As President Donald Trump’s tariff policies continue to shake up trade with key U.S. partners, food and beverage prices could soon be more expensive for both consumers and restaurant operators.
Beginning on Tuesday, Feb. 4, the new tariffs are set to take effect, impacting imports from Canada and China, with duties on imports from Mexico set to kick in in March. While the tariffs apply to a wide range of goods, including energy, clothing and crude oil, food and beverage items are also among those most affected.
As tariffs take effect, restaurant operators could see rising costs for key ingredients, some of which include avocados, pineapples, and tequila. The National Restaurant Association (NRA), the world’s largest trade foodservice association, said it would monitor tariffs closely, warning that these price hikes could force businesses to reassess pricing and sourcing.
The new tariffs — up to 25% on imports from Canada and Mexico — are part of a growing trade dispute between the U.S. and its neighbors. On Saturday, the U.S. president revealed the series of new tariffs on the nation’s leading trade partners, which also include China. On Monday, Feb. 3, Trump had announced that Mexico had been spared from tariffs, at least for now, with an extension in place until March. Still, the situations remains fluid, and businesses are preparing for potential impacts.
Meanwhile, Canada has retaliated with its own measures, imposing tariffs on $155 billion worth of U.S. goods, including the removal of American alcohol from store shelves across the country, making high-value items like beer, wine, and spirits more challenging for businesses, such as restaurants and bars, to come by.
We’ve compiled the top 10 most imported food items from Canada, Mexico, and China ranked by their import value, including their key region. Figures are based on 2023 U.S. import data tracked by USA Trade Online, a U.S. Census Bureau platform. Let’s take a look.
