Vegetable preparations; vegetables and mixtures of vegetables (excluding potatoes), prepared or preserved otherwise than by vinegar or acetic acid, frozen

HS code 200490 covers a diverse range of frozen vegetable preparations and mixtures, excluding potatoes. This industry plays a vital role in the global food supply chain, providing convenient and nutritious options for consumers, as well as valuable inputs for the food processing and catering sectors. As consumer demand for healthy, ready-to-use ingredients continues to grow, the 200490 industry has become an increasingly important part of the broader agricultural and food manufacturing economy.

The production of goods under HS code 200490 typically involves a series of processing steps. Vegetables are first harvested, cleaned, and prepared for freezing. They may be chopped, diced, or mixed with other ingredients such as sauces or seasonings. The prepared vegetables are then rapidly frozen, often using cryogenic or blast freezing techniques, to preserve their freshness and nutritional value. Careful temperature control and packaging are crucial to ensure the final products meet quality and safety standards.

The 200490 industry relies on a steady supply of high-quality vegetables, which serve as the primary raw material. This may include a variety of 070200 Tomatoes, 070310 Onions, 070700 Cucumbers and gherkins, and other common vegetable crops. In addition to the vegetables, the industry also requires specialized freezing equipment, packaging materials, and often, additional ingredients such as sauces, herbs, and spices to create the final vegetable preparations.

The main outputs of the 200490 industry are frozen vegetable-based products, such as mixed vegetable medleys, stir-fry blends, and pre-seasoned vegetable mixes. These products are widely consumed by households, food service providers, and food manufacturers. The outputs of the 200490 industry may be used as inputs for other food processing activities, such as the production of 200410 Potatoes, prepared or preserved, frozen, 200510 Vegetables, homogenized, or 200600 Vegetables, fruit, nuts, fruit-peel and other parts of plants, preserved by sugar (drained, glacé or crystallized).