Sourcing fully cooked chicken meatballs from China
Fully cooked chicken meatballs carry listed duties of £856 to £2,313 per 1,000 kg, depending on poultry content. Great Britain requires an approved establishment, the relevant health certificate and veterinary border procedures; a cooked description alone does not establish eligibility. Cambridge China Bridge sources fully cooked chicken meatballs.
Chicken meatball classification and duty
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 30 September 2026, heading 1602 covers prepared or preserved meat and related products. Fully cooked chicken meatballs containing at least 57% poultry meat or offal fall within the supplied other cooked chicken line at £856 per 1,000 kg. The other relevant chicken lines carry £2,313 per 1,000 kg. Frozen and chilled formats are shown separately in the table under the same code.
The relevant supplied lines show no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension. They attach veterinary and organic-product import controls. For Great Britain, confirm country and establishment approval, obtain the relevant health certificate, notify in IPAFFS before arrival and use an approved border control post for the commodity. Have your customs broker confirm the veterinary entry document requirement. For organic meatballs, confirm certification and certificate of inspection arrangements with your organic control body.
Confirm the commodity code using the complete recipe, poultry meat or offal content and cooking records. See the wider cooked chicken and meat products guide. The relevant supplied lines have weight-based duties, so they cannot support a worked order using a plain percentage duty.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping or countervailing duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frozen cooked chicken meatballs, poultry meat or offal at least 57% | 1602 32 19 90 | £856.00 per 1000 kg | None |
| Cooked chicken meatballs, poultry meat or offal 25% to below 57% | 1602 32 30 90 | £2313.00 per 1000 kg | None |
| Other cooked chicken meatballs, poultry meat or offal below 25% | 1602 32 90 90 | £2313.00 per 1000 kg | None |
Specify the recipe, cooking process and serving performance
Specify chicken meat, skin, fat and offal separately, together with added water, starch, seasoning, binders and any sauce. Obtain the full recipe, including allergens in breadcrumbs, soy seasoning or other compound ingredients. Agree ball weight, size variation, texture, saltiness and how well the meatballs hold together after the intended reheating method.
China's poultry meat-product certificate covers specific risk-mitigating treatment. Ask the exporter to confirm that the proposed process meets the applicable certificate conditions and provide batch cooking records. Agree frozen or chilled supply, packaging, storage instructions and evidence supporting shelf life. Specify microbiological acceptance criteria and request batch results.
Agree whether the product is intended to be eaten directly or reheated before serving. Review the food name, ingredients with allergens emphasised, chicken quantity, net quantity, date mark, storage instructions and food business name and UK address before printing labels.
Inspection checklist
Documents: match plant approval, the health certificate, recipe and batch identification to the shipped meatballs.
Cold chain and packs: review temperature records, seals, leaks, damaged bags, thawing signs and clumping against the agreed storage specification.
Weight and performance: weigh sampled packs and meatballs; compare size, texture, flavour and breakage after reheating with retained approved samples.
Batch evidence and labels: review cooking, microbiological and foreign-body detection records; check ingredients, allergens, chicken quantity, storage instructions and batch markings.
What goes wrong
Extra starch or water changes the bite and serving yield, while inconsistent forming causes uneven reheating and broken meatballs. A sauce or binder change can introduce an undeclared allergen. Freeze the agreed recipe, retain samples and require approval before ingredient substitutions.
A supplier's claim that the meatballs are fully cooked does not establish that the certification conditions are met. An unapproved plant or incorrect certificate can hold up the shipment. Check eligibility before ordering, review certificate drafts before loading and investigate damaged packs or unexplained temperature excursions before releasing stock.
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 fully cooked chicken meatballs from China?
The relevant supplied lines carry £856 or £2,313 per 1,000 kg, depending on poultry meat or offal content. No anti-dumping or countervailing duty or suspension is shown.
Can any Chinese factory supply chicken meatballs to Great Britain?
No. Check the applicable country approval and that the establishment is approved for the product. Each eligible shipment needs the relevant health certificate and veterinary border arrangements.
Does fully cooked mean the meatballs meet UK import conditions?
No. Have the exporter confirm the applicable process and supply the supporting batch records.
What should I check when frozen chicken meatballs arrive?
Check temperature records, pack seals, thawing signs, clumping, net weight and batch markings. Compare size and reheating performance with the approved sample and review batch cooking and microbiological results.