new rules, fearing supply shortages and rising prices. Large manufacturers such as Lavazza, Melitta, Darboven, and Dallmayer are already calling for a shift in the regulation. Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer (CSU) also supports a one-year delay for the regulation.
Consumer protection is a key focus of these stricter controls, with the aim of preventing unsafe food from entering the market and assuring food safety and quality. The Schwarz Group (Lidl, Kaufland) aims to not pass on price increases caused by political regulation and increased bureaucracy to their customers.
However, some fear potential supply disruptions in bio and Fairtrade-certified products, with Martin Schüller of Fairtrade Germany likening it to "neo-colonial foreign control". The EU will implement these strict rules for the import of certain foodstuffs from the end of 2025, reinforcing its integrated food safety policy and targeting high-risk imports to ensure consumer health protection while maintaining trade standards.
Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz has written a letter to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, requesting exemptions for German agriculture and forestry from the deforestation regulation. Jörg Krämer, chief economist of Commerzbank, criticizes the new rules as causing a massive effort for the economy. IPPEN.MEDIA has not yet received a response from Aldi and Rewe regarding the expected extent of price increases.
In response to these changes, some supermarkets in Germany have introduced measures such as the "Quiet Hour" to accommodate customers with sensory sensitivities. As the implementation date approaches, it is expected that more adjustments will be made to ensure a smooth transition for both consumers and businesses.
- Starting from August 2025, the European Union (EU) will enforce stricter checks on foodstuffs of non-animal origin from specific third countries, implementing regulations aimed at enhancing food safety and protecting consumers.
- The stricter controls will affect various products like tahini and halva from Syria, tomatoes from Turkey, and yardlong beans from India, with increased check frequencies for some items.
- The Schwarz Group, which operates Lidl and Kaufland, has vowed not to pass on price increases from these stricter controls and increased bureaucracy to their customers.
- Environmental-science and personal-finance are relevant aspects here, as the stricter import controls could potentially impact the sustainability and cost of bio and Fairtrade-certified products.
