Sourcing frozen diced carrots from China

Frozen carrot formats carry 14% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, heading 0710 covers frozen vegetables, uncooked or cooked by steaming or boiling in water. Plain frozen diced carrots fall within 0710 80 95 80 at 14% for goods from China. The carrot rows show preparation variants of the same commodity line. Frozen vegetable mixtures containing carrots use 0710 90 00 00, also at 14%.

The supplied tariff data records no anti-dumping or countervailing duty on these lines. The suspension under 0710 80 95 80 applies only to individually quick frozen garlic, so it does not reduce carrot duty. Both lines carry an organic import control. Organic carrots from China need a Great Britain certificate of inspection for each consignment, issued by the exporter's control body; check the exporter’s control body and exporting country against the non-UK organic registers.

Give your broker the ingredients, preparation method and pack description to confirm the commodity code. Do not classify a carrot blend as plain carrots. See the frozen vegetables guide for the wider heading. Confirm the exact product's VAT treatment with HMRC or your customs broker, using the import duty and VAT guide to prepare your questions.

Specify the dice and cooking result

Specify peeled carrot dice, the target cut dimensions and permitted variation, broken-piece allowance, colour and limits for skin, woody cores and foreign matter. State whether the carrots are uncooked, steamed or water-blanched, and whether pieces must remain individually separate when frozen. Approve a cooked sample in the intended soup, sauce or ready meal, checking texture and colour.

Agree pack weight, liner and seal construction, remaining shelf life at arrival and a cold chain target of -18°C or colder. Imported frozen vegetables must meet GB food hygiene and safety standards. Ask the relevant food authority to confirm food-business registration, applicable pesticide residue limits and English food-information requirements for your importing operation and product.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order only: 20 tonnes of plain frozen diced carrots for a food wholesaler under 0710 80 95 80, invoiced at £18,000 free on board, with £3,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £21,500. Duty at 14% is £3,010. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £24,510, so it is £4,902. Import taxes total £7,912; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £3,010 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

Dice: measure sampled pieces against the approved cut specification; check fragments, peel, woody centres and discolouration. Cook a sample to compare tenderness and flavour with the approved sample.

Cold chain: check core temperatures from different load positions and review transport logger records. Record clumping, loose ice, freezer burn and damaged liners before accepting the delivery.

Weight and packs: check net carrot weight separately from loose ice, seals and carton condition. Match lot codes, storage instructions and label artwork to the order and delivery documents.

Batch evidence: match the shipped lots to residue and microbiological reports. For organic orders, check the certificate of inspection and exporter details. Use the quality inspection guide to agree sampling and reporting.

What goes wrong

Uneven dice cook at different rates, leaving small fragments soft while larger pieces remain firm. Inconsistent blanching changes texture after reheating. Peel, woody cores and dark pieces can pass through sorting unless the buyer agrees defect limits and checks cooked samples as well as frozen appearance.

Fused blocks and excess ice need investigation against the temperature history and net weight. Damaged liners expose the product to drying and contamination. A report for a different lot leaves the delivered carrots unverified, while an organic claim without matching import paperwork creates a separate clearance problem. Resolve these points before approving dispatch.

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.