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Agriculture and food exports

The page was last modified: 2023-01-26

This aggregated information from different public authorities is aimed at you who plan to export food or agricultural products. You can read all about how to export products from Sweden here. You should already know what rules and regulations apply for the purchase/sale and dealing with the products within Sweden.

When you sell to customers in other countries, you often need to comply with a number of requirements that these countries have established, in order to be able to bring the products into the country. This information will provide some assistance to you along the way, however you most likely will need to contact the public authorities or other parties in the recipient country in order to obtain the full picture of what you will need to do.

There is a huge difference between selling products to another EU country and exporting to countries that are not in the EU.

Within the EU

Free trade between Member States

Most often there is no difference between the applicable rules and regulations for selling to a customer in Sweden and selling to a customer in another EU country.

However in certain cases there may be national special rules, and you can, as a company, obtain assistance in determining this. Each EU country has a contact point where you can turn to learn about what specific rules and regulations apply to your product. The contact point should respond within fifteen business days and may not charge for basic information.

If you are selling food, you can also contact the food control authority of the country you want to sell to.

Further reading about how to contact other countries, on the National Food Agency of Sweden’s website (in Swedish)

Supplemental provisions to the rules for some products

For some products, individual public authorities have compiled what you need to consider. You will find links to useful pages here:

Animal-based food for human consumption (National Food Agency (Livsmedelsverket) (in Swedish)

Endangered species (Swedish Board of Agriculture/Jordbruksverket) (in Swedish)

Plants and seeds (Swedish Board of Agriculture/Jordbruksverket) (in Swedish)

Bees and bumblebees (Swedish Board of Agriculture/Jordbruksverket) (in Swedish)

Would you like to know more?

There are other guides and compilations that may be helpful to know.

The National Food Agency’s wiki on food exports provides an overview of issues that you may need to consider when shipping foodstuffs to other countries. It is primarily aimed at those who are starting-up a company or who are running a small business.
Exports of foodstuffs at the Swedish Board of Agriculture (in Swedish)
The Trade Guide at the Swedish Board of Agriculture can be of assistance to you to find the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s information about the applicable rules and regulations when exporting agricultural products/food to other countries. It also contains comprehensive information about which other public authorities you may need to contact.

Trade with food and bevrages (in Swedish)

Trade in animals, feed and animal products (in Swedish)

Trade in plants, seeds and other plant products (in Swedish)

Business Sweden’s transport of food guide compiles what you need to consider when transporting food.

Read the Guide to Foodstuffs, on Business Sweden’s website (in Swedish)

Networking and inspiration

Try Swedish!

Try Swedish! is the official Swedish trademark for marketing of Swedish food and drink abroad.

You will find articles about Swedish food and food culture here, as well as the events and projects that are being implemented globally to highlight and promote Swedish food products. Examples included Sweden Pavilions at international trade fairs and purchasing co-operation with German chains which organise “Sweden Weeks.” A list of Swedish companies that export food can also be found here.

Contact with Swedish public authorities

Contact the Swedish National Food Agency if you have questions about selling food to other countries.

Go to the Swedish National Food Agency´s website
Contact the Swedish Board of Agriculture if you need assistance relating to live animals or non-food agricultural products. The Swedish Board of Agriculture also handles questions about food that you intend to bring in for private consumption.

Go to the Swedish Board of Agriculture´s website
Contact the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management if you have questions about how you can sell fish and aquaculture products abroad.

Go to the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management´s website

Other public authorities and agencies

Several public authorities handle issues that are not specific to only agricultural products and foodstuffs. On www.verksamt.se you will find a summary of what these public authorities can do for you.

See the summary and list public authorities under Public Authority and Agency Contacts

Outside the EU

Rules applicable in other countries

A good summary of the applicable rules in other countries can be found at the European Commission. If you use their Market Access Database, you can specify which product you want to export and which country you want to export to, and then the database responds with a comprehensive list of what you need to learn about, verify and consider. You will find information here about the applicable customs duties along with information about the documents and certificates required with importation in different countries.

If you prefer a summary in Swedish, you can use Business Sweden’s country-specific list.

Read the country-specific list, on the Business Sweden website (in Swedish)

You may also need to read the National Food Agency’s country-specific list, which primarily deals with the certificates you will need with the exportation of foodstuffs to various countries.

If you want to export live animals or non-food animal-based products, you will find lists of which countries you can export to here.

Keep in mind that the rules apply not only to the product itself that you want to export. If you ship it with wooden packaging or wooden pallets, special rules apply that you will need to become aware of.

Learn more about rules for export with wood packaging, on the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s website (in Swedish)

Ask someone who knows

If you encounter difficulties in finding what you need in the compilations, you should first contact someone in the country you want to export to, to find out what is applicable. If you already have contacts with your intended customers, then feel free to start there – if they have experience with importing from Sweden or other EU countries, they probably already know a quite lot about the applicable rules and regulations.

It is also possible to contact the country’s embassy in Stockholm. Alternatively, the Swedish embassy or consulate in the recipient country.

Export certificates and other documents from Swedish public authorities

You will always need an export certificate with the exportation of foodstuffs. They are issued by the National Food Agency.

If the food you want to export contains products from animals, they must come from approved facilities.

If you intend to export agricultural products other than food, you can contact the Swedish Board of Agriculture. The Swedish Board of Agriculture has information concerning the following:

If you are exporting fish, there are special rules that apply.

Currently, some products can not be exported

Some products can not be exported to all countries. This is due to the fact that the importing country requires that Sweden is first approved as the exporting country, and sometimes also that the facilities the products come from are approved. This is a process that takes a long time.

If you want your company or facilities to be approved for export, then you will need to contact Swedish public authorities. The same applies if you want Sweden to be approved as the exporting country by a country that does not currently receive imports of our products.

Would you like to know more?

There are other guides and compilations that may be helpful to know.

The National Food Agency’s brochure on food exports provides an overview of issues that you may need to consider when shipping foodstuffs to other countries. It is primarily aimed at those who are starting-up a company or who are running a small business.

Read the Swedish National Food Agency’s brochure about the export of food (in Swedish)

The trade guide at the Swedish Board of Agriculture can of assistance to you to find the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s information about the applicable rules and regulations when exporting agricultural products/food to other countries. It also contains comprehensive information about which other public authorities you may need to contact.

Trade with food and beverages (in Swedish)