Tariff news puts industry on edgeTariff news puts industry on edge
President Trump announced new 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico, and 10% on Chinese goods. The supplement industry, which is highly reliant on Chinese supply, awaits details to assess the impact.

At a Glance
- Trump announced new tariffs to go into effect on Feb. 1.
- The tariffs apply to the three biggest trading partners of the U.S.: Mexico, China and Canada.
- Some supplement ingredient importers are already paying tariffs leftover from the Biden Administration.
News that President Trump will install steep new tariffs tomorrow has put the dietary supplement industry on edge. Many popular ingredients are imported, particularly from China, and in many cases there are no alternatives to these.
The news was announced today that the United States will place a 25% tariff on goods coming from Mexico and Canada and 10% on Chinese goods starting tomorrow.
The three counties are the largest trading partners of the U.S. According to data cited by NBC News, the U.S. imported $466.6 billion worth of goods from Mexico in 2024. For China and Canada, the figures were $404.4 billion and $377.2 billion, respectively. Mexico passed China as the U.S.’ biggest trading partner in mid 2023.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the reason for the tariffs was “the illegal fentanyl that they have sourced and allowed to distribute into our country which has killed tens of millions of Americans.”
In an interview with NBC, Ontario prime minister Doug Ford said, “In a trade war between the United States and Canada only China wins.”
Ford has emerged as Canada’s most influential politician after embattled national prime minister Justin Trudeau announced he would step down in March.
Angst within industry
Robert Marriott, director of regulatory affairs for the American Herbal Products Association, said details of the new tariff plan were still lacking. Earlier tariff regimes included some exemptions, which could apply to the ingredients that go into health-supporting products like dietary supplements.
Nevertheless, he said, “We’re concerned because many herbal ingredients are sourced from China. In some cases, there are no alternatives.”
Daniel Fabricant, Ph.D., president and CEO of the Natural Products Association, said the angst within the industry is real.
“Like every time, initially the worry is about the cost and how it will get passed on. We’ll have to wait for any exemptions to see what this means for the consumer,” he said.
Fabricant said the new tariffs could be a time for introspection within the industry and a chance to take some real steps toward reforming the supply chain.
“Most of the letter vitamins you can’t get anywhere else but China. We have enabled a monopoly. Instead of relying 95% on China for vitamin C, what about South Korea as a trading partner, for example?” he added.
What about the tariffs already in place?
Wilson Lau, president of Nuherbs, which imports a wide variety of botanical ingredients from China, said it’s hard to know what the effects will be until more detail is available. His company, like many others, has already been dealing with tariffs on Chinese goods.
“It’s not shocking, since he telegraphed the tariffs during his inauguration,” Lau said.
“If there is already a 25% tariff on goods like ginseng, does that mean 25% plus an additional 10%? Or since the 25% is greater, would the new tariff not apply? And what’s the effective date? Will it just be announced on the 1st and then go into effect on the 14th?”
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