Sourcing canned luncheon meat from China
Listed duties include £45 to £71 per 100 kg for pork, £856 or £2,313 per 1,000 kg for selected chicken lines and 16% for other cooked beef. Chinese pork and beef luncheon meat cannot enter Great Britain; poultry needs approval and certification. Cambridge China Bridge checks whether a product can be imported before any order is placed.
Luncheon meat duties and import eligibility
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 3 October 2026, heading 1602 covers prepared or preserved meat and related products. Canned luncheon meat classification depends on species, composition and processing. The selected pork lines carry £45, £62 or £71 per 100 kg; selected chicken lines carry £856 or £2,313 per 1,000 kg; other cooked beef carries 16%. The supplied lines show no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension.
A tariff line does not establish permission to import. Chinese pork and beef luncheon meat are prohibited from entering Great Britain. Poultry meat products are an exception, subject to the applicable import conditions. The selected lines carry veterinary and organic import controls; the beef line also carries CITES controls. Confirm the CITES requirement with your customs broker. For organic goods, confirm the certificate of inspection and certification arrangements with your organic control body before ordering.
For eligible poultry products, establishment approval and a health certificate apply. Ask your broker to confirm the applicable country approval, advance notification and designated border control post requirements. Have your broker confirm the veterinary entry document requirement before shipment. Confirm the commodity code using the full recipe and processing record, rather than the name on the tin. See the wider meat products guide for the wider heading. The worked beef order is illustrative arithmetic only and does not authorise an import.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping or countervailing duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canned pork luncheon meat, meat, offal and fat content at least 80% | 1602 49 19 20 | £71.00 per 100 kg | None |
| Domestic pork preparations, meat, offal and fat content 40% to below 80% | 1602 49 30 00 | £62.00 per 100 kg | None |
| Domestic pork preparations, meat, offal and fat content below 40% | 1602 49 50 00 | £45.00 per 100 kg | None |
| Chicken luncheon meat, poultry meat or offal content 25% to below 57% | 1602 32 30 10 | £2313.00 per 1000 kg | None |
| Cooked chicken preparations, poultry meat or offal content at least 57%, other | 1602 32 19 90 | £856.00 per 1000 kg | None |
| Other cooked beef preparations, potentially including beef luncheon meat | 1602 50 95 90 | 16% | None |
Specify the recipe, retort process and tin
Start with the meat species and any mixed-meat ingredients. For a poultry proposal, check eligibility before approving samples or packaging. Specify meat and offal content, added fat, starch, salt, flavourings and allergens. Agree the slice texture, colour and flavour against a retained sample.
Specify tin shape, net weight, opening method, internal coating, seam acceptance criteria and outer-carton protection. Ask for the factory's heat-processing records and evidence supporting the proposed shelf life. Agree storage instructions before and after opening, batch identification and the label artwork before printing.
Worked duty example
Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative canned beef luncheon meat order; calculation only, not an importable China shipment under 1602 50 95 90, invoiced at £30,000 free on board, with £4,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £34,000. Duty at 16% is £5,440. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £39,440, so it is £7,888. Import taxes total £13,328; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £5,440 of duty. 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
Documents: match the eligible poultry product, plant approval, health certificate and batch identification to the shipment.
Tin integrity: inspect seams, swelling, leakage, rust and dents around the seam; isolate suspect tins for investigation.
Contents: weigh sampled contents and compare texture, fat separation, colour and flavour with the agreed specification.
Labels: check the food name, ingredients with allergens emphasised, net quantity, date mark, storage instructions and food business name and UK address.
What goes wrong
A supplier offers pork luncheon meat using a valid tariff code, but the product remains prohibited from China. A chicken recipe includes pork or beef without the buyer noticing. Establish the complete formulation and import eligibility before committing to production.
Quality disputes arise when starch or fat changes the slice texture, tins arrive dented at the seams, or batch markings do not match the records. Agree the recipe, retain approved samples and investigate swollen or leaking tins before releasing stock. Missing plant approval or incorrect certification can also hold up an eligible poultry shipment.
Cambridge China Bridge sources these products for UK businesses, checking the factory and the documents before shipment. See factory verification.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on canned luncheon meat from China?
Selected pork lines carry £45 to £71 per 100 kg, chicken £856 or £2,313 per 1,000 kg, and other cooked beef 16%. These rates do not override the prohibition on Chinese pork and beef products.
Can I import canned pork luncheon meat from China?
No, Chinese pork luncheon meat cannot legally enter Great Britain. A listed commodity code and duty rate do not provide import permission.
Can Chinese chicken luncheon meat enter Great Britain?
Poultry meat products are an exception to the China prohibition, but eligibility depends on the applicable country, plant, treatment and certification conditions. Confirm the exact product before ordering.
What should I check when luncheon meat tins arrive?
Check seams, swelling, leaks, rust, seam-area dents, net weight and batch markings. Compare the contents with the approved sample and match shipment documents to the goods.
Sources
- UK Trade Tariff — commodity codes and duty
- Foodstuffs with GB import restrictions
- Import of meat products for human consumption
- Meat products: model health certificates
- Importing organic food, feed and seed to the UK
- General information for imports of products of animal origin
- HMRC — Food products (VAT Notice 701/14)