The EFC field notes

Sectors

Every field note on this topic, newest first.

All field notes

September 2026

  1. Business development 10 min read How European retail chains buy Retail chains buy on a calendar, not on request. How range reviews, annual negotiations and buying groups work in Europe, and when to approach.
  2. Business development 9 min read Private label in Europe: winning retailer deals Store brands hold 38.8 percent of grocery sales in 17 European markets. How own-brand tenders, audits and the PLMA show work for manufacturers.
  3. Business development 9 min read European trade fairs for manufacturers The European trade fairs that matter for food, beauty, medtech, industrial and consumer goods makers, with dates, and how to book buyer meetings.
  4. Sectors 7 min read Consignment stock and loan sets for EU hospitals How consignment stock and surgical loan sets work for EU hospitals, what the MDR asks on implant cards and UDI, and what the warehouse does in between.
  5. Business development 8 min read Commercial agent, or a managed route? What Directive 86/653/EEC gives a commercial agent when the contract ends, how it differs from a distributor, and the routes manufacturers use instead.
  6. Business development 6 min read How a European distributor search runs How to find a distributor in Europe: map who sells the category, rate each candidate on evidence, name the buyer, and write an approach that gets read.
  7. Customs and the border 6 min read CBAM for importers of steel and aluminium CBAM has applied in its definitive form since 1 January 2026. The 50-tonne threshold, authorised declarant status, and the first certificates in 2027.

August 2026

  1. Customs and the border 7 min read Importing food into the EU: border controls Which food imports stop at an EU border control post, what the CHED and TRACES do, and how other food is checked under Regulation (EU) 2017/625.
  2. Business development 8 min read Selling to EU hospitals through public tenders How EU public tenders work for manufacturers from outside the EU: Directive 2014/24/EU, the 2026-2027 thresholds, GPA access, and the medical device rules.
  3. Sectors 7 min read Selling food supplements in the EU Directive 2002/46/EC, national notification in Portugal and Germany, novel food status, labelling and language: what a supplement brand settles first.
  4. Sectors 8 min read Holding cosmetics stock for the EU market What the EU Cosmetics Regulation asks of those who store and supply cosmetics, and why its Responsible Person is a different role from the GPSR one.
  5. Sectors 8 min read Storing and shipping medical devices in the EU What MDR and IVDR Articles 13 and 14 ask of importers and distributors on storage, transport and checks, and where a third-party warehouse fits.

July 2026

  1. Customs and the border 8 min read Finishing and assembly in the EU: origin rules When EU finishing or light assembly changes where goods come from under UCC Article 60, which operations never do, and how a BOI ruling settles it.
  2. Market access and IOR 4 min read Selling to 27 EU markets from one import Why clearing customs on every parcel scales badly, and how one import into EU stock serves orders in all 27 member states.