Tbes Editorial Team
06 Nov, 2026
The quickest way to qualify an IQF mango supplier in Vietnam is to agree a written specification before the first order: variety, cut size, Brix, defect limits, food safety scheme, packing, and a cold chain held at -18 °C or colder. Those terms decide whether the fruit runs well on a smoothie line, in yogurt cups or in a bakery filling.
Most quality disputes on frozen fruit come back to a line nobody wrote down. The sections below follow the order in which buyers usually build a spec sheet.
IQF stands for individually quick frozen. Each piece freezes on its own, so the product pours freely from the bag instead of setting into a block. Codex guidance on quick frozen foods says the freezing process is complete only when the thermal centre of the product reaches -18 °C or lower after thermal stabilisation. It also asks that product pass quickly through the zone of maximum ice crystal formation, usually -1 °C to -5 °C at the thermal centre.
The same guidance asks cold stores and transport to hold product at -18 °C or colder, with short fluctuations allowed only within national rules. In a contract, that becomes two lines: a core temperature at loading and a limit on clumped pieces.
Name the variety on the spec sheet, because it sets colour, fibre and flavour. CBI, the export promotion agency of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, notes that European product specifications commonly declare the crop year, the variety and the Brix level. For crop timing, see our sourcing calendar for Vietnamese mango and passion fruit.
Then fix the cut and its tolerance. CBI's example spec for IQF mango chunks reads 20 × 20 mm, with at least 85% of pieces inside the stated size band. Match the cut to the application: dices suit yogurt and bakery inclusions, chunks suit smoothies and fruit cups, and puree suits juice and sauce.
It depends on where the fruit goes. CBI points out that Brix weighs more for juice and jam than for retail packs, where appearance and piece integrity drive the sale. Its example spec sets Brix at 12° to 13° and pH at 3 to 4.2.
Agree a minimum Brix, the method used to measure it, and whether each lot's result appears on the certificate of analysis. A minimum without a method leaves room for argument later.
CBI's example spec sets these limits:
Use these as a starting point and adjust them to your own line. A smoothie maker can accept softer fruit than a retailer selling clear pouches.
Certification is not a legal requirement for selling frozen fruit into Europe, but CBI describes it as a must for almost all European food importers. The common GFSI-recognised schemes are IFS, BRCGS, FSSC 22000 and SQF. British buyers often ask for BRCGS, while IFS is more common with German retailers.
Write down which scheme you need, the pesticide residue panel and laboratory you accept for your destination market, and the microbiological criteria your own customers apply.
CBI describes the usual bulk format as polyethylene bags inside cartons, stacked on Euro pallets of 80 × 120 cm and wrapped in film. Foodservice buyers often use 1 to 5 kg packs. Cartons need to hold their shape under the weight of a full pallet.
On labels, the product name should include the fruit and the words "quick-frozen" or "frozen", as in "quick-frozen mango chunks". For bulk packs, the product name and packer details can travel on the container or in the accompanying documents. Retail packs need origin labelling.
No. IQF mango is cut fruit frozen piece by piece, so it pours freely. Puree is blended before freezing and usually ships in bags, drums or pails for juice and sauce makers.
Codex guidance for quick frozen foods asks for -18 °C or colder at every point in the cold chain, with short fluctuations allowed only within national rules. Put a core temperature at loading in the contract.
The law does not require it. In practice, CBI notes that almost all European importers ask for a GFSI-recognised scheme, so confirm which one your customers expect before you shortlist suppliers.
Yes. Cut size is a commercial term. State the dimensions and the tolerance you need, and ask for a pre-shipment sample from the production lot.
TbesAgri ships IQF frozen mango from Vietnam. Send us your spec sheet and we will answer it line by line.
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