CHICAGO, April 3, 2025 — The White House has provided the details of the tariffs President Trump outlined Wednesday afternoon, tweaking some specifics, adding others and completely altering a few.
For the food-away-from-home industry, the biggest update may have been the extension of the tariff exemptions Trump had provided earlier on certain imports from Canada and Mexico. The exemptions apply to all goods covered under the U.S., Mexico and Canadian Agreement, also known as USMCA.
Those exemptions cover virtually all foods and beverages imported from the countries, according to FMI The Food Industry Association, a trade group allied with IFMA The Food Away from Home Association.
Another major clarification was the dates the tariffs would be implemented. A 25% duty on imported automobiles and auto parts indeed went into effect as of 12:01 a.m. today.
But the 10% “baseline” tariff Trump is imposing on the imported goods of all but about 60 nations will not be implemented until Saturday, April 5.
The higher duties on countries that have erected protectionist measures against U.S. imports will not take effect until Wednesday, April 9. Those surcharges include duties on foods imported from member nations of the European Union, including Italy, the United States’ second-highest-volume trade partner, and France, a major source of wines, cheeses and other restaurant staples.
Trump announced the tariffs during a White House event that coincided with the restaurant industry’s annual fly-in to Washington, D.C., the National Restaurant Association’s Public Affairs Conference, where operators flood Capitol Hill to visit their respective congressmen and senators. Although attendees were encouraged to focus on tax issues and swipe-fee regulations in their meetings with elected officials, tariffs were addressed in the orientation provided to participants before their visits.
Speakers said they were doubtful the White House will exempt all food and beverage imports from the tariffs, as the restaurant association had requested in a letter to Trump.
As Managing Editor for IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, Romeo is responsible for generating the group's news and feature content. He brings more than 40 years of experience in covering restaurants to the position.