CHICAGO, July 15, 2025 — The Trump Administration said it intends to levy a 17.01% duty within 90 days on all tomatoes imported from Mexico, asserting the move will stop exporters from dumping product on the U.S.  

 

By design, the move would sharply increase the price of the imports, which currently account for about 70% of the tomatoes consumed in the U.S.  

 

“Mexico remains one of our greatest allies, but for far too long our farmers have been crushed by unfair trade practices that undercut pricing on produce like tomatoes,” U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said in announcing the imposition of the new duty. “That ends today.”  

 

The surcharge would not be in addition to the 30% tariff President Trump said three days ago that he intends to levy on Mexican goods shipped into the U.S. as of Aug. 1. Tomatoes are among the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) products that the Administration has indicated will be exempt from the tariff. 

 

Technically, the U.S. is exiting a free-trade agreement struck with Mexico in 2019. The pact specifically exempted tomatoes from U.S. import duties that were put in place to prevent the dumping of products from south of the border. 

 

The agreement allows either partner to back out of the deal 90 days after a written heads-up is given to the other party. Commerce said today that it is exercising that option.  

 

The department pointed out that the U.S. has backed out of free-trade agreements with Mexico five prior times, going back to 1996. In each instance, according to Commerce, the U.S. acted to protect domestic tomato growers from being undercut on price by their Mexican counterparts. 

 

The move is intended to help tomato growers in Florida, the main production area within the U.S. But farmers there have expressed concerns about crops falling short of past production thresholds because of the U.S. crackdown on undocumented immigrants. The migrant workers who traditionally worked the fields are among the targets of the roundups and deportations. Many are afraid to come to work because they fear being rounded up and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. 

 

Tomato importers in Arizona and Texas are already voicing opposition to the duties, saying the loss of product from Mexico will severely hurt their businesses.  

 

Tomatoes are used across the food-away-from-home universe, from pizzerias to Italian restaurants to sauce manufacturers. 

 

As Managing Editor for IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, Romeo is responsible for generating the group's news and feature content. He brings more than 40 years of experience in covering restaurants to the position.