Sourcing Frozen Green Beans from China

UK duty on frozen green beans

Heading 0710 covers vegetables frozen uncooked or cooked by steaming or boiling in water. Frozen green beans, wax beans and string beans appear under 0710 22 00 20. The table shows buying formats within that same tariff line. For other vegetables, see the wider frozen vegetables guide.

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, the duty for this line on goods from China is 14%. The supplied tariff record lists no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension. It attaches an import control of organic products; confirm the applicable certificate and clearance requirements with your customs broker before ordering organic beans.

Confirm the commodity code against the species, ingredients and processing method before shipment. Confirm the exact product's VAT treatment with HMRC or your customs broker, using the import duty and VAT guide to prepare your enquiry.

Specify the bean, cut and freezing process

Specify green or wax beans, whole pods or cut pieces, trimming, diameter and cut-length tolerances. Agree limits for strings, tough pods, exposed seeds, broken pieces, discolouration and foreign matter. Approve a cooked sample for texture as well as appearance.

Agree pack weight, remaining shelf life on arrival, storage instructions and lot identification. Specify individually frozen pieces if loose pouring matters. Ask for freezing and cold-store records, refrigerated transport at -18°C or colder, and temperature loggers.

Confirm food business registration and English labelling requirements with the relevant local authority before packing, including the product name, any ingredient exemptions, allergens where present, net weight, storage instructions and the appropriate business address. For organic orders, the certificate of inspection is issued by the exporter's control body in the country of export; ask your broker to confirm the paperwork for the shipment.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: 20 tonnes of frozen green beans for a food wholesaler; illustrative only under 0710 22 00 20, 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

Pods and cut: check trimming, strings, toughness, cut length, colour and broken pieces against the approved sample. Cook a sample to assess texture.

Cold chain: check arrival core temperatures across different carton positions against -18°C or colder, review logger records, and look for fused clumps or freezer burn.

Weight and packaging: check net weight after removing ice or glaze, bag seals, carton condition and label accuracy. Match carton and bag lot codes.

Batch evidence: match pesticide-residue reports to the shipped lots and GB maximum residue levels. Agree appropriate microbiological testing and check for stones, stalks and plastic. Plan these checks through the quality inspection guide.

What goes wrong

A sample can look green and uniform yet cook into stringy, tough pods. Mixed maturity, poor trimming and inconsistent cutting leave a different product from the approved sample. Record cooked texture and defect limits in the purchase specification.

Fused clumps, excess ice and damaged seals can leave packs difficult to portion and reduce usable yield. Investigate temperature records rather than judging the load by appearance alone. Hold disputed lots separately while checking weights, batch reports and the agreed acceptance criteria.

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.