Frozen Raspberries, Blackberries, Currants & Related Berries

Federal restrictions on black currant cultivation were lifted decades ago, and frozen black currant fruit is generally admissible. However, some individual US states historically maintained their own restrictions on currant plants due to white pine blister rust concerns — these apply to live plant material, not frozen fruit. Importers of frozen black currants should have no federal admissibility barrier, but should confirm there are no destination-state restrictions if the product is being sold for any horticultural purpose.

This heading covers berries that are either uncooked or only minimally processed by steaming or boiling before freezing — the intent is to preserve the raw or near-raw fruit in frozen form. Berries that have been fully cooked into a sauce, purée, or filling and then frozen would typically fall under a different heading covering prepared or preserved fruit products. The degree of thermal processing is the key classification boundary.