As part of its efforts to get the Biden administration to cut costly tariffs on some imports, a National Restaurant Association executive told a Senate subcommittee that prices certain foodstuffs and raw materials for equipment were already so high that tariffs restricting their importation needed to be scrapped.

Sean Kennedy, executive vice president of the association, sent a letter to the Finance Subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness detailing price rises from a year ago that are hurting small restaurant operators as well as large chains:

• eggs (average price up 259.9% from a year ago)
• butter (average price up 50% from a year ago)
• unprocessed fin fish (average price up 47.3% from a year ago)
• flour (average price up 36.7% from a year ago)
• fats and oils (average price up 32.5% from a year ago), and
• processed poultry (average price up 25.2% from a year ago)

While some tariffs on steel and aluminum, used in many kitchen components, have been reduced, Biden said tariffs on Chinese commodities and supplies would remain. Learn more in Restaurant Business.