Sourcing cooked lobster meat from China

Cooked lobster meat: 0% to 20%

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, heading 1605 covers prepared or preserved crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates. Cooked lobster meat for manufacturing lobster butter, pastes, pâtés, soups or sauces falls under 1605 30 10 00 at 0%. Other prepared lobster falls under 1605 30 90 00 at 20%. The table distinguishes buying forms sharing these codes.

The supplied lobster lines show no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension. They attach veterinary, illegal fishing and organic import controls. Check establishment approval, health certification, advance notification and border control post arrangements before shipment. Ask your customs broker to confirm the veterinary entry document. Wild-caught supplies require certification showing when the catch was taken and that the vessel acted legally. For organic-labelled goods, confirm inspection certificate and certification arrangements with your organic control body; the exporter's control body issues the certificate.

Confirm the commodity code from the species, preparation and intended use. Do not assume that all cooked meat qualifies for the manufacturing-use line. For the wider lobster category, see the frozen lobster guide.

Specify the meat and its intended use

Specify the lobster species, tail or claw meat, whole portions or broken pieces, and the agreed mix. State whether the meat is plain cooked, seasoned or packed in brine, and whether it will be served directly or used in manufacturing. Ask for the complete ingredient list, including salt, additives and allergens.

Agree chilled or frozen delivery, glaze, usable meat weight, pack format and storage instructions. Retain an approved sample for colour, firmness and flavour. Ask for cooking records, cooling records and evidence supporting the proposed shelf life. Confirm the applicable Listeria criteria for ready-to-eat shellfish with the relevant food authority.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative catering order of frozen cooked lobster meat in bulk cartons under 1605 30 90 00, 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 20% is £6,800. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £40,800, so it is £8,160. Import taxes total £14,960; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £6,800 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 plant approval, health certification, catch records and batch identity to the lobster meat supplied.

Meat: inspect sampled packs for shell fragments, unexpected broken pieces and differences from the agreed tail-to-claw mix; compare texture and colour with the retained sample.

Weight and cold chain: check pack seals and temperature records, then deglaze or drain sampled contents and compare usable meat weight with the specification. Solid foods packed in liquid or an ice glaze must show drained net weight.

Labels and testing: check ingredients, emphasised crustacean allergens, storage instructions and batch markings. Review the batch microbiology results before releasing ready-to-eat stock. Use the inspection guide to structure the checks.

What goes wrong

A supplier quotes the manufacturing-use code for meat intended for direct catering use. The purchase specification does not identify the species or separates neither tail meat nor claw meat, so cheaper broken pieces replace the approved sample. Match the declared use and product description before shipment.

Heavy glaze reduces usable yield, shell fragments remain in picked meat, and poor cooling or damaged packaging undermines the agreed shelf life. Cooking alone does not resolve ready-to-eat microbiological compliance. Investigate temperature excursions, missing batch results and document mismatches before releasing the affected stock.

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.