Saccharin and creatine from China

Zero duty on heading 2925

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, saccharin and its salts, creatine and its hydrate, the flame retardant ethylenebis(tetrabromophthalimide) and other carboxyimide-function and imine-function compounds carried 0% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure. Import VAT at 20% is due on the customs value plus any required incidental expenses not already included. Artificial sweeteners such as saccharin are zero-rated as food under HMRC's VAT Notice 701/14 when sold for use in food; check the rate for creatine and other products.

The codes are split by purity: saccharin or its sodium salt of 98% or more has its own line, and creatine monohydrate of 99% or more another, so the certificate of analysis should match the code declared. Confirm the commodity code. Our sucralose guide covers other sweeteners. For stevia procurement, see our stevia and glycosides guide.

Sweetener and supplement rules

Saccharin is the food additive E 954, authorised under retained Regulation 1333/2008 for set food categories, and food-grade lots must meet the purity specification in the GB Register of Food Additive Authorisations. Foods containing a sweetener carry the statement "with sweetener(s)" required by retained Regulation 1169/2011.

Creatine sold as a food supplement in England falls under the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 for labelling and form. The GB Nutrition and Health Claims Register allows the claim that creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high intensity exercise only for foods giving 3 g a day and aimed at adults doing such exercise. Sports brands often add batch testing for prohibited substances. For MSM sourcing, see our methionine, cysteine and MSM guide.

Worked duty example

For a made-up shipment of 1 tonne of creatine monohydrate of 99% purity under 2925 29 00 35, add the £800 of freight and insurance to the £9,000 free-on-board price and customs sees £9,800. Duty on creatine monohydrate is zero, leaving import VAT of £1,960, 20% of the customs value. For a VAT-registered buyer that is a cash-flow cost rather than a lasting one. Once the powder is blended with flavours or filled into capsules it is usually a food preparation of heading 2106, which carries a different rate. The duty and VAT guide walks through the calculation. For flavouring ingredients, see vanillin and aroma aldehydes.

What goes wrong

Saccharin fails on process impurities: ortho-toluenesulfonamide from the older production route above the specification, or benzoic and salicylic acid impurities. Creatine fails on dicyandiamide, dihydrotriazine and creatinine from poor synthesis or storage, on heavy metals, and on mesh size that does not dissolve or blend as the brand expects. Supplement buyers also find that a trader's certificate of analysis belongs to someone else's batch.

Test the first lots and a sample of later ones at a UKAS-accredited laboratory by HPLC for assay and the named impurities, and for lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic, check particle size against the specification, match batch numbers on the drums to the certificate, and keep a retained sample of every batch.

Cambridge China Bridge sources saccharin and creatine for food, beverage and sports nutrition brands, including first orders at drum rather than container scale. See our service for smaller orders.