Will Trump's tariff rollback lower food prices?

President Trump's recent decision to remove tariffs on over 200 products, including popular items like bananas and coffee, represents a major policy reversal driven by concerns about cost-of-living issues and declining approval ratings. While food industry groups celebrated the rollback as an important step toward affordability, economists warn the actual impact on grocery prices will likely be modest since imports account for less than 20% of American food purchases and many Mexican imports were already tariff-exempt. Some importers expect to lower prices within weeks, but overall household grocery budgets may see limited relief because food costs are driven by multiple factors beyond tariffs, including labor expenses, droughts, and service-related costs like trucking and retail operations.