US President Donald Trump signed an executive order allowing a range of food products, including coffee, bananas and beef, to avoid his massive tariffs.
The move comes as his administration faces growing pressure over rising prices. Although Trump has previously downplayed concerns about the cost of living, he focused on the problem after his Republican Party's poor showing in last week's elections.
The dozens of foods on the White House exemption list range from avocados and tomatoes to coconuts and mangoes.
These products, the Trump administration said Friday, cannot be produced in sufficient quantities domestically.
Trump has long said his tariffs – currently a base 10% on imports from all countries with additional levies on many trading partners – would not lead to higher prices for U.S. consumers. He also said affordability is a “new word” and a “scam” by Democrats.
But the latest exemptions signal a reversal as the Trump administration seeks to lower prices by eliminating tariffs on some staple foods.
Economists warn that companies will pass on the cost of tariffs to their customers in the form of higher prices.
Although inflation remained softer in September than many analysts expected, most items tracked in the Labor Department's inflation report showed that price riseat the same time, food prices increased by 2.7% compared to last year.
New food tariff breaks introduced by the Trump administration will take effect retroactively to midnight on Thursday, November 13, the White House said.
In another step to address consumer concerns about food prices, the Trump administration said it would cut import taxes on coffee and bananas. trade agreements with four Latin American countries.
This week, Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pledged to cut coffee prices, which have jumped about 20% in the U.S. this year.
