Trump tariff threat to hit kitchen tables first

President Trump threatened to impose 5 percent tariffs on all goods imported to the US from Mexico Thursday and those effects would affect borderland dinner tables first.

The president’s latest tariff threat will have American customers paying the price difference as the increased cost of goods keeps getting passed down the chain to the last buyer.

ABC-7 spoke to Quality Fruit and Vegetable Co., the largest produce supplier to El Paso grocery stores, who said a good 70 percent of fruits and vegetables come from Mexico.

“We’re not paying the tariff. But what happens is that when we buy it from the shipper, that is on this side, it’s going to go up in price,” said Humberto Ureña, a manager at Quality Fruit and Veg.

Although it may take time for manufactured goods to go up in price food moves so fast it’ll be affected first.

“For food products we could see more immediate impacts. They will probably be manageable, but if we get up into the double digits, or up to the 25 percent maximum tariff by October, then we could see very large markups in terms of food prices at restaurants, grocery stores, and even convenience stores,” said Tom Fullerton, a UTEP economics professor.

The Mexican government has dispatched a negotiating team to Washington to speak with President Trump and address the situation before the tariffs are imposed.