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Update as of October 2, 2025
| Product Category | American Customs Code | Value 2024 (MLN/USD) | Technical Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Agri-food Products | N/A | 9000 | beverages, oils, dairy, pasta, preserves, waters, condiments, etc. |
| Wines (including sparkling) | 2204 | 2100 | Main single item by value; ~23% share of the food aggregate. |
| Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) | 1509.10 | 912 | The USA is the top destination market by value. |
| Cheeses and Curd | 0406 | 528 | Includes PDO (e.g., Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano) |
| Pasta | 1902 | 684 | Italy remains the top supplier for the USA |
| Sauces and Condiments | 2103 | 680 | Includes tomato sauces, pesto, similar preparations. |
| Mineral / Sparkling Waters (unsweetened) | 2201.10 | 380 | Consolidated premium segment (e.g., San Pellegrino, Acqua Panna) |
| Prepared / Preserved Tomatoes | 2002 | 89 | Includes purees, pulps, and tomato preserves. |
Methodological Notes: values indicated as ranges or estimates reflect rounding and consolidations from various statistical sources; the categories listed cover the main product categories but do not exhaust the entire range of Italian food export products to the American market.
Update as of December 4, 2024
The election of Donald Trump has inundated Italian food companies with requests from importers wanting to have sufficient stock in warehouses before the new presidential administration begins. Contributing to the boom of Made in Italy agri-food in the United States is also the current dollar situation, which, with its indisputable international role, allows products to be purchased at more favorable prices.
In the first half of the year, purchases of Italian food and wines increased by 20% in value and 13% in volume. The most requested macro-category is food, which in 2023 accounted for 60% of total exports compared to 40% for the Beverage sector as a whole (in 2019 it accounted for 51%, nine percentage points less).
The big star of this year seems to be extra virgin olive oil, which was exported more in the first eight months of 2024 than in all of 2023.
Below is the list of the best-selling Italian food products in the United States in 2023:
Update as of July 3, 2024
Italian exports of food specialties to the American market have increased by 45% from 2019 to today. In total, American imports of food products and wine from Italy reached 6.59 billion euros in 2023, a new record for Italian food and wine, marking a +45% in value and +14% in volume [Source: ISTAT].
In the first quarter of 2024, Italian exports of wine and food to the USA grew by 18% compared to the same period in 2023, with sales of extra virgin olive oil rising by 76%, vinegar +34.6%, cured meats and sausages +29.2%. An export trend that bodes well for the rest of 2024.
Another encouraging figure is the number of Italian food specialty producers registered with the FDA [remember that FDA registration is the first step to exporting food products to the American market]. By the end of the first quarter of 2024, there were 11,329 Italian companies registered, a 27% increase compared to the end of 2019. This is an encouraging figure that demonstrates the commercial efforts made by Italian exporters to enter the American food specialties market.
Update as of May 6, 2024
With a total export value to the USA of 72.9 billion dollars (+5.5% on 2022), Italy ranks twelfth in the global partnership ranking of the country and fourth at the European level.
We know very well how important the agri-food supply chain is for the country's competitiveness abroad: 526 Dop and Igp wines and 5547 traditional products make the Made in Italy Food & Beverage market a symbol of uniqueness and excellence. It is no wonder that Italian cuisine is at the top of American consumers' preferences: 92% of them have a very favorable opinion of it, and 80% cook Italian at home at least once a month [Source: American Perceptions of Italian Cuisine, BVA BDRC & Italianfood.net].
Food and beverage exports have reached 6.6 billion [Sources: Agenzia ICE, Istat]. The most requested products are still wine, evo oil, dry pasta, and sauces (sauces and fish preserves). The economic role of the wine sector for Italy and its commercial counterpart is immense if you consider that this product category alone holds a 26% share of the F&B export to the United States.
The American states with the highest imports of Food and Beverage
| State | Import F&B | CAGR 19/23 |
|---|---|---|
| California | $14.7 B | +5.7% |
| New Jersey | $13.4 B | +8.4% |
| Illinois | $10.9 B | +10.5% |
| Texas | $9.2 B | +14.4% |
| New York | $7.5 B | +4.1% |
| Florida | $7.1 B | +11.5% |
| Pennsylvania | $4.0 B | +12.3% |
[Source: U.S. Census Bureau]
Update as of October 5, 2023
Italian cuisine ranks second among the favorite cuisines of Americans, and export numbers confirm this trend.
Agri-food exports to the United States grew by 3% in 2023, for a total value of 2.1 billion euros, an increase compared to the same half of 2022.
In the first quarter of the current year, the value of wine exports from Italy to the USA increased by 3.9%, while other top-selling products are pasta, with a record increase of 31%, olive oil (+11%) and cheeses (+11%).
Update as of March 28, 2022
With the end of US tariffs, the Italian agri-food sector has grown strongly after the pandemic. In 2021, exports of Italian food products to the United States reached a +20% growth over 2019, a figure that confirms the positive trend of Made in Italy food recorded in the 2019-2020 period. The end of US tariffs until 2026 will allow the Italian food sector to achieve significant gains from food trade with the American market.
The best-selling food specialties in the United States in 2020 were those destined for home consumption, such as pasta (+15.5%), tomato preserves (+12.2%), and olive oil (+6.4%). The 2021 reopenings in the restaurant sector have accelerated the growth of segments related to out-of-home consumption, in restaurants or bars: the boom in exports is led by wine, which represents 22% of Italian Food & Beverage exports to the United States and is worth 1.7 billion.
Update as of August 5, 2020
data in millions of dollars
source: ISTAT
| 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |||
| FOOD SPECIALTIES | 2658 | 2692 | +1.26% | 3029 | 12.51% |
| BEVERAGES AND WINE | 2171 | 2344 | +7.96% | 2552 | +8.91% |
| TOTAL | 4829 | 5036 | +4.27% | 5581 | +10.83% |
In addition to export data from Italy, we note that in the April/May 2020 two-month period, sales of pasta and bakery products [including sweets] in the American market increased by over 60% compared to the same two-month period in 2019. The data refers to the total sales of pasta and bakery products, both imported [from all countries and therefore not only from Italy] and produced internally by American manufacturers.
In the second quarter of 2020, moreover, online sales of food products in America recorded by Amazon TRIPLED. Another sign of the drastic change in American consumers' eating habits and purchasing patterns. Ecommerce, in fact, reached a penetration of 33% in June 2020 [the figure refers to total retail sales in the USA. [Source: US Census Bureau]
Beyond the numerical data itself, what is important to note is the change in the consumption model of food products in the American market: a unique opportunity for Italian food products.
Sales of food specialties in the United States increased by 1.8% in December 2017 compared to November 2016]
Total sales of food products in America for 2017 compared to 2016 grew by 2.0% and exceeded 700 billion dollars.
For the first time, sales of food by specialty stores increased more than those by supermarkets.
The turnover of coffee, bars, and restaurants in the United States for 2017 was nearly 700 billion dollars.
In the last 10 years, there has been a strong shift towards less processed, more natural, organic, less "industrialized" foods.
This trend has favored and continues to favor the sale of Italian food products: from wine to oil, to pasta, to preserves, sauces, jams, and honey... the American consumer has realized that Made in Italy food is "good".
It is a huge opportunity for Italian companies wanting to export food to America. As always, one must deal with distribution: sophisticated, highly segmented, strongly consumer-oriented in a food product marketing perspective.
In the United States, marketing, as for all other consumer products, is crucial even for selling food products. And here lies the risk for the Italian producer used to dealing with a more homogeneous and less sophisticated distribution.
Due to our experience and market position in New York, we are able to find the most suitable distribution channel for your product and the most suitable food importer/distributor for your company. With our office in Rimini, we can closely support our client companies that want to export to the United States.
ExportUSA takes care of ensuring that your products adhere to FDA standards. We make sure that all food products, cosmetics, medical devices, and dietary supplements comply with FDA regulations.
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