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Mamma Mia! Tariffs could cause prices of Italian-made pasta to surge

Small Italian pasta for cooking soup, Pastina. Also often called the pasta for young children. The great ingredient for healthy meals.

(NewsNation) — Pasta lovers in America might soon see their favorite brands disappear from supermarket shelves over potential tariffs from the Trump administration.

The Commerce Department in September published a plan that would add a new 92% antidumping duty after a U.S. government probe found that some Italian pasta brands. However, with the existing 15% tariff on European Union imports, the total duties on Italian-made pasta could rise to 107%.


“It’s an incredibly important market for us,” said Giuseppe Ferro, La Molisana’s chief executive. “But no one has those kinds of margins.”

“It would be a real shame to have the market snatched from us for no real reason.”

The 13 brands that could be affected include:

Last year, the Commerce Department probed Italian pasta manufacturers after complaints from two U.S. companies, 8th Avenue Food & Provisions and Winland Foods. The companies alleged that several Italian pasta producers were “dumping” their pasta into U.S. markets, essentially exporting large amounts to the U.S. in order to lower prices and drive out competition. 

“This isn’t about dumping—it’s an excuse to block imports,” added Rummo Pasta CEO Cosimo Rummo.

White House spokesman Kush Desai acknowledged that Italian pasta isn’t disappearing, and said the antidumping duty was preliminary and part of a technical review process.

“The pasta makers still have several months to continue participating in this review before this preliminary finding becomes finalized,” he stated.

According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity, U.S. imported pasta from Italy valued at $684 million in 2024.