Sourcing bakery and food processing machinery

0% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, bakery machinery, machinery for pasta, confectionery, cocoa and chocolate, sugar, brewing, meat or poultry, fruit, nuts or vegetables, tea, coffee and drinks, other industrial food preparation machinery, and parts of heading 8438 carried 0% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure. Ovens are in heading 8417 or 8419, dishwashers and packaging machines in 8422 and domestic food processors in 8509, so confirm the commodity code.

Machinery safety and hygiene

Food processing machines are machinery under the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008, so each needs UKCA or CE marking, a declaration of conformity, a technical file, guarding and interlocks, and English instructions. Many have their own type-C standards, such as those for dough mixers and mincers, and BS EN 1672-2 sets hygiene requirements so surfaces can be cleaned without leaving food traps.

Parts that touch food must comply with food contact materials Regulation 1935/2004, so ask for the stainless steel grade, food-grade plastics, seals and lubricants with declarations. The buyer's food business also needs the machine to fit its HACCP plan and cleaning regime; see the dishwashers and packaging machines guide.

Worked duty example

An invented example rather than a quote: four spiral dough mixers and a dough divider, commodity code 8438 10 10 00, bought for £45,000 free on board, with £3,500 of freight and insurance, so £48,500 is the value customs works from. No duty is due on bakery machinery; import VAT at 20% of £48,500 is £9,700. If you are VAT-registered, that VAT is normally reclaimable. See calculating UK import duty and VAT for the method.

What goes wrong

Food machines fail on guarding, hygiene and materials. Bowl guards, blade covers and emergency stops are missing or not interlocked, welds and joints leave crevices where food collects, and parts described as stainless steel are a lower grade that pits or rusts in wash-down. Motors are rated for a different supply, seals and lubricants are not food grade, and spare parts and service are unavailable in the UK.

Run trials with your own product at the factory and film them, check every guard interlock and emergency stop, inspect welds, joints and dead spaces for cleanability, verify the steel grade with an analyser, confirm food-grade declarations for plastics, seals and lubricants, check the electrical supply rating and UK plug or connection, and agree spares and service before shipment.

Cambridge China Bridge sources bakery, confectionery, meat, vegetable and drinks processing machinery, with factory trials, hygiene and safety checks agreed before shipment. See how we source food industry equipment.