After hearing rumours about import restrictions on Hikari Products, and the lack of availability of Hikari Algae Wafers that I feed my L’numbers and Ancistrus, I contacted the Sole UK Importer, and this was the statement they released
Hikari Stopped By EU Red Tape
PRESS RELEASE FROM PPI (sole UK Hikari distributor)
As you may already be aware, we have been experiencing difficulties with the import of Japanese fish foods which is affecting the supply of Hikari Fish Food in the UK and Europe
Many retailers are now out of stock of some of the varieties of Hikari while remaining stocks of other Hikari lines are now getting very low
This is due to import regulations laid down by the EU that have not yet been fully recognised by Japan. Kamihata Fish Industries (KFI), the suppliers of Hikari, have been working tirelessly with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in Japan and Europe to ensure they are able to approve KFI’s production facility so that imports can be resumed
In terms of compliance there is absolutely no problem with regards to the standards of manufacture of Hikari Fish Food, it is just a matter of getting the correct paperwork in place. We anticipate that we will be able to start importing again within the next few weeks and hope that we can minimise any disruption to supply
We are planning to fly in our first shipments from Japan and we will be contacting stockists as soon as we have an arrival date so that we can ensure stocks are back in the shops as soon as possible
We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and can assure you that we are doing everything possible to ensure Japan’s leading fish food will soon be available to its thousands of loyal customers in the UK
So cucumber and lettuce it is, until the situation is resolved.
