Sourcing sesame and pumpkin seeds from China

0% duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 26 September 2026, palm nuts, cotton, castor, sesame, mustard, safflower, melon, poppy, hemp, pumpkin and other oil seeds of heading 1207, whether for sowing or other use, carried 0% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure, and the tariff showed no high-risk food import control on these lines from China. Groundnuts, soya beans, sunflower and rape seeds have their own headings, and roasted or salted seeds are prepared foods in heading 2008, so confirm the commodity code.

Contaminants, allergens and VAT

Assimilated Regulation 1881/2006 sets aflatoxin limits for groundnuts and other oilseeds, with lower limits for seeds intended for direct human consumption than for seeds to be sorted or processed first, and seeds must meet GB pesticide maximum residue levels. Sesame is one of the 14 major allergens that must be emphasised on food labels, and cross-contact with sesame on shared lines affects other products.

Seeds sold for making food are normally zero-rated for VAT, but HMRC treats wild bird food and pet food as standard-rated, so the intended market changes the VAT. Seeds for sowing must meet plant health and seed marketing rules, and hemp seed products must not contain controlled levels of cannabinoids.

Worked duty example

A hypothetical order, not a quote: 20 tonnes of hulled white sesame seeds for bakery use under 1207 40 90 00, bought for £36,000 free on board with £2,500 of freight and insurance, so the customs value is £38,500. Duty is 0%, and seeds bought as a food ingredient are normally zero-rated for VAT, so nothing is paid at the border. The same seeds packed as wild bird food would be standard-rated and carry £7,700 of import VAT, which a registered business reclaims. See the duty and VAT guide and check the VAT liability with HMRC.

What goes wrong

Seeds fail on contamination, purity and moisture. Aflatoxin develops in seeds dried or stored badly, pesticide residues exceed GB limits, and sesame has been recalled for salmonella and for ethylene oxide used as a fumigant. Hulled seeds arrive with broken kernels, stones, husk and other seeds above the grade, pumpkin kernels of lower grades are mixed into higher ones, and damp seeds go rancid or mouldy in transit.

Specify the variety, grade, purity, admixture and moisture in the contract, test each lot in an accredited laboratory for aflatoxins, pesticides including ethylene oxide, and salmonella, check purity, size and broken kernels on drawn samples, use lined bags and ventilated or reefer containers in hot months, and link lot codes to the test reports.

Cambridge China Bridge sources sesame, pumpkin, watermelon and other seeds for bakery, snack and food manufacturers, with laboratory testing and grades agreed before shipment. See how our food sourcing works.