Where the US imports its food from
Mexico is the largest supplier of food and farm products to the US, followed by Canada and the European Union. Between 2021 and 2025 these three supplied almost 58% of all US agricultural imports. Mexico averaged $43.8 billion a year, Canada $37.8 billion and the EU $34.0 billion. South America, led by Brazil, Colombia and Peru, averaged $23.3 billion [1].
Each of the big suppliers sells the US something different [1]:
- Mexico supplies roughly a third of US horticultural imports: fresh fruit and vegetables, and alcoholic drinks.
- Canada is a large supplier of baked goods and other processed foods, meat, vegetable oils and vegetables.
- The EU’s sales are mostly high-value products such as wine, spirits and essential oils.
- South American countries mostly supply fruit, vegetables, coffee and other tropical products with a seasonal or climate advantage.
In 2024 the US imported $213 billion of agricultural products from 184 countries and territories, and 76% of that came from the top 10 suppliers. Mexico has been the largest single supplier since 2016, when it overtook Canada [2].
Top US food imports by country of origin
The infographic on this page, by Julie Peasley for Visual Capitalist, takes a different angle. Rather than ranking countries, it names the single largest supplier for each familiar grocery item, using 2020 data from the Chatham House Resource Trade Database [3][4]. The biggest single-country flows that year were:
| Food | Top supplying country | US imports from that country, 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Tomatoes | Mexico | $2.5 billion |
| Avocados | Mexico | $2.1 billion |
| Frozen shrimp and prawns | India | $1.9 billion |
| Fresh peppers | Mexico | $1.4 billion |
| Fresh boneless beef | Canada | $1.4 billion |
| Fresh fish fillets | Chile | $1.4 billion |
| Refined canola (rapeseed) oil | Canada | $1.4 billion |
| Bananas | Guatemala | $1.0 billion |
| Unroasted coffee | Colombia | $1.0 billion |
| Shelled cashews | Vietnam | $960 million |
| Frozen boneless beef | New Zealand | $839 million |
| Cocoa beans and paste | Côte d’Ivoire | $778 million |
| Raw and refined sugar | Mexico | $723 million |
| Rice | Thailand | $713 million |
| Cheese | Italy | $310 million |
The US tomato trade with Mexico alone was 31% of world tomato trade in 2020 [3]. Of the 70 foods in the graphic, Mexico is the top source for 20 and Canada for 14. The rest come from a long list of countries, mostly for tropical crops (coffee from Colombia, cocoa from Côte d’Ivoire, vanilla from Madagascar), seafood from Asia and South America, and European specialities such as Italian cheese and Spanish olive oil [3].
How much food the US imports
US agricultural imports have grown steadily, from $43 billion in 2001 to $212 billion in 2025 [5]. That includes food, drink and other farm products such as tobacco and cut flowers, but not seafood, which is counted separately: the US imported another $25 billion of seafood in 2024 [2].
| Year | US agricultural imports |
|---|---|
| 2001 | $43 billion [5] |
| 2020 | About $148 billion [3] |
| 2022 | $194 billion [3] |
| 2024 | $213 billion [2] |
| 2025 | $212 billion [5] |
Almost all of it, about 98% by value, is high-value products rather than bulk commodities. Horticultural products (fruit, vegetables, alcoholic drinks, essential oils and cut flowers) made up 45% of US agricultural imports in 2025, and sugar and tropical products such as coffee, cocoa and spices about 19% [5]. Fruit and fruit products were the largest single group in 2024, at $29.1 billion [2].
The US now imports more farm products than it exports. Agricultural exports were $171.5 billion in 2025, against $212 billion of imports [5].
Why the US imports so much food
The US is one of the world’s largest food producers, so most imports aren’t about a shortage of food. The main reasons are:
- Climate. Bananas, coffee, cocoa, vanilla and most pineapples can’t be grown at scale in the continental US. Only 0.2% of the coffee Americans drink is grown domestically, in Hawaii and Puerto Rico [2].
- Seasons. Shoppers expect berries, tomatoes and peppers all year. When US harvests are out of season, imports fill the gap, for example blueberries from Peru in the winter months [2].
- Cost. Labour-heavy crops such as fresh produce are cheaper to grow in countries with lower wages, and US growers pay much higher wages than many of their foreign competitors [2].
- Choice. Higher incomes mean Americans buy foods for taste and variety, such as Italian cheese, Irish butter and Swiss coffee, not just for need [2].
Which foods depend most on imports
For some foods, imports are a large share of what Americans eat. Between 2011 and 2021, imports made up about 44% of the fruit and nuts and 35% of the vegetables consumed in the US [3]. Seafood is even more import dependent: the US imports an estimated 70 to 85% of the seafood it eats, and in 2020 it accounted for 15% of world seafood imports, worth $21.8 billion [3]. Tropical crops such as coffee and bananas are almost all imported, because they can only be grown on a small scale in places like Hawaii, Puerto Rico and southern Florida [2].
Other foods on the list are ones the US produces in large amounts but still imports, because of geography or trade patterns. Canada is the largest source of imported fresh beef, pork, wheat and oats, and the US takes more than 70% of Canada’s beef exports [3].
How US food imports have changed since 2020
The infographic shows 2020, and the totals have grown by more than 40% since then, from about $148 billion to $212 billion in 2025 [3][5]. The pattern of suppliers has stayed much the same: Mexico, Canada and the EU are still the top three, and Mexico is still the main source of fresh produce [1]. Individual figures in the graphic, such as the $2.5 billion of Mexican tomatoes, will now be higher or lower, so use them as a picture of where foods come from rather than current values.
Questions about US food imports by country
Which country exports the most food to the US?
Mexico. It averaged $43.8 billion a year of agricultural sales to the US between 2021 and 2025, ahead of Canada at $37.8 billion and the EU at $34.0 billion [1].
How much of America’s food is imported?
It depends on the food. Imports supplied about 44% of the fruit and nuts and 35% of the vegetables Americans ate between 2011 and 2021, and an estimated 70 to 85% of seafood [3]. For grains, meat and dairy the US produces most of what it eats.
What foods does the US import the most?
By value, fruit and fruit products are the largest category, at $29.1 billion in 2024, followed by vegetables [2]. The biggest single flows in 2020 were Mexican tomatoes and avocados and frozen shrimp from India [3].
Does the US import more food than it exports?
Yes, in value. In 2025 the US exported $171.5 billion of agricultural products and imported $212 billion [5].
Where does the US import its seafood from?
Canada was the largest source of US seafood imports in 2020, at $3.1 billion, mostly lobster, crab and whole fish. Chile was second at $2.1 billion, and India was the top source of frozen shrimp [3].
Sources
- USDA Economic Research Service, The two largest suppliers of U.S. agricultural imports are Mexico and Canada, followed by the European Union, 30 June 2026.
- American Farm Bureau Federation, Agricultural Imports 101, May 2025.
- Visual Capitalist, Top U.S. Food Imports by Origin Country, by Julie R. Peasley, 9 August 2023.
- Chatham House, Resource Trade Database.
- USDA Economic Research Service, U.S. Agricultural Trade at a Glance, updated 28 September 2026.
Last reviewed 6 November 2026
