Food from New Zealand: 17.5% US Tariff (2026)

Importing food from New Zealand into the United States carries an effective tariff of about 17.5% in 2026. That breaks down as 5% MFN base rate + 12.5% Base tariff — the product's MFN base duty plus the 12.5% Section 301 forced-labor tariff that replaced the expired Section 122 rate on July 24, 2026.

New Zealand sits in the 12.5% tier of the Section 301 forced-labor tariff that replaced the expired Section 122 rate on July 24, 2026, layered on the product's MFN base. It is not subject to the China-specific Section 301 duties, which keeps food from New Zealand well below Chinese-origin equivalents.

Food imports fall under HTS chapters 01-24. On a $10,000 shipment, the ~17.5% effective rate works out to roughly $1,750 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 New Zealand between April 2025 and February 2026, you likely paid the IEEPA reciprocal tariff (about 10%) 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 New Zealand: confirm the HTS classification, budget for the 17.5% stacked rate, and — if you paid IEEPA duties in 2025 — check refund eligibility before Phase 1 windows close on a rolling basis.