How to export whey from the UK to China

Choose the route for your whey product

Whey, lactose and milk proteins span HS6 040410, 040490, 170211, 170219, 350110, 350190 and 350220. For food products, start with the dairy recommendation route and confirm the exact product in GACC's registration system. The manufacturer must obtain registration; confirm the plant's eligibility before committing stock.

Under HS 0404-3502 (7 subheadings): HMRC recorded £17.4m of UK goods exports to mainland China under 7 HS6 subheadings in 2025 (2024: £15.4m, +12.8%). Exports to Hong Kong under the same codes were £84k.

January to July 2026: £2.7m against £12.8m in the same months of 2025 (-79.3%). These are UK exports under HS 0404-3502 (7 subheadings). The largest listed UK export line was 04041002, solid-form whey and modified whey, at £8.0m in 2025; this is the code total.

The manufacturer owns the approval work

GACC Decree 280 requires overseas food manufacturers to register. For products on the recommended list, the manufacturer applies itself or through an agent and obtains its country's competent-authority recommendation, supported by a plant audit report and recommendation letter. Plan for months, not weeks; the Chinese authority decides. Confirm the product route and plant listing before treating the application as shipment readiness.

The overseas exporter or agent and the Chinese food importer have separate filing duties. Where entry quarantine approval is required, the importer must obtain the permit before signing the trade contract. The manufacturer must put its China registration number, or its home-authority-approved number, on packaging; its overseas manufacturer registration number must also be entered correctly in the import declaration.

Price against the Chinese tariff line

The table gives MFN rates, followed by provisional rates where quoted, from the 2026 Customs Import and Export Tariff. Duty and import VAT add to landed cost and shape the price your importer can offer. The VAT Law sets a standard import rate of 13%, with 9% for listed goods and other exceptions. Have the importer's customs broker confirm VAT treatment and whether consumption tax applies. VAT uses customs value plus duty plus any applicable consumption tax.

Prepare the product, pack and UK shipment

Use GB 11674-2010 for the review of whey powder and whey protein powder, and GB 25595-2018 for lactose, confirming their application to the actual product. Imported food packaging and labels must comply with Chinese law and national food safety standards; required instructions must be in Chinese. Prepare the artwork alongside the manufacturer's registration-number marking.

GOV.UK lists active health certificate 6288 for milk or milk products exported to China, including whey. Read its guidance notes for plant, product and ingredient limits before arranging a shipment. Check whether the specific lactose or protein product qualifies.

For exports from England, Scotland or Wales, obtain a GB EORI and classify the goods correctly. Arrange the online export declaration with the commodity code, value, weight, packaging, destination, transport and invoice and packing-list references. Give the carrier the invoice and required certificates.

Check the limited retail e-commerce option

The cross-border retail list includes 04041000 and 04049000 only for online bonded goods. It also includes 17021100, 35011000 and 35022000. Do not extend those entries to every lactose or milk-protein product: check the exact line and its remarks before choosing this route.

Qualifying cross-border retail imports are supervised as personal-use articles, with first-import licensing, registration and filing requirements disapplied subject to the stated epidemic and emergency-risk exceptions. They may not be resold. The overseas business must appoint a mainland-registered company for customs registration, truthful declarations and shared civil liability. This route does not supply an importer's domestic wholesale stock.

Find and check a Chinese importer

Our own staff in China find and check Chinese importers and distributors for UK brands. If an importer has already approached you, our staff check that company before stock is sent or anything is signed. For these ingredients, establish who will handle the product classification, manufacturer registration number, quarantine-permit requirements and certificate review before discussing a shipment commitment.

For this category, our help is limited to preparation, finding and checking a Chinese importer, and coordinating licensed partners. We prepare registration and label work with licensed partners in China. The importer of record and any required cross-border e-commerce agent remain licensed partners' roles; the manufacturer's application and the brand's own filings stay their own. See our export preparation service.