What’s Happening

Tariffs on U.S. fruit and nuts shipped to China became a reality on April 2, affecting the fresh produce industry.  Apples, pears, oranges, cherries, grapes, strawberries, peaches, lemons, mandarins, plums, almonds, cashews, pistachios and walnuts are among the items on the list, first mentioned by China as possible targets on March 23.

The 15% tariffs on those exports, in response to the U.S. administration’s import tariffs on steel and aluminum from China and some other countries, are on top of tariffs already in place. A total of 128 products made the list.

How this affects Vanguard

At Vanguard, our priority has always been to support our community of growers who take great risks and make significant investments in their crops.  It’s particularly disheartening to see them and us affected by tariffs such as these.  As a WA state grower ourselves we can feel that negative impact on sales to China directly.

Looking ahead for Vanguard

The implementation of tariffs on fresh produce into China will be something the entire produce industry will be carefully watching in the months to come. We’ve built our business at Vanguard to withstand many types of disruptions in our commitment to supply fresh produce around the world, 365 days a year. We encounter common weather patterns that can disrupt the output of a crop, can run into packaging or delivery delays and now, retaliatory tariffs. We, by design, source fruit from multiple countries and origins and any interruption of supply we are designed to be able to withstand it.

We believe in China and investing in our business and hope the trade war on fresh fruit does not continue to escalate.

We are committed to keep you updated on this situation and we encourage you to stay up to date on all Vanguard news by following us on Facebook and Twitter.