Sourcing brined aubergines from China

0% duty on brined aubergines for processing

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 7 October 2026, heading 0711 covers vegetables provisionally preserved but unsuitable in that state for immediate consumption. Brined aubergines fall within other vegetables, 0711 90 80 00; vegetable mixtures fall within 0711 90 90 00. Both carry 0% duty for goods from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension listed. The table shows product forms sharing these codes.

The tariff attaches import control of organic products to both codes. An approved UK organic control body must certify organic food and the business importing it. The inspection certificate is issued by the exporter’s control body in the country of export. Before shipping organic aubergines from China, ask your customs broker and control body to confirm the consignment certificate and whether the exporter’s certification is accepted for Great Britain.

Confirm the commodity code using the recipe, preservation method and condition before further processing. Ready-to-eat pickled or preserved aubergines belong in a different classification from provisional preservation. Our brined vegetables guide covers the wider heading. This guide addresses imports into Great Britain.

Specify aubergine texture after desalting

Specify variety, maturity, whole or cut form, skin colour, seed development, firmness and acceptable bruising. For pieces, agree the cut dimensions and tolerance for broken flesh. State whether stalks and calyxes are removed. Approve a sample after the processor’s planned desalting and cooking steps, rather than judging appearance in brine alone.

Agree brine salt content, acidity, any preservatives, drained aubergine weight, drum material and liner, storage conditions and handling instructions. Ask for sulphite, pesticide residue and contaminant results matched to the batch. Confirm the applicable pesticide residue limits with the relevant authority before shipment. Importers must ensure the goods are safe and legal before import, even when further processing is planned.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 20 tonnes of brined aubergines for processing in food-grade drums under 0711 90 80 00, invoiced at £9,000 free on board, with £2,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £11,500. Duty at 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £11,500, so it is £2,300. 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. This assumes the goods are standard-rated for VAT. Most food for human consumption is zero-rated, and animal feed can be too, in which case no import VAT is due, so check the rate for your product in HMRC's VAT Notice 701/14.

Inspection checklist

Flesh and skin: compare drained samples with the approved sample for firmness, discolouration, bruising, tough skin, developed seeds and broken pieces.

Brine and residues: check salt content, acidity and residual sulphur dioxide against the processor’s specification; match laboratory reports to the shipped batch.

Drums and weight: check seals, liners, leakage, brine coverage and drained weight; match product identification and batch details to the packing records.

Processing trial: desalt and cook a sample using the intended process, then assess texture, flavour and usable yield. Record results through the quality inspection process.

What goes wrong

Aubergines can look acceptable in a drum but collapse after desalting or cooking. Mature seeds, tough skin and bruised flesh may become more obvious during processing. A sample approved only in its salted state leaves the processor without an agreed benchmark for the finished texture.

Leaking drums can expose the top layer, while excess brine can conceal a short drained weight. Preservative residues can also exceed what the planned process removes. Agree acceptance on drained product and the processing trial, with residue reports covering the actual shipment.

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.