Sourcing Lollo rosso lettuce from China

Lollo rosso lettuce: 10% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 29 September 2026, heading 0705 covers fresh or chilled lettuce and chicory. For whole Lollo rosso leaf lettuce, the relevant supplied line is 0705 19 00 00, other lettuce, carrying 10% duty for goods from China. The extract shows no anti-dumping or countervailing duty and no suspension. The table presents supply formats within that same commodity line.

The UK Trade Tariff attaches HMI conformity certification, Certificate of Conformity and organic import controls to this line. Confirm the certificates and clearance requirements with your customs broker before dispatch. For organic imports, an approved UK organic control body must certify the food and business. Separately, confirm whether the shipment needs phytosanitary certification with the plant health authority.

Ask your broker to confirm the commodity code against the actual product and presentation, particularly if leaves are separated or the product is prepared. See the wider lettuce and chicory guide for the rest of the heading.

Specify the red frilled leaves and arrival condition

Specify Lollo rosso as red, frilled leaf lettuce, with photographs showing acceptable colour, leaf shape and maturity. Agree whether outer leaves are retained or trimmed, the acceptable unit weight range, carton count and usable yield after trimming. Keep whole lettuce separate from specifications for detached salad leaves.

Agree pre-cooling, chilled transport, ventilation, protection against crushing and the remaining shelf life you need on arrival. Ask the grower and packhouse for harvest and packing records linked to each lot. Confirm applicable pesticide residue limits with the relevant authority; nitrate limits apply to imported lettuce. Arrange laboratory checks appropriate to the crop and growing conditions.

Worked duty example

Illustrative example, not a quote: Illustrative trial order: 100 kg of whole chilled Lollo rosso lettuce under 0705 19 00 00, invoiced at £100 free on board, with £2,500 of freight and insurance to the UK. The customs value is £2,600. Duty at 10% is £260. Import VAT at 20% is charged on the customs value plus duty, £2,860, so it is £572. Import taxes total £832; a VAT-registered importer can usually reclaim the VAT, so the lasting cost is the £260 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

Identity and colour: compare sampled lettuce with the approved photographs for red pigmentation, frilled edges and maturity. Look inside cartons as well as at the visible top layer.

Leaf condition: check turgidity, wilt, crushed edges, tip burn, slime and decay around the cut base. Record the trimming loss needed to make the lettuce usable.

Packing and cooling: check carton strength, compression, free water and ventilation. Compare arrival temperatures and transport records with the agreed handling specification.

Documents and labels: match lot references to harvest, packing and laboratory records. Check quality class and country of origin on the labels, alongside agreed counts and weights. Use the inspection guide to define the inspection scope.

What goes wrong

Frilled outer leaves can look acceptable before loading but arrive crushed or wilted. Excess moisture encourages deterioration around damaged leaves and the cut base. A carton can contain the agreed weight yet deliver poor usable yield after trimming. Record both condition and trimming loss when assessing the shipment.

Colour alone does not establish freshness or food safety. Agree acceptance photographs, cooling records and lot-linked test reports before ordering. Resolve the tariff’s attached controls before dispatch so that document queries do not consume the lettuce’s remaining selling life.

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.