The U.S., Italy’s third-largest export market for cured meats, faces a potential sharp decline in imports following new tariffs announced by the Trump administration. In 2024, shipments of Italian cured meats to the U.S. rose 19.9 percent to 20,188 tonnes, with export value climbing 20.4 percent year on year to €265mn. However, a newly proposed 20 percent tariff risks halting that growth.

“This is a serious concern for our companies,” said Lorenzo Beretta, president of Assica, Italy’s meat and cured meat industry association. “Higher consumer prices in the U.S. will inevitably have a negative effect.”