Sourcing fresh grapefruit from China

Fresh grapefruit duty and import controls

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 13 November 2026, heading 0805 covers fresh or dried citrus fruit. Fresh white grapefruit uses 0805 40 00 11 and fresh pink grapefruit uses 0805 40 00 19. Both carry 0% duty for goods from China, with no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension recorded. The pomelo rows are comparisons, not grapefruit classifications.

The tariff attaches organic-product import control and a Unit price measure to both grapefruit lines. For organic imports from China into 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. Ask your customs broker to confirm the Unit price requirement; HMRC allows simplified procedure values where there is no transaction value and the scheme’s criteria are met.

Confirm with the relevant authorities whether fresh grapefruit needs phytosanitary certification, pre-notification and plant health checks for Great Britain, and which marketing standard applies. Confirm the commodity code from the actual fruit and flesh colour. See the wider citrus and pomelo guide for other fruit. Confirm with HMRC or your customs broker whether fresh fruit sold as food qualifies for VAT zero-rating; see UK import duty and VAT.

Specify grapefruit flesh, maturity and packing

Specify grapefruit rather than pomelo, the named variety, white or pink flesh, fruit size range, count per carton and net weight. Agree acceptable peel marks, firmness, seed content, juice yield and sugar-to-acid balance against a representative sample. Cut fruit to check the flesh rather than relying on photographs of the peel.

Agree harvest and packing records, carton ventilation, pallet layout, reefer settings and temperature logging with the packer. Request the post-harvest treatment record and lot-specific residue testing against UK pesticide limits. For retail sales in England and Wales, confirm with the relevant marketing standards authority whether loose grapefruit falls under the general marketing standard; loose produce covered by that standard must be clearly labelled with its country of origin.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative wholesale order: 20 tonnes of fresh pink grapefruit under 0805 40 00 19, 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 0% is £0. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £22,500, so it is £4,500. With no duty, the only import tax is the VAT, which a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim. 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

Identity: cut sampled fruit to confirm grapefruit, flesh colour, maturity, seed content and juice yield against the agreed specification.

Condition: check firmness, peel pitting, bruises, cuts, mould and dry flesh at packing and again on arrival.

Cold chain: compare recorded temperatures with the agreed settings; check wet cartons, condensation, crushed packaging and airflow around the load.

Documents: match the phytosanitary certificate, packing records and residue report to the shipment; check organic inspection paperwork where relevant. Plan checks using the quality inspection guide.

What goes wrong

A supplier may offer pomelos under a grapefruit description, or mix flesh colours and sizes within cartons. Attractive peel can hide dry flesh or poor juice yield. Temperature excursions cause chilling damage or allow mould to spread from damaged fruit, so an approved sample alone cannot establish the condition of the shipment.

Missing or mismatched phytosanitary paperwork can hold the load at the port while fruit deteriorates. Review documents before dispatch, test the shipment lot and inspect promptly on arrival. Record affected cartons and temperature evidence before sorting the fruit.

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.