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 council report and considered at a recent scrutiny meeting, showed a number of imports failing checks at the border control post. In 2025/26, there were 454 imports of products of animal origin, with 21 failed checks. There were 533 imports of food not of animal origin, of which 72 were sampled and 11 failed. Nine imports of plastic kitchenware from China and Hong Kong were also recorded, with just one sampled — and that one failed.
Green Party councillor Rob Nunney called the figures “alarming,” telling a council meeting: “The public put their faith in the health and safety standards of the products that they buy. 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.”
Manchester Airport is a designated border control post handling around 100,000 tonnes of import and export freight and mail annually, with checks managed by Border Force and other government departments. 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.”
If you need an airport transfer to or from Manchester Airport, Manpool Transfers offers reliable airport pickups and drop-offs across the region.
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