What does freeze-dried sapodilla need to clear US, EU, UK and UAE customs?
Freeze-dried sapodilla is one of the easier tropical fruits to clear. It has its own named tariff line, CN 0813 40 65 (“dried sapodillo plums”), which enters the EU and the UK at 0% duty from every origin. And while Vietnamese okra and chilli peppers wait at EU ports for laboratory checks on up to half of their consignments, sapodilla is not on the EU list of foods under increased border checks at all. And every FruitBuys container travels with the same standard dossier: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, C/O Form EUR.1, phytosanitary certificate and lot COA. What decides a smooth clearance is getting four things right before booking: the code, the documents, the residue evidence for EU-bound lots and the label.
Which HS code applies, and what duty do you pay in each market?
Freeze-dried sapodilla in pieces, with nothing added, classifies under HS 0813.40, “other dried fruit”. The heading covers fruit dried by any method, so freeze-drying does not change the code.
| Market | Code | Reference duty | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|---|
| European Union | CN 0813 40 65 (dried sapodillo plums) | 0% for every origin (EU TARIC) | No duty to budget; EUR.1 is still useful for your file |
| United Kingdom | 0813 40 65 00 | 0% for every origin | Same as the EU; EUR.1 supplied under UKVFTA |
| United States | HTSUS 0813.40.90 | 2.5% general rate (US Harmonized Tariff Schedule), plus 12.5% Section 301 duty on goods from Vietnam since 24 July 2026 | Budget 15% of customs value; confirm the rate on your entry date |
| UAE / GCC | 0813.40 | 5% GCC common external tariff on CIF value | Budget 5% of CIF |
A named code works in your favour. Because the CN line lists sapodilla by name, there is little room for a customs officer to argue it belongs elsewhere. Your broker applies the national tariff line at entry; the rates above are the reference figures for your landed-cost sheet.
Three product changes move the code. Powder made only from the fruit goes to 1106.30, and with a carrier or anti-caking agent to 2106.90. Sugar-infused or syrup-coated sapodilla leaves Chapter 8 for Chapter 20. Mixtures with other dried fruit move to 0813.50. If your product is any of these, tell FruitBuys at RFQ stage and the documents will carry the right code from the first shipment.
Which documents ship with every container?
The same six documents, for every market, every shipment:
| Document | What it does at clearance |
|---|---|
| Commercial invoice | Declared value and Incoterm for duty |
| Packing list | Carton count, net and gross weight by lot, for a fast physical check |
| Bill of lading | Title to the goods and release of the container |
| C/O Form EUR.1 | Proof of Vietnamese origin for EU and UK entries |
| Phytosanitary certificate | Plant-health certification issued in Vietnam |
| Lot COA | Moisture, water activity, total plate count, yeasts and moulds, E. coli, Salmonella from an independent ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory |
The phytosanitary certificate is worth a word. Processed, dried fruit is not a regulated plant product for entry into the US, EU, UK or UAE, so the law does not ask for one. FruitBuys includes a phytosanitary certificate with every shipment as part of its standard export dossier anyway, because inspectors, insurers and some retailers like to see it, and it costs you nothing to have it in the file.
For the United States, three more elements sit outside the container: the processing facility holds US FDA Facility Registration, FruitBuys supplies the data for your Prior Notice before arrival, and FruitBuys provides the supplier documentation your Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) file needs as importer of record. For the UAE, the importer registers the product with the emirate’s food authority before the first retail shipment; FruitBuys supplies the specification, ingredient statement and COA the registration asks for.
Is Vietnamese sapodilla under EU increased border checks?
No. The EU sets out foods from non-EU countries that face extra identity and laboratory checks in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1793. The list is not theoretical: in the consolidated version of 18 February 2026, Vietnamese okra and chilli peppers need a pre-export test certificate and face laboratory checks on up to half of their consignments, with the container held at the port until results clear. Sapodilla is not listed, fresh or dried, and neither is any dried fruit from Vietnam.
For you that means freeze-dried sapodilla moves through routine official controls at the EU border, without a fixed percentage of laboratory checks and without the hold that comes with them. It also makes freeze-dried sapodilla a cleaner route into the EU than fresh tropical fruits that sit on the list. The list is reviewed about every six months, so FruitBuys rechecks it at contract stage and before each EU booking.
Which residue and other tests are worth running before stuffing?
Residue control starts in the orchard: FruitBuys’ partner orchards keep spray and pre-harvest records for the fruit that goes into your lots, so a laboratory result can be traced back to how the fruit was grown. For EU and UK containers, a pesticide multi-residue panel is the test that confirms it. The EU sets maximum residue levels for fresh fruit, searchable in the EU pesticides database, and many substances sit at the default limit of 0.01 mg/kg. A result on dried fruit is read against those limits by dividing it by the processing factor based on water loss: 4.3–4.5 for freeze-dried sapodilla at 2–5% moisture from fruit at 78% water. FruitBuys reports the moisture of the tested lot with the result, so your QA team can make the conversion in one line.
| Test | When to run it | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Pesticide multi-residue (LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS) | Every EU and UK container; retailer programmes anywhere | Evidence in the file before the ship sails |
| Sulfite | Retail packs that say “no preservatives” or “no sulphites” | Confirms the claim below the 10 mg/kg labelling threshold; no sulfite is used in processing |
| Cadmium | On EU retailer request | Some EU buyers ask for it on fruit products |
| Listeria, Enterobacteriaceae | Ready-to-eat retail programmes | Supports your own HACCP file |
| Nutrition panel | Before printing a retail label | Measured values for the claims on your pack |
On full-container contracts, FruitBuys coordinates these panels at an independent ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory in Vietnam before stuffing, so results are in your QA file before departure. Allow 3–5 working days in the booking plan. Panels beyond the standard lot COA are paid by the buyer or shared according to order volume, agreed at contract stage. Lead, arsenic and aflatoxin are already covered by FruitBuys’ periodic independent surveillance.
“Sapodilla” or “chikoo”: what goes on the label?
Use the name your market knows, with the fruit made clear. In the EU and UK, the name of the food is its customary name, so “freeze-dried sapodilla” works, and “freeze-dried sapodilla (chikoo)” helps South Asian shoppers find it. In the US, “sapodilla” is the common or usual name; “chikoo” can sit alongside it on the principal display panel. For the UAE, retail packs carry Arabic alongside English.
The rest of the label is simple because the product is simple:
- Ingredients: sapodilla. Nothing else to declare.
- Allergens: sapodilla is not one of the 14 EU or 9 US major allergens.
- Origin: Vietnam.
- Storage: keep cool and dry; 12 months at ≤25 °C and RH ≤60%, 18–24 months in cool storage at ≤18 °C and RH ≤50%, unopened.
- Nutrition and claims: set out in what nutrition numbers you can put on a freeze-dried sapodilla label.
Your pre-booking checklist
| Step | EU / UK | US | UAE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Code on the invoice | CN 0813 40 65 | HTSUS 0813.40.90 | 0813.40 |
| Duty in the landed-cost sheet | 0% | 2.5% + current measure | 5% of CIF |
| Origin document | EUR.1 | – | Certificate of origin |
| Pre-stuffing tests | Multi-residue panel | Per your FSVP | Per importer |
| Before arrival | – | Prior Notice | Product registration (first shipment) |
| Label | Customary name, EU nutrition declaration | Common name, Nutrition Facts | Arabic and English |
If your market or your customer asks for a document outside this list, a specific certificate, a retailer audit or a regional registration, tell FruitBuys when you send the RFQ. It is far easier to add a document to the dossier before production than after the container has sailed.
Send the RFQ with your destination
Send your destination port, Incoterm, cut and volume. FruitBuys returns the specification, the document set for your market and the test plan for your first container, so your broker and your QA team have what they need before booking.
Specifications and container loading are on the freeze-dried sapodilla product page; the full supplier checklist is in what to check before buying freeze-dried sapodilla in bulk.
FAQ
What is the HS code for freeze-dried sapodilla?
HS 0813.40. In the EU and UK the full code is 0813 40 65, a line that names dried sapodillo plums; in the US, HTSUS 0813.40.90.
What duty does freeze-dried sapodilla pay in the EU?
0% from every origin under CN 0813 40 65. The UK applies the same 0%.
Is freeze-dried sapodilla from Vietnam under increased EU border checks?
No. Sapodilla, fresh or dried, is not on the EU list of foods under increased border checks, so it goes through routine controls without a fixed share of laboratory holds.
What duty does freeze-dried sapodilla pay in the US?
The general rate for HTSUS 0813.40.90 is 2.5%, plus the 12.5% Section 301 duty on goods from Vietnam in force since 24 July 2026. Budget 15% of customs value and confirm the rate with your broker on the entry date.
Do I need a phytosanitary certificate?
Dried processed fruit does not legally need one for the US, EU, UK or UAE. FruitBuys includes one with every shipment as part of its standard dossier.
Which test should I run for an EU container?
A pesticide multi-residue panel before stuffing. Read the result against fresh-fruit limits by dividing by the processing factor of 4.3–4.5.
Does freeze-dried sapodilla need FDA approval?
No product approval is needed. The processing facility holds US FDA Facility Registration, FruitBuys supplies Prior Notice data, and you as importer keep an FSVP file.
Can the label say “chikoo”?
Yes, alongside “sapodilla”. The pairing helps South Asian shoppers recognise the fruit.
About the author
Udo Nguyen is CEO at FruitBuys Vietnam. He coordinates sapodilla sourcing with partner orchards in the Mekong Delta, freeze-drying and milling at qualified partner facilities, and the specifications, loading plans and export documents that importers and food brands use to set their landed cost.
