Washington Cuts Steep Tariffs on Pasta Imports From 13 Italian Companies

The U.S. Department of Commerce is set to sharply reduce punitive tariffs on pasta products imported from 13 Italian manufacturers, easing trade tensions after duties were initially set to exceed 100%.

Under the revised decision, tariffs on Italian pasta will be cut to a range of 24% to 29%, down from a combined rate that would have reached 107%, according to a Commerce Department report published on Wednesday.

Most European Union products entering the United States are currently subject to tariffs of at least 15%. However, pasta imports faced an additional 92% anti-dumping duty, proposed in October, which would have been imposed on top of existing tariffs, pushing total duties to 107%.

The reduced rates represent a significant shift ahead of the original implementation date of March 12.

The Commerce Department said the initial tariffs stemmed from an investigation into allegations that some Italian producers were selling pasta in the U.S. market at unfairly low prices, harming competition.

A Commerce Department official told CNN that the recommendation to lower tariffs followed “Italian pasta producers’ responses to several concerns raised by the Department in its preliminary decision.”

The case originated from a complaint filed in July by two U.S. companies, Italio Foods and Provisions and Winland Foods, which accused Italian exporters of dumping pasta in the American market at prices below fair value.

A preliminary Commerce Department report released in September found that La Molisana and Pastificio Lucio Garofalo had sold pasta to the United States at prices “below normal value.” The report also said the companies failed to fully cooperate with investigators and submitted data deemed “incomplete and unreliable.”

According to the department, the two firms accounted for the largest share of Italian pasta exports to the U.S. market.

Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the tariff reduction, saying in a statement on Thursday that the revised rates reflect U.S. recognition of Italian companies’ willingness to cooperate with the investigation.

The move is seen as a trade de-escalation step amid broader negotiations between Washington and Brussels aimed at avoiding further tariff disputes between the United States and the European Union.