CHICAGO, January 20, 2026 — Politics continue to cloud the pricing outlook for imported foods and beverages, but the U.S. food-away-from-home business is about to learn what impact the international trade wars will have on the cost of a widely used form of packaging produced overseas.
Duties of as much as 540% are scheduled to be levied on January 23 on clamshells, thermoformed bowls, and other molded-type disposable food packaging imported from China.
On the same day, duties of as much as 260% are slated to be imposed on comparable products from Vietnam.
The two Asian nations are respectively the first and second largest exporters of the familiar takeout packaging to the U.S., according to the U.S. International Trade Commission. Not all producers of the products—technically, “thermoformed molded fiber products”—may be hit with the duties, and the rates could vary from producer to producer.
The exact surcharges to be levied on the targeted exporters were expected to be revealed last month by the U.S. Department of Commerce, but no information could be found on the websites of the Department or the Trade Commission. The lack of information suggests the imposition of the duties could be delayed.
Although the duties are intended to protect American producers, they differ significantly from tariffs, the other tool being used by the Trump Administration to tip market conditions in domestic producers’ favor.
The packaging surcharges are technically anti-dumping and counter-vailing duties (AD/CVD). Like tariffs, they are intended to encourage American to buy domestically manufactured products by artificially inflating the price of exported options. But unlike tariffs, AD/CVDs are imposed for a minimum of five years.
That timespan ensures that short-term political considerations or a change in administrations will not kill or jack up the levies. AD/CVDs can only be removed if a yearly review reveals the affected exporters have stopped dumping goods on the U.S. market.
As a different protective tool, the duties on Asian packaging would not be discontinued if the U.S. Supreme Court finds that President Trump exceeded his constitutional authority in imposing tariffs on most goods imported into the U.S. The ruling is expected to come any time between now and June.
The steep duties on Chinese and Vietnamese imports are the latest in a series of moves by the government to protect U.S. producers of food packaging.
In May, duties ranging from 194% to 288% were levied on aluminum containers imported into the U.S. from China and several other nations. The charges varied by producer.
Paper plates imported from China, Vietnam, and Thailand were subjected to duties ranging from about 267% to 515%.