HILL_Imported Food Office Courier Provider

Tender description

The London Borough of Hillingdon is responsible for overseeing imported food and feed controls at its Imported Food Office located at London Heathrow Airport. European Community legislation requires imports of certain food products to be introduced into the United Kingdom only via approved inspection facilities. The imported food office at London Heathrow Airport is an approved inspection facility for both imports of products of animal origin, and those not of animal origin. On the 25th January 2010, Commission Regulation (EC) No. 669/2009 came into force. This introduced enhanced checks on imports of fruits and vegetables originating from certain countries outside of the European Union. Consignments that are subject to these enhanced checks must undergo a documentary check. In addition to this, an identity check and physical examination must be carried out at varying frequencies as set out in the Regulation. In cases where a physical examination takes place, a formal sample is often taken from the consignment to be tested for a range of contaminants listed in the Regulation. This includes microbiological contaminants and chemical contaminants. The London Borough of Hillingdon is seeking a supplier to provide safe collection, transport and handling of food samples from the Imported Food Office to our accredited laboratories. The indicative volumes section contains the details of our accredited laboratories however these are subject to change. In a number of cases, return visits are required.