President Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico are going to affect everything American consumers buy, from cars to lumber to produce. Food wholesalers in Los Angeles are bracing for the hit.
“We're pretty concerned here because 80% of our inventory comes from Mexico, so that's an extra tariff that we gotta pay,” said Monse Maldonado at Gomez Produce and Dairy.
Maldonado told KNX News’ Karen Adams that the price per pound for cheese imported from Mexico is slated to rise by 30 cents. As the tariffs settle in, she expects to see prices go up even more, especially for things like avocados, which are already unusually expensive.
Maldonado said the presence of ICE agents in L.A. is also affecting business, since many of their customers are Latino.
“So compared to a couple of months back or a year ago, the sales for February were not, January were not as well,” she said.
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Maldonado says the tariffs are going to sting, but she believes everyone will settle into the new status quo.
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