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Boxes of imported Italian pasta are seen on shelves, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo\/Ryan Sun)<\/p>\n
Boxes of imported Italian pasta are seen on shelves, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo\/Ryan Sun)<\/p>\n
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Margherita Mastromauro, president of the pasta makers sector of Unione Italiana Food, told The Associated Press that prices for Italian pasta in the U.S. remain high, and certainly higher than American-made rivals \u2014 undermining any dumping claim.<\/p>\n
She said that the measures could deal a fatal blow to small- and medium-sized producers. Lucio Miranda, president of consultancy group Export USA, agreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cA duty rate of 107% would definitely kill this flow of export,\u201d Miranda, who is Italian, said by phone from New York. \u201cIt\u2019s not going to be something that you can just dump on the consumer and move on, life continues. It will definitely be a deal killer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wacky Mac owner cries foul<\/p>\n
The Commerce Department\u2019s investigation started in 2024 after complaints from Missouri-based 8th Avenue Food & Provisions, which owns pasta brand Ronzoni, and Illinois-based Winland Foods, whose multiple brands include Prince, Mueller\u2019s and Wacky Mac.<\/p>\n
The office\u2019s review focused on La Molisana and Garofalo, chosen as primary respondents because they are Italy\u2019s two largest exporters, the Commerce Department said in an emailed statement. Any sale price below either producers\u2019 costs or the price they charge in the Italian market would be considered dumping, in line with numerous other reviews of Italian pasta since 1996, it said. <\/p>\n
The two companies presented information incorrectly or withheld it, significantly impeding analysis, according to the Commerce Department. And in the face of these alleged deficiencies, the office presented its 92% duty estimate, which it extended to 11 other companies based on an assumption the two companies\u2019 behavior was representative.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter they screwed up their initial responses, the Commerce Department explained to them what the problems were and asked them to fix those problems; they didn\u2019t,\u201d White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in an emailed response to the AP\u2019s questions. \u201cAnd then Commerce communicated the requirements again, and they didn\u2019t answer for a third time.\u201d <\/p>\n
La Molisana declined to comment when contacted by the AP. Garofalo didn\u2019t respond to a request for comment. <\/p>\n
The sanctions would be applied not just to imports going forward, but also the 12 months through June 2024, according to the Commerce Department. It added that only 16% of total Italian pasta imports may be affected. Its final decision is scheduled for Jan. 2, which could be extended by 60 days.<\/p>\n
\u2018Completely senseless\u2019<\/p>\n
A little over an hour\u2019s drive northeast from Naples is Benevento, a sleepy hilltop town of 55,000 people famed for its ancient Roman theater and Aglianico red wine. It\u2019s also home to Pasta Rummo, founded in 1846, which prides itself on its seven-phase, \u201cslow work\u201d production method. <\/p>\n
CEO Cosimo Rummo is outraged by the threat to his company\u2019s annual 20 million euros in exports to the U.S.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese tariffs are completely senseless,\u201d Rummo said in a phone interview. \u201cThese are fast-moving consumer goods \u2026 Who would ever buy a pack of pasta that costs 10 dollars, the same price as a bottle of wine?\u201d <\/p>\n