Pickles and vegetables in vinegar from China

Rates by vegetable

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, vegetables, fruit, nuts and other edible parts of plants prepared or preserved by vinegar or acetic acid, heading 2001, carried 16% on goods from China for cucumbers and gherkins, mushrooms, olives, sweet peppers, onions and most other vegetables, 0% for mango chutney, 4% for hot peppers of the genus Capsicum, 10% for palm hearts and tropical fruit and nuts, 4% plus £7.80 per 100 kg net drained weight for sweetcorn, and 8% plus £3.10 per 100 kg for yams and sweet potatoes. No line had an anti-dumping measure.

Vegetables in brine for further processing are in our brined vegetables guide, and vegetables preserved otherwise than by vinegar are in our preserved vegetables guide. Confirm the commodity code from the vegetable, the preservation method and whether sugar is added.

Labels and contaminants

Retained Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 requires the drained net weight as well as the net quantity for food in a liquid medium such as vinegar, allergens emphasised, and a UK or GB business name and address. Mustard, celery and sulphites are common allergens in pickles, and colours and preservatives must be authorised and declared.

Contaminants such as lead and cadmium are limited by retained Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006, and glass jars and lids must be suitable for acidic food, since lid sealing compounds can release plasticisers into oily or acidic contents.

Specifying pickles

Pickles are bought on vegetable size and grade, crunch, colour, acidity and salt of the brine, sugar, spices, drained weight, jar or pouch size, and shelf life. Agree the acidity and pasteurisation that keep the product stable, and whether the recipe is sweetened, which can change the code.

Worked duty example

An invented example rather than a quote: 20 tonnes of gherkins in vinegar in glass jars, commodity code 2001 10 00 90, bought for £16,000 free on board, with £2,500 of freight and insurance, so the customs value is £18,500. Duty at 16% is £2,960. Pickled vegetables sold as food are 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. Mango chutney under 2001 90 10 00 would enter at 0% on the same value. The duty and VAT guide walks through the calculation.

Inspection checklist

Drained weight and fill: drain sampled jars and weigh the solids against the declared drained net weight, and check headspace and fill level against the specification.

Acidity and stability: measure pH and acetic acid content of the brine, check jars for bulging lids, cloudiness or gas, and incubate a sample of jars to confirm the pasteurisation holds.

Labels and closures: check the English label lists drained weight, allergens and additives, and check lids are sealed and vacuum is held, with batch codes matching the test reports.

What goes wrong

Pickles fail on drained weight, texture and stability. Jars carry more liquid and less vegetable than declared, gherkins turn soft or hollow, colour fades, jars ferment and lids bulge because acidity or pasteurisation was not enough, allergens such as mustard are missing from the label, and glass breaks in transit.

Drain-weigh and pH-test samples from every lot, approve the label before printing, and check packing and pallets before loading. See our quality inspection guide.

Cambridge China Bridge sources gherkins, pickled onions, peppers and other pickles for UK brands and food service, and has no minimum order of its own; the factory's minimum per recipe applies. See small orders.