US foodies brace for tariff war
Shoppers stocking up on imported maple syrup, coffee and European wine as price hikes loom

American gourmets are scrambling to stock up on their favourite imported foodstuffs before Donald Trump's costly tariffs inflate prices on the shelves.
Tariffs are a "disastrously bad idea", wrote James Surowiecki for business brand Fast Company. They lead to "higher prices on everything", from coffee and tea to bananas and strawberries – which is why some US consumers are stockpiling their larders while they can.
'Strategic' reserves
With tariff trepidation spreading, readers of The New York Times have been sharing their tales of store-cupboard-stashing. "I call it my strategic coffee reserve," said one reader, who bought 16lbs of Colombian coffee at Costco the day after Colombia was threatened with tariffs. "I like looking at it. It makes me feel safe". Other readers have built up a surplus of Canadian maple syrup, Mexican avocados ("rock hard and in bulk") and EU olive oil.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
And it's not just imported food that's vulnerable to tariff-related price hikes; the luxury drinks market is, too. Imported spirits and "bubbly, from sparkling water to Moet Hennessy", may all see a price rise, said CNBC.
Some punters saw this coming: EU wine exports to the US "surged" in November 2024, the month of Trump's election victory, said Euractiv, while trade data shows that French cognac-makers ramped up shipments to the US in December, ahead of Trump taking office in January, said Reuters.
'Can you afford fries with that?'
Perhaps most importantly of all – and beyond all the high-end foodie fears – Trump's "tariff war" with its closest neighbour will "hit Americans where it hurts: in the French fries", said Canada's The Globe and Mail.
The US imports $4.8 billion (33.7 billion) in canola oil and $1.7 billion (£1.3 billion) in frozen French fries from Canada every year. Many American restaurants and diners depend on the high profit margin offered by fries, so any additional costs could be "a potential death sentence". And, surely, "the thought of replacing, 'Do you want fries with that?' with, 'Can you afford fries with that?' is a threat to the American way of life".
It could also prove "too much to bear" for the American "who matters most": President Trump has "long expressed a love" for a Big Mac and fries.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.
-
FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance merger
Speed Read The Federal Communications Commission will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance
-
A potential railway megamerger raises monopoly questions
The Explainer Union-Pacific and Norfolk Southern would create the country's largest railway operator
-
At least 12 dead in Thai-Cambodian clashes
Speed Read Both countries accused the other of firing first
-
Food trails are the best trails. Eat your way across the US with these 7 regional food journeys.
The Week Recommends Take a bite out of the United States
-
The 2025 James Beard Award winners
Feature Featuring a casually elegant restaurant, recipes nearly lost to war, and more
-
Summer in Seattle: Outdoor dining like nowhere else
Feature Featuring a patio with a waterfront view, a beer garden, and more
-
Critics' choice: Carrying the flag
Feature The best barbecue in town, Bradley Cooper's cheesesteak restaurant, and more
-
8 recipes that require minimal effort for the best kind of summer eating
The Week Recommends It's the season of grilling and smart desserts
-
Anshu Ahuja's golden coconut and butter bean curry recipe
The Week Recommends Plump, creamy beans in a sweet, spicy sauce
-
6 smart, surprising food books to drag you through the summer months
The Week Recommends BBQ and why we consume the way we do are just two of the tackled topics
-
Marfa, Texas: Big skies, fine art, and great eating
Feature A cozy neighborhood spot, a James Beard semifinalists, and more