Sourcing sweets and sugar confectionery from China
Sugar confectionery from China pays 8% UK duty for boiled sweets, jellies and gums, toffees, panned sweets, compressed tablets, cough drops and white chocolate, and 6% for chewing gum, with no anti-dumping duty. Some lines carry a high-risk food control, and six colours need a hyperactivity warning on the label. Cambridge China Bridge sources sweets and confectionery.
Sweets, jellies, toffees, chewing gum and white chocolate pay 6% to 8% UK duty from China. High-risk food checks and colour warnings explained.
Duty at 6% or 8%
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, chewing gum carried 6% duty on goods from China, and white chocolate, throat pastilles, sugar-coated goods, gum and jelly confectionery, boiled sweets, toffees and caramels, compressed tablets and other sugar confectionery carried 8%. None had an anti-dumping measure.
Confectionery containing cocoa, other than white chocolate, is in heading 1806 instead. Confirm the commodity code from the recipe.
| Goods | Commodity code | Duty | Anti-dumping duty on China |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chewing gum, under 60% sucrose | 1704 10 10 00 | 6% | None |
| White chocolate | 1704 90 30 00 | 8% | None |
| Throat pastilles and cough drops | 1704 90 55 00 | 8% | None |
| Gum and jelly confectionery | 1704 90 65 00 | 8% | None |
| Boiled sweets | 1704 90 71 00 | 8% | None |
| Toffees and caramels | 1704 90 75 00 | 8% | None |
| Compressed tablets | 1704 90 81 00 | 8% | None |
High-risk food control
The tariff attaches a restriction on release to the boiled sweet and jelly confectionery lines: consignments of food listed in the high-risk food of non-animal origin rules need a finalised health entry document before release. Check the current Food Standards Agency list for your product and origin before you ship, because listed goods need pre-notification and border checks.
Labels and colours
Labels need the name, ingredients with allergens emphasised, net quantity, best-before date and UK business address in English. Annex V of the retained food additives regulation requires foods containing sunset yellow (E 110), quinoline yellow (E 104), carmoisine (E 122), allura red (E 129), tartrazine (E 102) or ponceau 4R (E 124) to say the colour may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.
Many UK retailers refuse those colours altogether, so specify natural colours if you sell to them.
Samples and shelf life
Test samples for additives, heavy metals and label accuracy in a UK laboratory, and agree packaging that survives heat in transit. Food contact evidence is needed for wrappers.
Cambridge China Bridge sources sweets and sugar confectionery, with recipe, label and border check questions settled before the order. See how our sourcing service works.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK import duty on sweets from China?
Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, boiled sweets, jellies, toffees and most sugar confectionery carried 8% duty from China, and chewing gum 6%.
Which colours need a warning on sweets?
E 110, E 104, E 122, E 129, E 102 and E 124 require the statement that they may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.
Do Chinese sweets face border checks?
Goods listed in the high-risk food of non-animal origin rules need a health entry document and checks; the tariff flags this on boiled sweet and jelly lines.
Is milk chocolate classified here?
No. Confectionery containing cocoa, other than white chocolate, is in heading 1806.