Sourcing frozen raspberries from China

Raspberry duty depends on added sugar

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, heading 0811 covers frozen fruit and nuts, uncooked or cooked by steaming or boiling in water, with or without added sugar. This guide covers raspberries. Whole and broken unsweetened raspberries share the tariff line shown in the table; these are different purchasing specifications.

For goods from China, unsweetened raspberries carry 14%. Those containing added sugar or other sweetening matter carry 20%, rising to 20% plus £7 per 100 kg when sugar content exceeds 13% by weight. The raspberry lines show no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension. The tariff attaches an organic-products import control. Organic consignments need an inspection certificate; the exporter’s control body issues it. Imports must use the countries, territories and control bodies recognised in the official organic registers.

Give your customs broker the ingredients, added-sweetener declaration, sugar analysis and processing description before confirming the commodity code. Other fruits and mixed products are covered in the frozen fruit and berries guide.

Specify raspberry form and intended use

Specify whole fruit or broken pieces, individually frozen or block frozen, variety, colour, flavour and the permitted proportion of broken fruit. A bakery filling and a visible dessert topping need different grades. Agree limits for stalks, mouldy berries, foreign matter and clumping, with a retained sample for comparison.

State whether the fruit will be cooked or eaten without cooking. Agree batch testing for pesticide residues, contaminants and microbiological hazards, including norovirus and hepatitis A where relevant. Confirm applicable UK pesticide and contaminant limits and the importer's safety and traceability obligations with the relevant authority. Match laboratory reports to the supplied batch.

Agree pack size, loading temperature, transport temperature recording and receipt checks. Specify a contractual temperature of -18°C or colder. Review retail food-information compliance before approving artwork. If buying organic fruit, check the inspection certificate and recognised certification route before dispatch.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative order: 5 tonnes of frozen raspberries without added sugar under 0811 20 31 00, invoiced at £20,000 free on board, with £1,800 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £21,800. Duty at 14% is £3,052. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £24,852, so it is £4,970.40. Import taxes total £8,022.40; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £3,052 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: compare colour and whole-fruit grading with the retained sample; record broken pieces, stalks, mould and foreign matter.

Cold chain: measure product temperature on arrival and review loading and transport records; investigate clumps, excess ice and leaking berry juice.

Batch evidence: match carton identifiers to the packing list and laboratory reports; review residue, contaminant and agreed viral results.

Packs: check seals, net contents and agreed label information; match any organic claim to the consignment’s inspection certificate. Use the quality inspection guide to prepare the brief.

What goes wrong

Whole-fruit orders can arrive with too much broken fruit, while thawing and refreezing leave clumps and juice loss. These faults matter when raspberries must remain recognisable on a dessert. Agree acceptance criteria before production and record receipt defects against the supplied batch.

Appearance alone cannot establish food safety. Residue failures and viral contamination are concerns for frozen berries, particularly where they are eaten without cooking. Review batch evidence before shipment. An organic label without the required inspection certificate creates a separate clearance problem.

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.