Sourcing beetroot red colourant from China

0% duty on beetroot red colourant

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 7 November 2026, beetroot red colouring matter and preparations based on it fall within the vegetable-origin line, 3203 00 10 00, carrying 0% duty for goods from China. The supplied tariff record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension. Heading 3203 covers vegetable or animal colouring matter, including dyeing extracts but excluding animal black.

The UK Trade Tariff attaches veterinary, CITES and waste import controls to this line, and CITES and waste export controls. Confirm their applicability to the full beetroot red formulation with your customs broker before shipping. CITES-listed species need the relevant permits. For waste subject to notification controls, the exporter must seek consent from the competent authority in the dispatch country. The attached controls do not establish a beetroot-specific import ban.

Give your broker the composition, carrier ingredients, manufacturing description and intended use to confirm the commodity code. Only the vegetable-origin line is relevant to this guide. See the natural colours and dyes guide for the wider heading and UK import duty and VAT for the calculation method.

Specify beetroot red for your recipe

Specify powder or liquid, colour strength and its measurement method, shade, carrier ingredients and extraction solvents. Ask for the complete formulation and an approved reference sample. Compare samples at the same addition level in your own food rather than judging the colour of the powder.

For food use, beetroot red is the additive E 162. It must be authorised for the intended food. Check the food additive register's conditions of use for Great Britain and confirm the applicable purity specification with the Food Standards Agency. Agree batch testing against that specification, and trial the colour through your actual heating, acidity, light exposure and storage conditions.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 2 tonnes of beetroot red colourant powder under 3203 00 10 00, invoiced at £24,000 free on board, with £1,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £25,500. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £25,500, so it is £5,100. With no duty, the only import tax is the VAT, which a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim. The import duty and VAT guide explains each step.

Inspection checklist

Strength and shade: measure each batch against the agreed method and reference sample, then compare its colour in the finished recipe.

Composition and purity: match carrier ingredients and extraction information to the approved formulation; check contaminant and residual solvent results against the food additive specification.

Condition on arrival: inspect powder for caking and liquid for leakage or unexpected separation; compare dispersibility with the approved sample.

Packing and records: check sealed, light-protective packs, batch identification and best-before dates; match the delivered lot to its certificate of analysis. Use the quality inspection guide to set the inspection brief.

What goes wrong

A beetroot red sample can look acceptable before processing but fade or turn brown in the buyer's recipe. A weaker batch needs more colourant, changing the formulation. Undeclared carriers, inconsistent shade and moisture-related caking can also make repeat production unreliable.

Approve the colour in the actual application, retain a reference sample and agree batch acceptance checks before ordering. Investigate a mismatch between the certificate and the delivered material before using the batch. Ask for factory verification covering the extraction plant, formulation records and laboratory capability.

Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification. For repeat volumes, see container programmes.