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Mushrooms and truffles are flavorful ingredients found in many popular dishes around America. From small-town diners to upscale restaurants, you’ll find high demand for edible fungi of all kinds.
Key Takeaways:
Our guide, backed by the knowledge and experience of our customs brokers, provides you with everything you need to know to successfully import mushrooms and truffles to the U.S.
Our food import specialists can evaluate your situation to ensure your mushroom import is secure.
Get help today.
Yes, truffles can be brought into the United States with few specific import requirements. Truffles and gourmet cooking go hand in hand, and this particular delicacy has been in high-demand since ancient Greek and Roman times.
Since the most sought after truffles come from Italy, France, and Spain, these are the main export markets you’ll want to look into.
Despite mushrooms and truffles both being part of the fungi family, there are slightly different requirements when it comes to importing them. When imported as food, you will be required to file Prior Notice with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Related: FDA Customs Clearance
Outside of FDA requirements, it’s the potential for growth and propagation that will determine which other regulations you’ll need to follow.
It’s possible to import mushrooms as a plant and as food.
Importing mushrooms as plants means being subject to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
Due to the potential risks associated with certain mushrooms, it’s best to submit an APHIS PPQ Form 526 ahead of time. This permit is designed to provide advance notice to APHIS and provide as much detail as possible regarding the shipment.
The form has the added benefit of aiding transportation within the U.S. when crossing from one state into the next.
You’ll need to be extra careful of the soil that might be shipped along with your mushroom plant imports. Soil can carry all kinds of pests and if present, it must have been properly heat treated or fumigated to ensure it’s safe for entry.
If you intend to import mushrooms for resale and public consumption, they’ll be subject to FDA requirements and inspection, as mentioned earlier. However, they won’t need to have an APHIS PPQ 526 form provided they’re free of potential contaminants, such as soil or wood chips.
If you are unsure, I’d recommend you speak with a licensed customs broker who can help. Fresh mushrooms only stay good for so long, so any delay in entry can greatly impact the product.
Truffles are classified as tubers, and despite their high-value, are actually easier to import than mushrooms. The USDA has classified truffles as a non-propagative plant product.
No matter how many truffles you bring in, you won’t need an APHIS PPQ 526 form or any other kind of phytosanitary certificate.
Simply put, just because you have one complete truffle, doesn’t mean you’ll get more by planting it in the ground. Truffles just don’t work that way, which is one of the things that makes them so valuable.
So long as you are adhering to standard FDA import regulations, and ensuring your imported truffles are free of any contaminated soil, the process is smooth. There’s not even restrictions on where truffles can come from (granted, they can only grow in a limited number of regions).
If you really want to try growing truffles in the U.S., you’ll need to import a tree whose roots have been inoculated with truffle spores. At that point, you would need to follow a different set of regulations specific to importing plants and trees.
Related: Importing Plants to the United States
Our food import specialists can evaluate your situation to ensure your mushroom import is secure.
Get help today.
When an item is imported into the country, an import duty is levied by CBP based on the product’s Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) code.
In most cases, additional customs fees are applied to import duties and tariffs. These can come from a Partner Government Agency (PGA) such as the FDA, which serves as an additional regulating body alongside CBP.
In relation to mushrooms and truffles, there are a number of factors that determine the HTS
code, and ultimately the import duties.
These factors include:
Although there are different species and varieties of truffles, the current HTS descriptions do not distinguish between them. The import duty on French Black Truffles and Italian White Truffles is the same.
To narrow it down, duty rates for mushrooms and truffles can be found under the following HTS base codes:
The majority of the import duties levied against both products is based on a combination of weight in kilograms and percentage of value.
Mushroom values can fluctuate significantly. Many common varieties will never go above $20 or $30 per pound. Others, like the Matsutake mushroom from Japan, can be valued at over $2,000 per pound.
On the other hand, truffle values are always high. No matter what type of truffle you’re importing, expect to calculate your duty based on values that can go as high as $4,000 per pound or more, and rarely dip below $600.
One of the biggest challenges in importing mushrooms and truffles is applying the correct HTS Code.
Over 15 different HTS codes exist that can be applied to mushrooms and truffles in various forms. Matching exact descriptions is going to save you both time and money.
To learn more about finding the right code for your product, check out our HTS Code article.
Once your HTS codes are confirmed, it’s also best to go ahead and figure out your expedited shipping needs. Fresh truffles have a limited shelf life and can become inedible within two weeks of being dug up. Mushrooms aren’t much better. As products that are notoriously difficult to store and ship in their fresh state, timing is critical.
If there is a need for additional inspections made at the time of import, delays can prove disastrous.
Furthermore, the FDA and USDA protocols for importing mushrooms and truffles for consumption must be followed.
Their guidelines for canned, dried, and organic products must be followed to safeguard the public from contamination and illness. There are many procedures to follow and paperwork to submit to the administration. Any errors can lead to delays and further costs.
Another food delicacy, saffron, faces many similar strict importing requirements. To learn about this process, read our guide on importing saffron to the U.S.
Due to the various regulations and short timeframes around the importation of mushrooms and truffles, you could be at risk for fines and higher import duties if your products are not shipped correctly. Partnering with an experienced and knowledgeable customs broker removes this possibility.
A customs broker will work with you from the start to ensure your shipment is verified, adheres to the FDA’s strict regulations, and is labeled with the correct HTS codes.
Our customs brokers have the ability to obtain a tariff classification ruling for you. This is an official ruling from CBP that confirms the HTS code of your product before it’s imported. Getting this ruling is extremely valuable as it eliminates any possibility that your product is incorrectly classified.
Our licensed customs brokers are ready to handle all of your importing needs. We offer a full range of customs brokerage services designed to make importing simple and easy.
You won’t need to worry if your shipment will encounter any issues at the border when you work with our team.
Request a customs brokerage quote or schedule your import consulting session today. Our experts are ready to help you. You can also give us a call at (855) 912-0406 if you have a direct question.
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Looking to import truffles from France