UK tariff cuts on 100+ food imports draw mixed reception from restaurants
Treasury says scrapping import tariffs on garlic, gherkins and plant-based milk saves households about £21 a year, but some operators say the effect is limited.
The story in focus
The UK Treasury announced Budget measures removing import tariffs on more than 100 products, including garlic, gherkins and plant-based milk, which it says will save a typical household about £21 a year on food. BBC News reports that some restaurant and coffee-shop operators question how much the change will help their businesses.
- Treasury says tariff removal covers more than 100 products and saves a typical household about £21 a year on food
- Burgerism operations manager Morgan Austin welcomed the gherkin change but cited about £150,000 a year in added costs from minimum wage and employer National Insurance increases
- Fuego 1987's Hassan Zahid said the tariff changes would have a really minor impact and that raw-product tariffs such as meat or chicken would help more
- Mattina co-owner Gavin Williams said his plant-based milk suppliers are UK-based, so the tariff changes make no difference to his business
What the Budget measures cover
The Treasury said import tariffs would be removed from dozens of items, with garlic, gherkins and plant-based milk among more than 100 products affected. It estimated the change would save a typical household about £21 a year on its food bill.
BBC News reported that some businesses questioned the scale of the benefit, suggesting VAT cuts or measures to lower employment costs would have mattered more.
Operator responses
Morgan Austin, operations manager at burger chain Burgerism, which has six main locations and opened in Salford in 2018, said removing tariffs on gherkins was good news. She said minimum wage and employer National Insurance increases after the previous Budget had cost the chain about £150,000 a year, adding that such costs limit its ability to open sites and hire.
Hassan Zahid, who runs Manchester street-food business Fuego 1987, described the tariff changes as having a really minor impact. He said tariff reductions on raw products such as meat or chicken, used in bulk, would have helped more than reducing them on garlic.
Gavin Williams, co-owner of Mattina coffee shop in Salford, said the changes would not benefit his business because its plant-based milk suppliers are UK-based. He said the almond milk comes from Southport and the oat milk from Milton Keynes, and that reducing VAT would make a greater difference to independent hospitality businesses.
Timing
The measures were announced in the Budget and reported by BBC News on 28 October 2026. The source did not specify when the tariff removals take effect.
Why does Mattina's co-owner say the plant-based milk tariff change will not help his coffee shop?
Gavin Williams said Mattina's plant-based milk suppliers are UK-based, with almond milk from Southport and oat milk from Milton Keynes, so the imports are not subject to the tariffs being removed.
Sources & further reading
Help keep the record accurate. Send a correction.
