Importing Freeze-Dried Strawberries: HS Code, Duty and Documents for the US, EU, UK and UAE
Freeze-dried strawberry pieces (whole, sliced, diced, crumble) are classified under HS 0813.40; freeze-dried strawberry powder under HS 1106.30. From Vietnam, they enter the EU and UK at 0% duty with a Form EUR.1, the US at 1.4¢/kg plus a 12.5% Section 301 duty since July 2026, and the UAE at 5%. FruitBuys Vietnam ships every container with the full export dossier.
Importing a freeze-dried strawberry is simple once three things are in place before the ship sails: the right code on the invoice, the right documents in the file, and the two questions every berry importer gets asked (viruses and pesticide residues) answered on paper. This guide works market by market, then gives the document checklist and the timeline from booking to clearance. The buying guide is freeze-dried strawberries in bulk.
| Key numbers | |
|---|---|
| HS code, pieces | 0813.40 (dried fruit, other) |
| HS code, powder | 1106.30 (flour, meal and powder of Chapter 8 fruit) |
| EU and UK duty with EUR.1 | 0% |
| US duty | 1.4¢/kg + 12.5% Section 301 (since 24 July 2026) |
| UAE duty | 5% GCC common external tariff, on CIF value |
| Transit from Ho Chi Minh City | US West Coast 18–25 days · Rotterdam / Hamburg 28–35 days · Jebel Ali 14–20 days |
What is the HS code for freeze-dried strawberries?
0813.40 for freeze-dried strawberry pieces of any cut, and 1106.30 for freeze-dried strawberry powder.
| Product | HS code | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Whole, halves, sliced, diced, crumble | 0813.40 | Dried fruit not elsewhere specified; freeze-drying is a method of drying |
| Powder, 100% strawberry | 1106.30 | Flour, meal and powder of the fruits of Chapter 8; milling moves it out of 0813 |
| Powder with ≤1% silicon dioxide | 1106.30 | An anti-caking agent at that level does not change the heading |
| Sugar-infused or chocolate-coated pieces | Another heading (usually Chapter 20 or 18) | Added sugar or coating changes the product |
| Fresh input strawberries | 0810.10 | For reference only; not the export product |
The first six digits are harmonised worldwide; each country adds its own national digits. In the EU, freeze-dried strawberry pieces sit under CN 0813 40 95, which your broker confirms in the EU TARIC database; in the US, under HTS 0813.40.20. Put the right code on the commercial invoice from the first shipment: a powder declared under 0813 or a fresh-fruit line such as 0810.10 is the most common reason a strawberry container is held for questions. For a binding classification, your broker can request an advance ruling.
What duty will you pay in each market?
| Market | Reference duty, pieces (0813.40) | What it means for your landed cost |
|---|---|---|
| European Union | 0% with EUR.1 under the EU–Vietnam FTA; 2.4% without it | A 2.4-point edge over origins without an EU trade agreement, on every container |
| United Kingdom | 0% with EUR.1 under the UK–Vietnam FTA | Same form, same origin file |
| United States | 1.4¢/kg plus 12.5% Section 301 | Budget the 12.5%; the per-kilo duty is negligible |
| United Arab Emirates | 5% GCC common external tariff | Charged on CIF value |
Your customs broker applies the national tariff line at entry. Powder under 1106.30 is classified separately and its rate is confirmed per market at contract stage.
What changed in the US in 2026. The emergency tariffs of 2025 were struck down in February 2026, a temporary 10% replacement was ruled unlawful in May, and since 24 July 2026 Vietnamese-origin goods carry an additional 12.5% duty under Section 301. The exemption list published with the measure covers several tropical and frozen fruit lines but no line under heading 0813, as the CBP exemption list shows, so freeze-dried strawberries pay it. FruitBuys quotes DDP for US programmes, so duty, freight and clearance sit in one landed price that is fixed when you sign.
Where freight meets duty. EU and UAE duty is calculated on CIF value, so cheaper freight per kilo also lowers duty per kilo; US duty is on transaction value, normally excluding ocean freight. Either way, the cut matters: a 20ft carries 5.5 t of dice against 3.3 t of whole berries, so freight per kilo of dice is about 40% lower. Formats are compared in freeze-dried strawberry formats and applications.
Want the document set and a landed-cost quote for your market? Email [email protected] or WhatsApp +84 919 739 589 with destination, format and Incoterm. REQUEST SPEC SHEET / SAMPLE →
United States: FDA registration, Prior Notice, FSVP and labelling
Four requirements, split between the supplier side and the importer side:
| Requirement | Who | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| US FDA Facility Registration | Supplier | The partner facility is registered with FDA, with a US Agent; FDA registers facilities, it does not “approve” products |
| Prior Notice | Importer or broker | Filed with FDA before arrival: by sea, no later than 8 hours before the vessel arrives |
| Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) | Importer | The importer’s file showing the foreign supplier controls its hazards |
| Labelling | Brand owner | US nutrition facts and ingredient line on the retail pack |
The FSVP file is where a US importer is checked first if a berry question comes up, so FruitBuys supplies what it needs: facility certifications (HACCP, ISO 22000, BRC (qualified processing facility), US FDA Facility Registration; Halal certification available on request), process flow, lot COA, surveillance reports, origin records and, where run, the virus panel. FDA’s own guidance on the arrival filing is on its Prior Notice page.
European Union: duty, residues, contaminants, labelling and packaging
- Duty and origin. EUR.1 for 0% under the EU–Vietnam FTA, built from a clean Vietnamese origin: fresh strawberries grown in Lam Dong, dried in Vietnam.
- Border controls. Strawberries from Vietnam, fresh or dried, are not on the EU list of foods under increased official controls in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1793. Containers move through routine controls; the list is reviewed every six months and FruitBuys checks it at contract stage.
- Pesticide residues. Limits under Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 are set for fresh strawberries, and member states sample strawberries in the EU coordinated control programme. A multi-residue panel on your lot before loading, read through a processing factor of about 9–11, turns a routine check into a non-event.
- Contaminants. Lead, arsenic and aflatoxin are covered by periodic surveillance testing against EU contaminant limits, with reports on request.
- Labelling. EU food information rules for the retail pack. If you are replacing a synthetic red: foods with Allura Red (E129) carry a warning about children’s activity and attention, which strawberry pieces and powder avoid.
- Packaging. From 12 August 2026, the EU packaging regulation applies to the retail pouch you sell in, including limits on PFAS in food-contact packaging; private-label freeze-dried strawberries covers pouch choices.
The UK follows the same pattern: the same EUR.1 gives 0% under the UK–Vietnam agreement, and GB residue limits follow the EU closely for most substances.
United Arab Emirates: registration, Halal and Arabic labelling
- Product registration. Your importer registers the product in the UAE food import system before the first shipment; FruitBuys supplies the specification, COA, ingredient statement and label artwork data.
- Arabic labelling. Retail packs carry Arabic labelling under Gulf (GSO) standards, with the importer’s name and address and production and expiry dates.
- Halal. A single-ingredient freeze-dried strawberry contains no animal-derived ingredients; Halal certification available on request, which UAE importers and retailers routinely ask for.
- Climate. Hot, humid arrival ports are where water activity earns its keep: accept on aw ≤0.30 and move cartons into storage at ≤25 °C, RH ≤60% from devanning.
Which documents travel with every container?
| Document | Prepared by | What it does for you |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial invoice | FruitBuys | Customs value and HS code per line |
| Packing list | FruitBuys | Carton count, net weights, lot codes |
| Bill of lading | Carrier, via FruitBuys | Title to the goods |
| Certificate of origin: Form EUR.1 (EU, UK) or non-preferential C/O (US, UAE) | FruitBuys | 0% duty in the EU and UK; origin proof elsewhere |
| Phytosanitary certificate | FruitBuys | In every dossier, for fast clearance |
| Lot COA, independent ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory | FruitBuys | Moisture, aw, TPC, yeasts and moulds, E. coli, Salmonella |
| Panel reports (residues, viruses) | FruitBuys, per programme | The questions your customers ask, answered in the file |
| Prior Notice, FSVP file, product registration | Importer, with FruitBuys documents | Market entry filings |
On the phytosanitary certificate: it is a legal condition for fresh fruit and plants, not for shelf-stable dried fruit; EU plant-health import rules target fresh produce, and the US, UK and UAE treat processed dried fruit the same way. FruitBuys includes one with every shipment anyway, because a port officer who reads “strawberries” and thinks “fresh fruit” can hold a container while the classification is checked. With the certificate in the file, that question is answered on the spot.
The questions your customers will ask: viruses and residues
Hepatitis A and norovirus. Not a border requirement, but on every retailer questionnaire for berries, because past outbreaks in Europe and North America were linked to frozen berries. FruitBuys books an ISO 15216-1 RT-qPCR panel at an accredited laboratory of your choice, such as Eurofins or SGS in Vietnam, before the container is sealed; results take 3–5 working days, planned into the booking date.
Pesticide residues. Compare a result on the dried product with a fresh-fruit limit only after dividing by the processing factor: Pf = (100 − dried moisture) ÷ (100 − fresh moisture), about 10.8 for average fruit at 3% moisture and 9–11 in practice. A result of 0.5 mg/kg dried equals about 0.05 mg/kg fresh. The lot COA states the finished moisture, so the calculation uses real numbers. Panels are agreed per destination at contract stage, paid by the buyer or shared depending on volume. The full specification is in freeze-dried strawberry specs: moisture, aw and COA.
Timeline from booking to clearance
| Stage | Typical time |
|---|---|
| Samples prepared for approval | 3–5 working days |
| Production per 20ft after deposit | 20–30 days |
| Pre-shipment sample and panels | About one week, in parallel with production |
| Documents (COA, C/O, phyto) | Ready at loading; originals couriered or electronic per market |
| Transit to US West Coast | 18–25 days |
| Transit to Rotterdam / Hamburg | 28–35 days |
| Transit to Jebel Ali (Dubai) | 14–20 days |
Sailings and transshipments change transit times; FruitBuys confirms the routing on the booking. Planning a first container about 8–10 weeks before you need it on the shelf covers production, panels and transit with room to spare. Bulk packing and container loading are in freeze-dried strawberry packaging, shelf life and loading.
Shipping to another market, or a different product?
Tell us at RFQ stage. Japan, Korea, Canada and Australia set their own residue lists and documents, and a preferential certificate under another agreement (for example CPTPP for Canada) applies only where that agreement covers the market and the product. A sugar-infused or chocolate-coated strawberry moves out of 0813.40 into another heading. FruitBuys confirms the code, documents and panels for that market and product before you sign, so the first container is planned like the tenth.
Get the document set for your market
Send your destination, format and Incoterm (FOB Cat Lai, CIF or DDP). FruitBuys returns the HS code, the duty position, a sample COA and certificate of origin, the recommended panels and the timeline for your first container. Product details are on the freeze-dried strawberries page.
REQUEST SPEC SHEET / SAMPLE →
Email [email protected] · WhatsApp Export +84 919 739 589
FAQ
What is the HS code for freeze-dried strawberries?
0813.40 for whole, sliced, diced and crumble freeze-dried strawberries. In the EU the full code is CN 0813 40 95; in the US, HTS 0813.40.20. Powder is classified separately under 1106.30.
What is the HS code for freeze-dried strawberry powder?
1106.30, flour, meal and powder of the fruits of Chapter 8. The same heading covers freeze-dried powders of other Chapter 8 fruit; a free-flowing powder with up to 1% silicon dioxide stays in 1106.30.
Do I need FSVP to import freeze-dried strawberries into the US?
Yes. The US importer must keep a Foreign Supplier Verification Program file. FruitBuys supplies the facility certifications, process flow, lot COAs, surveillance reports and origin records it needs; Prior Notice is filed separately before arrival.
Is a Halal certificate required for the UAE?
A single-ingredient strawberry contains nothing of animal origin, but UAE importers and retailers routinely ask for Halal documentation. Halal certification available on request.
Does EVFTA reduce EU duty on Vietnamese freeze-dried strawberries?
Yes, to 0% with a Certificate of Origin Form EUR.1, against 2.4% for origins without a trade agreement. The same form gives 0% into the UK under the UK–Vietnam agreement.
