What HS code and documents does freeze-dried taro ship under to the US, EU and UAE?
Freeze-dried taro pieces ship under HS 0714.40, the subheading for taro (Colocasia spp.), fresh, chilled, frozen or dried. Freeze-dried taro powder ships under HS 1106.20, flour, meal and powder of the roots and tubers of heading 07.14. In the US that split matters: pieces carry an 8.3% general duty, powder enters free. Every container travels with the same dossier: invoice, packing list, bill of lading, COA, certificate of origin and phytosanitary certificate.
An importer wants one thing from this page: an entry that clears the first time. This guide sets out, for freeze-dried taro, the codes by form, what the invoice should say, duty by market, when powder is the better way in, the documents with every shipment, the tests each market checks, and where EU border checks and the US traceability rule stand for taro.
Which HS code applies to each form of freeze-dried taro?
| Form | HS (6-digit) | US HTSUS | EU CN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dice, sticks, slices, granules (plain) | 0714.40 | 0714.40.60 | 0714 40 00 |
| Powder (100% taro) | 1106.20 | 1106.20.90 | 1106 20 90 |
| Powder pre-blended with purple sweet potato powder | 1106.20 | 1106.20.90 | 1106 20 90 |
| Seasoned sticks (salt, chili-lime and similar) | 2008.99, roots and tubers otherwise prepared | Line confirmed by your broker | 2008 99 91 |
The first six digits are the same in every market; the national lines after them are filed by your customs broker at entry. The powder blend stays in 1106.20 because both ingredients are powders of roots and tubers of heading 07.14. Seasoning takes the product out of Chapter 7 and into heading 20.08, so a seasoned snack line is classified and dutied separately from plain taro.
Taro, yams and sweet potatoes each have their own subheading within 07.14, so the species on the invoice has to match the species in the bag: taro is Colocasia esculenta, not ube (Dioscorea alata) or purple sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas).
What should the commercial invoice say?
Exactly what the goods are and how they were made, in the same words as the specification and the COA:
| Field | Wording |
|---|---|
| Description | Freeze-dried taro (Colocasia esculenta) dice, steamed and vacuum freeze-dried, no added ingredients |
| Cut or form | Dice 10 × 10 mm (or sticks, slices, granules; powder 80–100 mesh) |
| Moisture | ≤5% |
| HS code | 0714.40 (pieces) or 1106.20 (powder) |
| Origin | Viet Nam |
| Lot and quantity | Lot number, cartons, net and gross weight, matching the packing list |
When the invoice, the packing list, the specification and the COA describe the goods in the same words, the broker files the line without queries and an inspector who opens a carton finds what the paper says. For a programme of several containers a year, a binding classification ruling (from US Customs and Border Protection, or a Binding Tariff Information decision in the EU) fixes the line before the first entry.
How much import duty does freeze-dried taro pay?
| Market | Pieces | Powder | What claims the rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 8.3% (0714.40.60) | Free (1106.20.90) | General rate; no certificate of origin claim |
| European Union | Preferential rate under the EU–Vietnam agreement with Form EUR.1; MFN rate without it | Same mechanism | C/O Form EUR.1 |
| United Kingdom | Preferential rate under the UK–Vietnam agreement with Form EUR.1 | Same mechanism | C/O Form EUR.1 |
| United Arab Emirates | Preferential rate under the UAE–Vietnam CEPA with Form CEPA | Same mechanism | C/O Form CEPA |
The US rates are the general rates in the US Harmonized Tariff Schedule, plus any applicable US trade tariffs in force on the entry date, confirmed by your customs broker against the current HTSUS schedule. For the EU, your broker can check the current third-country and EU–Vietnam rates for CN 0714 40 00 and 1106 20 90 on the EU Access2Markets tariff and rules-of-origin tool; the certificate of origin has to be presented with the entry for the preference to apply. In every market the broker applies the national tariff line at entry, and the final rate follows the line declared.
Should you import pieces or powder into the US?
If your product mills or blends the taro anyway, powder is the lower-duty route. As a hypothetical example for the arithmetic only, at a customs value of USD 20 per kg:
| Pieces (0714.40.60) | Powder (1106.20.90) | |
|---|---|---|
| General duty | 8.3% | Free |
| Duty per kg | USD 1.66 | USD 0 |
| Duty on 5,000 kg | USD 8,300 | USD 0 |
Your own figure is your customs value per kg × 8.3% × kilos. Powder also packs 15–20 kg per carton, so a 20ft container carries about 8.3–11 t, against about 3.85 t of whole sticks.
That makes freeze-dried taro powder the natural choice for US drink bases, bakery, ice cream and paste. Keep dice, sticks and slices for products where the consumer sees the piece, such as toppings, snacks, instant cups and desserts, and budget the 8.3% into those lines.
Which documents come with every shipment?
FruitBuys ships every container with the same export dossier:
- Commercial invoice and packing list, worded as above.
- Bill of lading (sea) or air waybill.
- Certificate of analysis from an independent ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory for the lot.
- Certificate of origin: Form EUR.1 for the EU and UK, Form CEPA for the UAE.
- Phytosanitary certificate with every shipment.
Subheading 0714.40 covers taro fresh, chilled, frozen or dried in one line, so port systems handle dried taro under the same tariff line as fresh corms. A phytosanitary certificate in every dossier means the broker never has to explain whether the goods are fresh or dried, and the container is not held while a plant-health document is requested.
Facility certificates sit apart from shipment documents. The partner facility holds HACCP, ISO 22000, US FDA Facility Registration and BRC (qualified processing facility); Halal certification is available on request. For the US, your broker files FDA Prior Notice before the goods arrive, using the facility registration details in the technical file.
Which tests do destination markets check?
The lot COA covers moisture, water activity, microbiology and Bacillus cereus. Destination markets add their own focus:
| Market | What is checked | How to handle it |
|---|---|---|
| EU | Pesticide residues against EU limits; lead and cadmium | Multi-residue and heavy-metal panel on request. Divide a dry-weight result by the processing factor of 3.27 before comparing with a fresh-weight limit |
| US | Pesticide residues against EPA tolerances; sulfites on the label | Residue panel on request; sulfite test if the pack carries any sulfite statement (declared at 10 mg/kg or above) |
| UAE | Labelling and shelf-life marking on retail packs; residues | Arabic labelling on retail packs; residue panel on request |
For the EU, the limits for taro are 0.10 mg/kg lead and 0.050 mg/kg cadmium on a fresh-weight basis, about 0.33 and 0.16 mg/kg in freeze-dried taro; the detail is in what a freeze-dried taro COA should prove. Heavy metals and multi-residue pesticides are tested on request or per destination market. FruitBuys arranges independent testing at an accredited laboratory of the buyer’s choice, such as Eurofins or SGS in Vietnam, before the container is sealed.
Is freeze-dried taro under EU border checks or the US traceability rule?
EU border checks. Taro from Vietnam is not listed in the annexes of the EU regulation on increased official controls on imports of food of non-animal origin, checked against the consolidated text of February 2026. Shipments go through the normal import controls with no extra sampling quota. The lists are revised about every six months, so check the current version before a programme starts.
US traceability rule (FSMA 204). Taro is not on the FDA Food Traceability List, and the rule follows foods that stay in the form in which they are listed, such as fresh or fresh-cut produce. Freeze-dried taro is therefore outside the extra record-keeping, whose compliance date has moved to 20 July 2028. Lot codes on every carton and the retained sample still give you full one-step traceability for your own recall plan.
Get the specification and document set
Tell us your market, the form you plan to import and your volume, and we send the specification, a sample invoice description and the document list for your broker.
FAQ
What is the HS code for freeze-dried taro?
0714.40 for dice, sticks, slices and granules. In the US the line is 0714.40.60; in the EU, CN 0714 40 00.
What is the HS code for taro powder?
1106.20, flour, meal and powder of the roots and tubers of heading 07.14. US 1106.20.90; EU CN 1106 20 90.
What is the US import duty on taro powder?
The general rate for 1106.20.90 is free, against 8.3% for taro pieces under 0714.40.60, plus any applicable US trade tariffs in force on the entry date.
Does freeze-dried taro qualify for reduced EU duty?
Yes, under the EU–Vietnam agreement when a Form EUR.1 certificate of origin is presented with the entry. Your broker confirms the current rate for the CN line declared.
Do you send a phytosanitary certificate?
Yes, with every shipment, as part of the standard export dossier alongside the invoice, packing list, bill of lading, COA and certificate of origin.
Is taro subject to increased EU border checks?
Taro from Vietnam is not listed in the EU’s increased-controls regulation in its February 2026 consolidated text. Check the current list before a programme starts.
Is freeze-dried taro covered by FSMA 204?
No. Taro is not on the FDA Food Traceability List, and the rule follows listed foods in their listed form, such as fresh produce.
