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The US government has scaled back tariffs that would have doubled the cost of Italian pasta brands, Rome said on Thursday, as the Trump administration faces political pressure over the high cost of living.
The US had accused 13 Italian pasta companies, including Barilla and premium brands such as La Molisana and Pastificio Lucio Garofalo, of unfairly dumping their products in America.
But on New Year’s Day, the Italian government said the US Department of Commerce had slashed the planned additional tariffs on the products from as much as 92 per cent to a range of between 2 and 14 per cent.
The US commerce department did not respond to a request for comment.
The White House has already rolled back tariffs imposed by Donald Trump on more than 200 food products, amid voter concerns about the cost of living and high consumer prices.
The new duties on pasta, set to take effect this month, come on top of the 15 per cent tariff the US president had placed on most imports from the EU.
The Trump administration’s proposals had sparked outrage in Rome and Brussels.
The planned duties created a diplomatic problem for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who has enjoyed friendly relations with the US president. The European Commission had pledged to intervene in the dispute if required.
Coldiretti, Italy’s agribusiness association, had warned the tariffs would be a “fatal blow” to Italian pasta makers, saying about half the value of Italy’s dry pasta exports to the US would be affected. The US imported about €671mn worth of pasta from Italy in 2024.
The Italian government said on Thursday the commerce department planned to set much lower rates for the pasta brands after a preliminary review of their operations.
The duty for La Molisana was slashed to 2.26 per cent, while the rate for Garofalo was set at 13.98 per cent. The remaining 11 pasta producers would face tariffs of 9.09 per cent, Italy’s foreign ministry said.
The US commerce department is expected to formally conclude an investigation into the pasta maker in March.
“The recalculation of the duties is a sign that US authorities recognise our companies’ constructive willingness to co-operate,” the Italian foreign ministry said.
The change to pasta levies came a day after the White House said it was delaying tariff increases on upholstered furniture, kitchen cabinets and vanities for another year.
Import duties on kitchen cabinets and vanities had been set to rise from 25 to 50 per cent on January 1, while tariffs on upholstered furniture were expected to go up from 25 per cent to 30 per cent.
But the White House said on Wednesday the US “continues to engage in productive negotiations with trade partners” and would delay the planned increase in tariff rates “for an additional year”.
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