Sourcing canned pears from China

Canned pear duty depends on the recipe

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, heading 2008 covers otherwise prepared or preserved fruit, nuts and other edible plant parts. The supplied pear lines carry 16% for the listed products without added spirit and 25% for the listed spirit-containing product. No anti-dumping or countervailing duty, or tariff suspension, is recorded for these pear lines. Halves and slices meeting the same tariff description share a code.

The tariff attaches an organic import control to every listed pear line. For organic pears from China entering Great Britain, obtain a certificate of inspection for each consignment and check the exporter’s control body and export country against the non-UK organic registers. The importing company must be based and certified in the UK. Confirm the paperwork with your organic control body and customs broker before shipment.

Fix the added sugar, total sugar content, added spirit and immediate pack net content before confirming the commodity code. The listed syrup-packed line requires packs exceeding 1 kg and sugar exceeding 13% by weight; it does not establish the duty for smaller cans. For wider prepared-fruit sourcing, see canned peaches.

Specify pear cut, syrup and can construction

Specify the pear variety, peeled halves or slices, core removal, firmness, colour and acceptable broken pieces. Agree net content and drained weight separately, syrup or juice recipe, sweetness and acidity, can lining, closure type and storage instructions after opening. Keep an approved sample for comparison with production.

Imports must meet the same hygiene standards and safety procedures as food produced in Great Britain. Request the factory’s heat-treatment records, seam checks and batch test reports. Agree checks for spoilage and tin contamination with your laboratory. Food in liquid must show drained net weight; confirm with Trading Standards which retail-label requirements apply to the name, ingredients, allergens, net quantity, date mark, storage conditions and UK business name and address.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 5 tonnes of syrup-packed canned pear halves under 2008 40 51 90, invoiced at £15,000 free on board, with £1,200 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £16,200. Duty at 16% is £2,592. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £18,792, so it is £3,758.40. Import taxes total £6,350.40; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £2,592 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: check cut consistency, firmness, colour, peel remnants, core fragments and broken pieces against the approved sample.

Fill and syrup: weigh drained fruit and total contents separately, then compare sweetness and acidity with the agreed recipe.

Cans: check seams, leakage, swelling, dents near closures and internal corrosion; review heat-treatment and spoilage test results.

Labels and records: match ingredients, declared weights, date marks and batch identification to the goods and reports. Use the quality inspection guide to brief the inspector.

What goes wrong

Soft pears break during filling, uneven cuts give inconsistent portions, and excess syrup hides a short drained weight. Browning, core fragments and a different syrup recipe can make a delivery unsuitable for the buyer’s menu or retail specification. Compare opened production cans with the approved sample before release.

Dented seams, leaking closures and damaged lining need investigation before stock is sold. Keep affected cartons separate and arrange a food-safety assessment rather than accepting appearance alone. Organic paperwork should be settled before dispatch, alongside the recipe and tariff classification.

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.