It’s horrible!
Since the WSJ has a pretty hard paywall, let’s go to the NY Post
Thirteen Italian pasta brands could pull their products from US grocery stores — or potentially be forced to hike prices dramatically as soon as January, when punishing 107% tariffs are set to take effect.
The levies — the highest the White House has moved to impose on a specific product since the start of President Trump’s crackdown on imports — come from the US’ 15% baseline tariff on European Union goods plus a punishing 92% levy over accusations that Italian pasta makers have been undercutting US competitors.
The Commerce Department says the penne purveyors have been violating “antidumping” laws, exporting their products to the US market at a very low price to gain an advantage over local businesses.
One affected company decried the new policy to The Post, declaring it would not pass on costs from the new tariff to customers. (big snip)
Last year, the Department of Agriculture launched an investigation after two US pasta manufacturers called for a review of Italian exporters.
So, this all started under Biden. Huh.
Along with Pasta Garofalo, La Molisana and Rummo, the impacted pasta brands include Agritalia, Aldino, Antiche Tradizioni Di Gragnano, Barilla, Gruppo Milo, Pastificio Artigiano Cav. Giuseppe Cocco, Pastificio Chiavenna, Pastificio Liguori, Pastificio Sgambaro and Pastificio Tamma.
Barilla makes pasta for the US market within the States and is less likely to be impacted by the tariffs than the other businesses, Italian media noted. The Post has sought comment from Barilla.
Barilla accounts for around 30% of US pasta sales, made in Ames, IA and Avon, NY for both US and Canadian sales. I usually buy Barilla or some off brands, like at Lidl. And, I will make my own when it comes to thin spaghetti and similar, as well as some thicker noodles, at times. Weird shapes and egg noodles, nah, always buying. Most people are not buying Italian import pasta. So, chill out, News Media.
My darling bride, of 46 years, 5 months, and 24 days, has insisted that Italians keep their best wines for themselves and exports only inferior product to the United States. Me? I very rarely drink wine, and do not have a discriminating enough palate to tell the difference.
Daddy Donnie knows best what you, the American consumer, should eat or drink! Will he enact the tariffs or is it just another thought flittering through that bird brain of his?
You want your favorite Italian pasta?… pony up twice as much!!
Someone should check how much Barilla America has donated to Donnie Inc!!!
Eating imported Italian pasta is a first-world elite practice. I can just picture the New York City uppercrust having to pinch pennies because their favorite pasta costs more. Not. I doubt they even know what it costs now, or care.
Funny how the media must count themselves among the uber-wealthy and sophisticated to worry about such things. Maybe they just like pretending to be in that socio-economic class.
Not many blue-collar working class Americans will ever know about this tariff.
BTW, Barilla only imports two of the types of pasta it sells in the US. The rest are made in the USA. Which is how to avoid the tariff. Which is why paying the tariff by consumers is a voluntary act. Nobody HAS to eat imported pasta.
Dear media:
Tell someone who gives a shit.
We import about 20% of our durum wheat (used for pasta and couscous), mostly from Canada.
Domestically, durum is grown in North Dakota and Montana.