The US Trade Representative (USTR) has notified the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that it intends to raise tariffs on a number of European Union (EU) food exports following a hike in EU duties on brown rice imports.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more


Since these were raised last September, Washington and Brussels have discussed compensating the US, without success. American brown rice exports generate US$33m annually.


“We feel that the new European system is unfair,” said outgoing US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick. His office named yoghurt, processed cheese, mandarins, saffron, truffles and Brussels sprouts, as some of the EU foods attracting extra American duties from 1 March unless a last-minute agreement is struck.

Just Food Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Food Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Winning five categories in the 2025 Just Food Excellence Awards, Centric Software is setting the pace for digital transformation in food and FMCG. Explore how its integrated PLM and PXM suite delivers faster launches, smarter compliance and data-driven growth for complex, multi-channel product portfolios.

Discover the Impact