The exclusions were described as “very reassuring for some of our industry’s concerns” by Daniel Fabricant, PhD, president and CEO of the Natural Products Association (NPA), which has had several meetings with senior members of the Trump Administration.
“We called the White House and Trade Representative this afternoon for confirmation,” said Dr. Fabricant. “While they always reserve the right to make changes, they said they don’t anticipate any added changes for our industry.”
Tariffs
Global markets were shaken on April 2 when President Trump announced a 10% global tariff, with higher reciprocal tariffs imposed on a number of specific countries.
In Annex II of the April 2 executive order, “Regulating Imports with a Reciprocal Tariff to Rectify Trade Practices that Contribute to Large and Persistent Annual United States Goods Trade Deficits”, a number of dietary ingredients are listed as being exempt.
Included in the 37-page Annex II are: Vitamins A, B1, B2, B5, B6, B12, C, and E, folic acid (B9), and niacin and niacinamide (B3). Coenzyme Q10 and choline are also named, as are many amino acids and minerals. Fatty acids of animal or vegetable origin are also listed, which would include fish oil
“This is good news as we had repeatedly asked the administration and Congress to continue to treat nutrients as a special class of goods that should not be subject to tariff hikes,” said Loren Israelsen, founder and president of the United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA). “On the other hand, this leaves a large majority of dietary ingredients still subject to the new tariffs.”
The full Annex II can be found HERE.