Sourcing canned peaches from China

Canned peach duty depends on recipe and pack size

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, heading 2008 covers otherwise prepared or preserved fruit, including peaches and nectarines. The table repeats the ordinary syrup-packed code for different cuts because the supplied facts contain only one ordinary canned-peach line. These are product variants, not separate tariff classifications.

For goods from China, 2008 70 71 90 carries 18%: no added spirit, added sugar, sugar content exceeding 15% by weight and immediate packs not exceeding 1 kg. The listed spirit-preserved alternative carries 25% plus £3.50 per 100 kg. Neither line lists an anti-dumping or countervailing measure or a suspension. Both attach organic import control; organic consignments from China require a certificate of inspection.

Confirm the commodity code against the recipe, sugar content and immediate pack size before ordering. Do not apply these selected rates to every canned peach product. The wider prepared nuts and canned fruit guide covers other products within this heading.

Specify the peaches, syrup and can together

Agree yellow or white flesh, halves, slices or dice, firmness, colour, acceptable broken pieces and freedom from stone fragments. Specify net weight and drained weight separately, syrup sweetness, ingredients and the intended use, such as dessert portions or bakery fillings. Approve opened samples rather than judging only the outside of the can.

Ask for the heat-processing records, shelf-life evidence and can-lining specification for the actual recipe. Agree how the factory checks seams and links production records to each batch. For organic purchases, the certificate of inspection is issued by the exporter’s control body in the country of export.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 3,000 cans of peach halves with added sugar, meeting this code under 2008 70 71 90, invoiced at £4,680 free on board, with £3,000 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £7,680. Duty at 18% is £1,382.40. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £9,062.40, so it is £1,812.48. Import taxes total £3,194.88; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £1,382.40 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

Fruit: open samples across the batch and compare cut, colour, firmness, broken pieces and stone fragments with the approved sample.

Contents: check net and drained weights separately and measure syrup strength against the agreed specification. Solid food packed in liquid must show drained net weight.

Can integrity: inspect seams, leaks, swelling, dents, rust and internal lining damage. Ask the factory to investigate suspect cans before shipment.

Labels and records: compare the ingredients, storage instructions, date marking and batch identification with the approved artwork and production records. Match any organic certificate to the consignment.

What goes wrong

A can can meet its total net weight while supplying too little fruit. Soft halves, excessive broken pieces and weak syrup can also make a shipment unsuitable for portioning. Set separate acceptance criteria for fruit yield, texture and syrup rather than relying on a product photograph.

Dented seams, swelling and internal corrosion need investigation, not a replacement label. Keep suspect stock separate while assessing it. A change in recipe or can size also needs a fresh classification check; the supplied suspension information for other fruit products does not provide relief for these canned-peach lines.

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.