Food from Italy: 15% US Tariff (2026)

Importing food from Italy into the United States carries an effective tariff of about 15% in 2026. Under the EU–US trade deal (effective July 1, 2026), most EU goods pay a 15% all-inclusive ceiling rather than a stacked rate — there is no stacking, and goods whose MFN duty is already 15% or higher pay MFN only.

The 15% ceiling replaced the 10% Section 122 rate for the EU bloc on July 1, 2026. It is all-inclusive and does not apply to Section 232 steel and aluminum, which remain at 50% regardless of origin. For food specifically, the ceiling means a predictable landed-duty number that no longer moves with the reciprocal-tariff calendar.

Food imports fall under HTS chapters 01-24. On a $10,000 shipment, the ~15% effective rate works out to roughly $1,500 in duty before the Merchandise Processing Fee (0.3464%) and, on ocean freight, the Harbor Maintenance Fee (0.125%). Because the exact duty depends on the specific HTS code and materials, confirm the classification with the HTS Code Finder and run your country and declared value through the tariff calculator on this page for the fully stacked number.

Refund angle: if you imported food from Italy between April 2025 and February 2026, you likely paid the IEEPA reciprocal tariff (about 20%) that the Supreme Court struck down on February 20, 2026 in Learning Resources v. Trump. That layer is now recoverable from the roughly $166 billion CBP refund pool through the CAPE reliquidation process, plus statutory interest near 5%. Section 301 and Section 232 duties were not struck down and are not refundable. The Phase 1 window covers unliquidated entries and those within 80 days of liquidation.

Bottom line for food importers sourcing from Italy: confirm the HTS classification, budget for the 15% EU–US deal ceiling, and — if you paid IEEPA duties in 2025 — check refund eligibility before Phase 1 windows close on a rolling basis.