AI agents for business finance: what they can and can't do
What AI agents can do in bookkeeping, close, collections and compliance today, where a person must stay in charge, and how to judge a product.
The short answer
Iru (fermented African locust bean, Parkia biglobosa) is a food of plant origin, so importing it to sell means registering as a food business, keeping it safe in storage and labelling it for GB with name, ingredients, allergens, net quantity, date mark and the UK importer's address. It is not on the GB list of Nigerian foods with increased controls, but check its novel food status and plant health category for your exact product before the first shipment.
Iru, also called dawadawa, is a fermented seasoning with a strong smell and a short life once opened. That makes it a food safety and storage question more than a border one. The most common problems are not paperwork but packaging, labelling and shelf life.
Not the same as locust bean gum
Search results and official lists mention "locust bean gum", a thickener made from carob. The UK monitoring plan 2026/27 samples locust bean gum and similar gums for ethylene oxide residues. That row is about carob gum, not iru, which comes from a different tree, Parkia biglobosa. Use the botanical name on your documents so no one confuses the two.
Border status
- The FSA list of foodstuffs with GB import restrictions (updated 10 July 2026) names, for Nigeria, sesame seeds, egusi and dried beans. Iru is not on it.
- Fermented, processed iru is a food, but whole fermented seeds may still be checked against plant health rules; search Parkia biglobosa on the GOV.UK plant health lookup service.
- Smoked or dried forms of iru should be described accurately, since the form decides which rules apply.
Novel food: worth confirming
A novel food is one not used for human consumption to a significant degree in the UK or EU before 15 May 1997; it must be authorised before it is placed on the GB market. The FSA says the operator is responsible for checking and that the EU catalogue is "not exhaustive". Iru has been sold in African shops in the UK, but the legal test is about consumption before 1997. If you have doubts, use the FSA's Article 4 consultation; if it is novel, the traditional food route (at least 25 continuous years of use outside the UK or EU) is the likely path. See novel food rules.
Food business rules for a fermented product
Registration and hygiene
Register with your local council at least 28 days before you start trading, even if you only distribute from an office. If you repack iru into smaller tubs, you are handling open food; ask your council's food safety team what controls it expects for that activity before you start (see registering as an importer).
Labelling
- Name of the food that tells a UK buyer what it is: "fermented locust beans (iru)".
- Ingredients, including salt or any other additions, with allergens emphasised.
- Net quantity, and a "use by" date if the food is highly perishable, otherwise "best before".
- Storage instructions, such as "keep refrigerated after opening", where safety depends on them.
- Name and physical address of the UK importer or food business operator.
Packaging
Fermented products can keep producing gas. Sealed tubs that bulge in transit are a quality problem and, if they leak, a hygiene one. Discuss packaging and drying levels with your producer before shipping, and test a small consignment first.
A trial shipment first
Because the risks with iru are mostly about shelf life and packaging, a small trial consignment tells you more than any document. Send a few cartons, store them as you would in normal trading, open samples at intervals and note smell, texture and any swelling of the packs. Share the results with your producer and agree changes before scaling up. Keep the trial records: they support the shelf life you print on the label and show your council that your dates are based on evidence rather than guesswork.
Ask the producer to describe the process in writing as well: how long the beans are boiled and fermented, whether salt is added, and how the product is dried or packed. That description helps with the novel food question, the ingredients list and any plant health query, and it gives you a baseline if a later batch tastes or behaves differently.
For the wider rules on Nigerian foodstuffs, see rules for Nigerian foodstuff and UK food labelling.
Where Pryme fits
Iru producers are often small and paid in cash or by transfer in naira. A Pryme Business Account holds GBP and NGN with local details, so a UK importer can pay a Nigerian supplier in naira without a chain of agents; the app shows the rate and the fee before you approve. Outside Nigeria, Pryme's activities are carried out through regulated partners. Payments can be prepared by the Finance agent and approved by you.
Questions people ask
Can I import iru into the UK to sell?
Yes, as a food business: register with your council, label it for GB and keep it safe in storage. Check its plant health category and novel food status for your product form.
Is iru the same as locust bean gum?
No. Locust bean gum comes from carob; iru is fermented seed from Parkia biglobosa. The UK sampling row for locust bean gum does not refer to iru.
Is iru on the UK high-risk food list?
No. For Nigeria the list names sesame seeds, egusi and dried beans.
Does iru need a use by date?
A use by date applies to highly perishable foods where safety is the concern. Ask your producer about shelf life and your council if unsure.
Sources
- FSA on GOV.UK: Foodstuffs with GB import restrictions (updated 10 Jul 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- GOV.UK: UK National Monitoring Plan sampling priorities for imported foods 2026/2027 (updated 9 Sep 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- FSA on GOV.UK: Novel foods authorisation guidance · accessed Oct 2026
- GOV.UK: Food labelling, giving food information to consumers (updated 20 Sep 2022) · accessed Oct 2026
- GOV.UK: Food business registration (updated 25 Jun 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- GOV.UK: Check plant health information and import rules (updated 23 Oct 2024) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.