Foot-and-mouth disease casts giant shadow over travel-retail

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Exclusive report from travelretailworld.com

European duty-free retailers are facing mounting repercussions from the foot-and-mouth epidemic that is sweeping the UK and beginning to hit continental Europe. And many retailers fear the situation could deteriorate rapidly in the next few weeks.

Airport authority and retailer BAA is warning passengers travelling from the UK that it is illegal to take fresh meat, meat products, fresh milk and milk products into other countries. While chocolate is excluded from the ban, BAA is advising travellers that some countries will refuse to admit visitors carrying chocolate products and some other confectionery items. According to a BAA statement, travellers will be offered a full refund on edible items bought at the airport which are confiscated on arrival.

Foreign airports, notably in the US, are banning the importation of a wide range of goods, including most foodstuffs. As a result, food and possibly confectionery sales in European duty-free stand to be hit. And traffic numbers could be badly affected if governments crack down on overseas travel in an effort to contain the problem. Some retailers have warned passengers that their confectionery purchases could be confiscated in the US. They fear that confiscation could be subject to some zealous local interpretation, which may include a ban on confectionery.

At Orlando airport in Florida, where the duty-free industry is descending over the next few days for the annual IAADFS show, long and chaotic queues are forming as a large team of US Department of Agriculture officials screen all baggage coming from the UK. Meat, dairy products and most foodstuffs are being seized but not confectionery, chocolate and some other processed foods according to the USDA Orlando port director.

The Nuance Group commented: "The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease could have an impact on overall passenger figures in the UK if the problem is not quickly resolved, which in turn may affect our operation. At the same time certain countries such as the Netherlands are restricting imports of meat and dairy products.

"We are advising consumers where we know they may have a problem importing goods to specific countries due to a perceived risk, for example chocolate because of the dairy content. We shall do everything possible to help our customers and to avoid them suffering disappointment.

"Our employees will be requested to comply with any local regulations in respect of safety precautions including the use of special disinfected mats in locations such as Ireland."

A spokesman for Alpha Travel Retail confirmed that there had been a problem concerning confectionery at Cardiff airport in the UK "since resolved" which stemmed from a misinterpretation of a MAFF (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) Public Information leaflet about the disease. The leaflet states that it is illegal to take fresh meat, meat products, fresh milk and milk products into a foreign country--hence the mistaken belief that chocolate was a restricted substance. However, chocolate, biscuits and baked cakes are items which "fall outside the scope" of these restrictions, according to MAFF, and can safely be exported.

At Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), leading operator Aeroboutique-Duty Free Associates said that sales of chocolate had so far been unaffected by concern over foot-and-mouth. Category manager liquor, tobacco and fine food Nicolas Krafft said that as many states in the US, for example, already implemented strict restrictions on the importation of fresh foods such as foie gras and cheese, sales of fine food to CDG's US passengers had not suffered a sudden drop. But he added that the tough stance adopted this week by Scandinavian governments over the disease had harmed sales in CDG terminal 2D. "In this terminal, passengers travelling to Nordic countries can taste foie gras in our stores but they cannot bring it into their country of destination," he explained. "This is having an effect on sales of our Rougier fine food products."

An executive with a leading UK food supplier said: "There are some restrictions, but the situation is changing on a day-to-day basis. We must be thankful that it hasn't come at a peak time for going abroad--if it had been at Christmas, for example, it would have been catastrophic."

Goldkenn export manager Peter van Dijk added: "We have not had a situation where we weren't able to shift merchandise into a particular country or customer. There are forms to complete but we have been able to fill them in satisfactorily. Parts of South America and Asia are particularly difficult."