Sourcing fresh cherry tomatoes from China
Fresh cherry tomatoes from China carry a flat 14% UK duty across the relevant lines in the supplied snapshot, with no anti-dumping duty or suspension. Direct imports into Great Britain need conformity certification under fresh-produce marketing rules. Cambridge China Bridge sources fresh cherry tomatoes.
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Cherry tomato duty and border controls
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, heading 0702 covers fresh or chilled tomatoes. The relevant cherry-tomato and truss lines carry 14% duty for goods from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension recorded. The table includes a non-cherry comparison line because small size alone does not identify a cherry variety.
The snapshot attaches UK-issued horticultural conformity certification, a Certificate of Conformity, organic import controls and a unit-price measure. Direct imports subject to specific marketing standards need conformity certification and notification through the import notification system. Organic consignments from China need a Great Britain certificate of inspection. Ask APHA to confirm plant-health documents for the product and route, and your customs broker to confirm the attached certificate requirements.
The unit-price entry concerns customs valuation: simplified procedure values can apply to qualifying whole produce where there is no transaction value. Have your broker confirm applicability. Confirm the commodity code using variety, greatest diameter and whether the fruit is in trusses. See the fresh tomatoes guide for the wider heading.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping or countervailing duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whole cherry tomatoes, greatest diameter below 47 mm | 0702 00 10 07 | 14% | None |
| Other cherry tomatoes, not in trusses | 0702 00 99 07 | 14% | None |
| Other tomatoes in trusses, including relevant cherry varieties | 0702 00 91 00 | 14% | None |
| Other whole tomatoes below 47 mm, a non-cherry classification comparator | 0702 00 10 99 | 14% | None |
Specify ripeness, firmness and pack ventilation
Specify the cherry variety, colour mix, diameter range, loose or truss presentation, firmness and ripeness at dispatch and arrival. Agree pack weight, punnet ventilation, carton strength, stacking pattern and acceptable splitting, bruising and detached fruit. Use photographs of acceptable and rejected samples.
Agree pre-cooling, transport conditions, temperature records and remaining selling life at delivery with the grower and packhouse. Fresh produce must meet marketing quality and labelling requirements. Ask for label artwork showing origin, product identity and the agreed grade, and match residue reports to the crop and shipment lot.
Worked duty example
Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 5 tonnes of fresh cherry tomatoes under 0702 00 10 07, invoiced at £18,000 free on board, with £4,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £22,500. Duty at 14% is £3,150. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £25,650, so it is £5,130. Import taxes total £8,280; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £3,150 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: sample cartons across the load for firmness, uneven ripeness, split skins, leaking fruit, mould and pest damage.
Trusses: check stalk freshness, attachment, loose fruit and whether the delivered presentation matches the purchase specification.
Packing: weigh sampled packs and check ventilation openings, crushed punnets, wet cartons and labels against approved artwork.
Records: match lot codes to packing records and residue reports; review temperature records and remaining selling life before acceptance. Plan sampling through the inspection guide.
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What goes wrong
Ripe samples can conceal an uneven commercial load. Soft fruit, splitting and leaking punnets reduce saleable yield; moisture and crushed packaging make sorting harder. Record defects by lot and carton position, with photographs before repacking.
A conformity certificate does not settle every plant-health or organic question. Resolve the documents and valuation method before dispatch. For organic supply, check the exporter’s control body and export country against the official organic registers, and ensure your importing business has approved UK organic certification.
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.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on fresh cherry tomatoes from China?
The supplied tariff snapshot shows 14% across the relevant cherry-tomato and truss lines, with no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension.
Do fresh cherry tomatoes need a conformity certificate?
Direct imports into Great Britain subject to specific marketing standards need a certificate of conformity and import notification. Confirm the attached certificate requirements with your broker.
Can I import organic cherry tomatoes from China?
Organic imports need approved UK importer certification and a Great Britain certificate of inspection for each consignment. Check the exporter’s control body and export country against the official registers.
What should I check when cherry tomatoes arrive?
Check firmness, ripeness, split skins, mould, pack weights, crushed packaging and truss attachment. Match lot records and review temperature history and remaining selling life.