Food exports to the United States are a huge opportunity for food producers around the world simply because the United States is the world’s largest importer of food. So in this article we will examine food exports to the United States including the main categories of food that the US imports, the companies that are currently the main buyers within the US and we will look at where you can find the information you need on tariffs, regulations, procedures and trade deals.

The main food exports to the United States include fruits, nuts, vegetables, confectionery, processed sugar and sweeteners. The largest supplier of fruit and vegetables to the United States is Mexico and the country provides 43% of all vegetables imported by the United States.

Other notable suppliers of food exports to the United States are Peru, Chile, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Vietnam, Canada, Ecuador, Honduras and Columbia. So we can see that the United States prefers supplier countries with a reasonable proximity to itself, this most likely will be for both cost and reliability of supply reasons. These countries also primarily supply fruit, vegetables and sugar products. The United States is largely self-sufficient in meat, grains and oils.

The United States main categories of fruit imports are listed below by product and annual value:

• Avocado – $3.4 billion
• Banana – $2.6 billion
• Grape – $2.4 billion
• Cranberries – $1.9 billion
• Raspberries & blackberries – $1.9 billion
• Lemon/lime – $1.1 billion
• Pineapple – $900 million
• Mango – $870 million
• Tangerines – $580 million
• Watermelons – $454 million

The main vegetable imports of the United States are tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, onions, brassicas, mushrooms, potatoes, lettuce and spinach. Tomatoes exports to the United States alone are worth around $2.5 billion a year.

food exports to the united states

Food exports to the United States; who are the main importers of food? Here is a list of the biggest food importer companies in the United States:

Dole Food Company Inc are based in California and they import fruits and vegetables including organic produce. They sell packaged salads. Their website is www.dole.com

Chiquita Fresh North America LLC are based in Charlotte, North Carolina and they import bananas and pineapples. The website for the company is www.chiquita.com

Del Monte Fresh Produce NA Inc are based in Florida and they import a wide variety of fruit and vegetables and also produce and sell pre-prepared products as well as fresh produce. The website is www.freshdelmonte.com

Fyffes Tropical Produce LLC are based at Coral Gables in Florida and they import fresh fruit. Best known for bananas, Fyffes also imports pineapples, melons and exotics. The website is www.fyffes.com

Sol Group Marketing Company are based at Pompano Beach in Florida. They primarily import melons and the website address is www.solmelons.com

Goya Foods Inc are based in Secaucus, New Jersey and are suppliers and importers of Hispanic foods. They trade in beans & grains, beverages, snacks, confectionery, oils, flours, rice, olives, tined foods and doughs. The company website is www.goya.com

Danone Inc are based at White Plains, New York State and are suppliers of plant based foods, drinks and yoghurts. Danone import ingredients for these products, the website is www.danonenorthamerica.com

If you want to make food exports to the United States then you need to know about regulations, customs and any trade deals that may help you. Countries with trade deals with the United States that cover food are: Australia, Chile, Bahrain, Colombia, China, Israel, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Morocco, Canada, Mexico, Singapore and Oman. Detailed information for each of these deals can be found here: https://fas.usda.gov/topics/trade-policy/trade-agreements

Of course food exports to the United States is a complex business so here is a link to the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) guidelines on requirements which includes all you need to know on documents, labelling and procedures. https://www.fda.gov/food/food-imports-exports/importing-food-products-united-states

To view our articles about the top 20 importers of food in the world click here: https://blackcat360.com/20-countries-that-import-the-most-food/

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Food exports to the United States