Quick Take — US duties on pasta increase from 92% to a maximum of 14%

The duty for La Molisana would be reduced to 2.26 per cent, while the rate for Garofalo would be set at around 14 per cent. The remaining 11 pasta producers – including Barilla – would face duties of 9.09 per cent, the Italian Foreign Ministry said.

Financial Times

The proceedings began after some US companies accused Italian pasta makers of selling at prices they considered too low, opening an anti-dumping procedure that included duties of up to 91.74% on top of the standard EU tariff of 15%. The prospect of such heavy charges had ignited a heated political and economic debate, with fears about the possible impact on Italian exports to the US, one of the most important markets for the sector.

Red Prawn

Drafted 2 January, updated 3 January 2026

PDO & PGI certifications

‘Two thirds of the pork legs processed in Italy come from pigs bred in Spain and Northern Europe…’. And unfortunately some scandals – such as prosciuttopoli – have shaken the sector: we need ad hoc marketing campaigns that explain the value of the PDO

JBS: skyrocketing meat prices in the US amid use of anti-obesity drugs and increasing protein consumption

The anti-obesity molecule revolution is challenging the model of the industry giants, which could lose up to USD 90 billion in the US by 2031. As a result, multinationals are trying to switch to Europe and a more protein-rich offer. And US restaurants – given the level of meat inflation – are struggling and reducing staff and portions of their dishes

JBS, the Brazilian meat giant, is set to benefit from the treaty between Europe and Mercosur

Great attention should be paid to safeguard clauses and reciprocity agreements, but the EU-Mercosur agreement should not be held up as a scapegoat against which to vent one’s frustration at problems in the sector that actually have an entirely different cause: first and foremost, the low profitability of the agricultural sector compared with the rest of the economy