American consumers who love Italian-made pasta are suddenly seeing double.
What began as an antidumping review by the U.S. Department of Commerce — the process used to determine whether foreign companies are selling goods in the U.S. at artificially low prices — has now escalated into the threat of massive new tariffs, according to the Associated Press.
The U.S. government is now weighing tariffs as high as 92%, on top of the 15% levy imposed on most European exports during President Donald Trump’s administration.
For decades, major American pasta-makers have accused their Italian counterparts of dumping. Italian producers, for their part, deny the charge.
Regardless, the price of popular, authentic Italian pasta would effectively double come January if the standoff isn’t resolved.
Italy is the world’s largest pasta producer, exporting $4.65 billion of high-quality product each year — and Americans account for roughly 15% of those imports.
This year’s investigation was requested by two American companies: 8th Avenue Food & Provisions, which owns Ronzoni, and Winland Foods, which makes pasta under several brands including San Giorgio and Prince (the U.S. is the second largest pasta producer globally), according to The New York Times.
Italian politicians are advocating for their pasta makers on a diplomatic level, while industry experts warn such a tariff would hurt major exporters but also deal fatal blows to small- and mid-sized Italian pasta makers.
The tariffs would be applied not just to imports going forward, but also the 12 months through June 2024, according to the Commerce Department. It added that only 16% of total Italian pasta imports may be affected.
Its final decision is scheduled for Jan. 2, which could be extended by 60 days.
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Dining and Cooking