Sourcing vitamins from China

Zero duty

Read from the UK Trade Tariff on 25 September 2026, vitamins A, B1, B2, D- or DL-pantothenic acid, B6, B12, C, E and other vitamins and their derivatives, and other provitamins and vitamins including natural concentrates and intermixtures, carried 0% duty on goods from China, with no anti-dumping measure.

Finished vitamin tablets and capsules are usually food preparations or medicines, not heading 2936; confirm the commodity code.

Rules by use

Vitamins used in food supplements must be in the forms listed in the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 and equivalents in Scotland and Wales, and the finished product must carry the supplement labelling; see food preparations. Vitamins added to animal feed must be authorised feed additives. Pharmaceutical grades need GMP evidence and, for licensed medicines, MHRA active substance registration. For antibiotic materials, see our antibiotic active ingredients guide. For amoxicillin specifically, see sourcing amoxicillin active ingredient. For medicine packaging, see our pharmaceutical glass vial sourcing guide.

Specification and REACH

Specify form (for example ascorbic acid or sodium ascorbate), grade (food, feed or pharmacopoeia), potency, particle size and coating. Ask for a certificate of analysis per batch and stability data. Importing one tonne or more a year needs a UK REACH position unless a food or feed exemption applies. For cyanocobalamin, see our cyanocobalamin sourcing guide.

Worked duty example

For a made-up shipment of 10 tonnes of ascorbic acid under 2936 27 00 00, add the £2,500 of freight and insurance to the £32,000 free-on-board price and customs sees £34,500. Duty on vitamin C is zero, leaving import VAT of £6,900, 20% of the customs value. For a VAT-registered buyer that is a cash-flow cost rather than a lasting one. Vitamins sold as food supplements are standard-rated; if the powder is bought as an ingredient for ordinary food, check the VAT liability with HMRC first. The duty and VAT guide walks through the calculation.

Inspection checklist

Assay and form: potency assayed by HPLC against the relevant pharmacopoeia monograph for the exact salt or ester, identity confirmed, and the chemical form checked against the permitted vitamin forms in the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 before it goes into a supplement.

Contaminants: lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic tested by ICP-MS, residual solvents against the ICH Q3C limits where solvents are used in manufacture, microbiology on powders, and peroxide value on oily vitamin A, D and E forms, each on the batch shipped.

Stability and packing: stability data supporting the retest or expiry date, oxygen- and light-sensitive vitamins packed in nitrogen-flushed foil bags or lined drums, batch and expiry labels matching the certificate, and containers kept away from heat in transit.

What goes wrong

Vitamins fail on potency, form and stability. Assay below the certificate means a finished supplement cannot meet its label claim, the wrong salt or ester form changes both the potency and whether it is permitted in supplements, and coated grades that are not properly coated degrade in tablets. Heat, light and humidity in transit reduce potency, and pharmacopoeia grade is sometimes claimed for food-grade material.

Ask for a certificate of analysis per batch against the stated grade, test assay, heavy metals and microbiology in a UK laboratory, confirm the chemical form against the permitted forms list, check stability data and packaging with liners and desiccant, and record temperature on long or hot shipments.

Packing and inspection

Many vitamins degrade with heat, light and moisture, so agree sealed, light-proof packing and shelf life. At inspection, check batch labels, seals and weights, and sample for a UK laboratory assay.

Cambridge China Bridge sources vitamins and premixes for food, feed and pharmaceutical use, with grades, certificates and packing settled before the order. See how our sourcing service works.

Related guides: Sourcing enzymes from China, Methionine, cysteine and MSM from China.