Sourcing honey from China

Duty at 16%

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, natural honey other than Mānuka carried 16% duty on goods from China, with a veterinary control measure and no anti-dumping measure. Mānuka honey has its own line.

Honey-based preparations and confectionery are classified elsewhere; confirm the commodity code.

Animal product controls

Honey is a product of animal origin. GOV.UK guidance requires imports into GB to come from an approved non-EU country and an establishment registered by the competent authority in the country of origin, with a health certificate, IPAFFS pre-notification and checks at a border control post, and producing countries need an approved residue monitoring plan. Check the current country list for China and the packer's registration before ordering.

Composition, labels and authenticity

The Honey (England) Regulations 2015, and their equivalents elsewhere in the UK, set composition standards and labelling, including the country or countries of origin. Adulteration with rice or other syrups is the main fraud risk, so ask for authenticity testing by a specialised laboratory as well as residue tests for veterinary drugs and pesticides.

Worked duty example

Suppose, purely for illustration, you import 20 tonnes of bulk honey in drums under 0409 00 00 90. At £42,000 free on board and £3,500 to ship and insure, the customs value is £45,500. Natural honey at 16% pays £7,280 of duty. Honey sold as food is generally zero-rated for VAT under VAT Notice 701/14, so in that case no import VAT is added, but check the liability for the exact product. The method is set out in how UK import duty and VAT work.

Inspection checklist

Origin and botanical claims: pollen analysis by a specialist laboratory accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 to support any floral or regional claim and the country of origin on the label, a sealed reference sample drawn from each lot at loading and kept until the lot is sold, and the establishment details on the health certificate matched to the packer registered by the competent authority in the country of origin.

Quality criteria: moisture by refractometer, hydroxymethylfurfural, diastase activity, electrical conductivity, free acidity, the sum of fructose and glucose and water-insoluble content, all measured by the harmonised methods of the International Honey Commission against the criteria in the Honey (England) Regulations 2015, with 'filtered' or 'baker's honey' labelling used where the results require it.

Residues and drums: screening by LC-MS/MS for chloramphenicol, nitrofuran metabolites, sulphonamides and tetracyclines, where any prohibited substance makes the lot unsaleable, pesticide residues checked against GB maximum residue levels, drums checked for food-grade lacquer or liner, intact seals and lot marks, and the storage temperature log reviewed so the honey was not overheated before shipment.

What goes wrong

Honey fails on authenticity, moisture and heat. Honey extended with rice, cane or corn syrup is the main fraud, and a stable carbon isotope test catches cane and corn syrup but not every rice or beet syrup, so specialist laboratories add further markers. Honey harvested too wet ferments in the drum; the Honey (England) Regulations 2015 generally cap moisture at 20%. Overheating to speed filtering or stop crystallisation raises hydroxymethylfurfural above the general 40 mg/kg limit.

Test every lot before shipment for authenticity, moisture, hydroxymethylfurfural, diastase activity and residues of veterinary drugs and pesticides, and keep a sealed sample. At inspection, check drum linings and seals, lot numbers against the reports, and the establishment and health certificate details against the lot.

Packing and inspection

Bulk honey ships in food-grade drums; retail jars need food contact evidence. At inspection, check drum seals, moisture content, labels and lot codes.

Cambridge China Bridge sources bulk and retail honey, with approval status, authenticity testing and labels settled before the order. See how our sourcing service works.