Pasta panic as US trade tariff threats worry Italian producers

Pasta is at the center of Italy's food industry – but the growing trade battle with the US could double its price for American consumers. 

Amid allegations of "dumping," US authorities are considering tariffs of up to 107 percent on Italian pasta imports, a move that could reshape a market worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

For chefs like Emmanuel Di Liddo, pasta is far more than a product, it's cultural identity. Di Liddo, who began working in kitchens at just 12 years old, tells CGTN pasta is a way of life. 

"Pasta for us is culture, pasta is family, pasta is sharing," he says. "For a chef, cooking a plate of pasta fills our heart with joy."

That passion is shared well beyond Italy's borders. The United States – with its huge diaspora of around 16 million Italian-Americans – is one of the biggest consumers of Italian pasta, with imports in 2024 valued at around $780 million. 

For producers like Rustichella d'Abruzzo, an artisan pasta maker operating for more than a century, the American market is essential. 

"The US market is very important to us," owner Stefania Peduzzi tells CGTN. "Eighty percent of our sales come from exports to 70 countries, and the US is number one."

But that lifeline is now under threat. Washington is weighing new anti-dumping tariffs of 92 percent, on top of an existing 15 percent levy applied to all EU goods. 

The proposed duties follow a US Department of Commerce investigation alleging that certain Italian producers sold pasta below market value to undercut domestic competitors. Industry groups warn that the consequences of the tariff could be severe. 

"These possible tariffs from January will destabilize the pasta market," says Marino Pilati, Director of agricultural organization Coldiretti Abruzzo. "Some major brands already produce in the US, and others could invest to do so, but small and medium producers can't – risking exclusion from a key market and potential job losses." 

But pasta maker Peduzzi hopes the measures will be narrowly applied. 

"I believe the measures will be imposed exclusively on the companies allegedly involved, not the entire Italian pasta industry," she says.

Italy's foreign ministry is contesting both the investigation's findings and the proposed tariffs. Legal challenges from major pasta producers are also underway, while the Italian government and the European Commission are pushing for negotiations to ease tensions.

If imposed, the tariffs could lead to retail prices more than doubling in US stores – and therefore reshaping the market on both sides of the Atlantic. A final decision is expected in early 2026.