Italy says US sharply cuts proposed pasta tariffs

Italy's foreign ministry says the United States has sharply lowered proposed duties on several ‍Italian pasta makers following a reassessment of their US activities.

In October, the ​United States said that 13 Italian pasta companies would face an ⁠extra 92 per cent duty - on top of the regular 15 per cent rate on most European Union imports - from January 2026, accusing two producers in particular, La Molisana and Garofalo, of selling pasta at unfairly low prices.

However, after a ‌review, the ​US Department of Commerce cut the tariff for La Molisana ‍to 2.26 per cent while Garofalo's rate was set at 13.98 per cent, the Italian foreign ministry said in a statement.

The remaining 11 producers, which were not individually examined in the review, face a tariff of 9.09 per cent.

"The recalculation ​of the duties is a ‌sign that US authorities recognise our companies' constructive willingness to co-operate," the foreign ministry said.

It added ​that the full conclusions of the US review would be ‍released on March 11, adding that the ministry would continue to provide help to the companies affected in the coming ​weeks.

The ​threatened pasta tariffs had ​been an embarrassment to Prime Minister ​Giorgia Meloni, who had hoped that her close ties with US President Donald Trump would shield Italian companies from any additional tariffs.

Italy's total pasta exports were worth more than 4 billion euros ($A7 billion) in 2024, according to data from national statistics agency ISTAT.

The US market was ‍worth almost $US800 million ($A1.2 billion) to Italian firms.