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Insights on food trade, import and retail.
Practical guides for producers, brands and buyers moving food between markets. Each one explains how the trade works in practice and links to the official sources behind it.
Export food to the USA: 2026 FDA guide
Selling food into the United States means meeting FDA and CBP requirements before the first pallet ships. This guide covers the six steps exporters most often need to sort out, in the order they usually come up.
Read the guide 2026-10-10 · 8 minFood brokers vs distributors in the US
In US grocery, the company that sells your product to a retailer is often not the company that delivers it. Here is who does what, which documents each party asks for, and where trade spend comes in.
Read the guide 2026-10-10 · 9 minSelling a food brand to UK supermarkets
UK supermarket buyers see far more products than they can list. The brands that get through arrive with a clear category case, a UK-compliant label, the right certification and a supply route the buyer can rely on.
Read the guideWhat do we write about?
- US market entry: FDA and CBP requirements, US labeling and landed cost. US market entry & import readiness
- Routes to market: importers, distributors, brokers and retailers in the US, UK and EU. Distribution & retail listings
- Listings and negotiation: category reviews, trade terms and promotions. Food brokerage & commercial negotiation
- Sourcing: specifications, supplier qualification and landed cost for buyers. Ingredient & raw material sourcing
- Categories: from nuts, seeds and honey to tea, coffee and functional beverages. What we trade
How we write these guides
- Dated and sourced. Every guide shows its publication date and lists the official sources it relies on, such as FDA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Food Standards Agency and GOV.UK.
- Practical, not legal. We explain how the rules and the trade work in practice. We don't give legal advice. For formal sign-off, we work alongside licensed customs brokers and regulatory consultants.
- Rules change. Check the date on each guide and the linked sources before you act.
Is there a question you want answered?
Tell us which question keeps coming up in your export, sourcing or listing plans. If the answer is useful to others, we may write it up as a guide. Either way, we reply within two working days. Send us your question
Frequently asked questions
Who writes the Union Trade insights?
The guides are written by Eugene Nikolaev, founder and managing director of Union Trade, who has more than 20 years of experience in food and FMCG. Each guide is dated, and every regulatory point links to the official source it comes from, so you can check the detail yourself before you act on it.
Are these guides legal or regulatory advice?
No. They are general information about how food trade, import and retail work, checked against official sources on the date shown. How a rule applies depends on your product and your facts, and rules change. We work alongside licensed customs brokers and regulatory consultants, who give formal advice and file on your behalf where that is needed.
Can Union Trade help with the steps described in these guides?
Yes. We help producers and brands prepare for the US, UK and EU markets, build the route to market, model the landed cost and negotiate with distributors and retail buyers. We help buyers source and qualify suppliers. Tell us what you are working on through our contact page and we reply within two working days.