USA
Italy trade laneItaly's confectionery and food industry runs on nuts: almonds for torrone, amaretti, pastries and almond drinks, and pistachios for gelato, creams, spreads and bakery. California supplies a large share of both, and Italian importers, processors and distributors buy from US handlers by the container.
What makes or breaks a shipment is the EU's control of aflatoxins, the mould toxins it limits tightly in nuts. AGF handles the US side — booking, documents and the export filing from California ports — and works through WCA partner agents and licensed customs representatives in Italy; AGF has no office there.
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Shipping Almonds & Pistachios from USA to Italy
Almonds and pistachios ship in dry 20ft or 40ft containers, in cartons or one-tonne bulk bags on pallets, mostly from Oakland or Los Angeles/Long Beach. They are dense enough that weight rather than space often sets the load, so we plan from the handler's packing list and weights. Moisture is the enemy: condensation on a long crossing can wet cartons and encourage mould, so containers are checked for dryness before loading, many shippers add desiccants, and some buyers specify reefer for summer sailings.
Ship direct. From California, containers either sail via the Panama Canal to Genoa, La Spezia, Livorno or Salerno or move by rail to an East Coast port first; we compare both and confirm the transit for your sailing at booking. Route direct from the US: since February 2026, US pistachios dispatched to the EU via Türkiye have faced aflatoxin checks on half of all consignments.
- Dry 20ft or 40ft containers; cartons or bulk bags on pallets
- Container dryness checked before loading; desiccants or reefer for summer crossings
- USDA pre-export check certificate for almonds, recognised by the EU
- Lot numbers on every carton matched to the documents for EU sampling
What Drives the Cost
- Weight and packing — cartons or bulk bags, and how close the load gets to the payload limit
- Reefer or extra moisture protection for summer crossings
- Aflatoxin testing at origin and the pre-export check certificate for almonds
- EU duty on the nut line, and whether the 2026 EU–US tariff-rate quotas apply — confirmed at quoting
- Italian import IVA at the rate for the product, recoverable for VAT-registered buyers
- Port storage and laboratory costs if a consignment is selected for sampling
HS Codes and Duty Notes
Classification guidance only — duty rates change and depend on your exact product. Codes are confirmed with the licensed customs representative at destination before you ship.
| HS Code | Products | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0802.11 / 0802.12 | Almonds, in shell and shelled | EU maximum aflatoxin levels apply, stricter for nuts sold for direct consumption than for nuts to be sorted or processed first. Duty and any tariff-quota access under the 2026 EU–US arrangements confirmed in TARIC at quoting. |
| 0802.51 / 0802.52 | Pistachios, in shell and shelled | The same aflatoxin framework. Shipped direct from the US, pistachios were not on the EU's increased-checks list at its January 2026 revision; dispatched via Türkiye, they face 50% checks. |
| 2008.19 / 2007 | Roasted, salted or otherwise prepared nuts; nut pastes and creams | Prepared nuts and pistachio pastes sit in different lines from raw nuts, with their own duty and, for some origins, their own control frequencies. |
Regulations and Compliance
EU aflatoxin limits
The EU sets maximum levels for aflatoxin B1 and total aflatoxins in almonds and pistachios under Regulation (EU) 2023/915, with tighter limits for nuts sold for direct human consumption than for nuts that will be sorted or otherwise treated first. Sampling and analysis follow EU methods, so lots must be uniform and identifiable — cartons mixed in from another lot can condemn a consignment. A lot that fails is refused entry, and border rejections are published through the EU's RASFF alert system.
USDA pre-export checks for almonds
The EU has approved the pre-export check programme for US almonds, run with USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service: lots are sampled and tested for aflatoxins in the US, and a certificate travels with the shipment. A valid certificate means the EU recognises the US testing and keeps border sampling low; without it, the importer relies on its own testing and the border authorities' sampling.
Border controls and the increased-checks list
The EU keeps a list of foods from specific origins that face increased border checks, revised roughly twice a year. At its January 2026 revision, US almonds and pistachios shipped direct were not on it, while US pistachios dispatched via Türkiye were set at a 50% check frequency from February 2026. Any consignment can still be sampled at random, and we check the current list before each booking.
Importer requirements in Italy
The Italian importer must be a registered food business operator, and the goods must meet EU rules on pesticide residues, Italian labelling for retail packs and traceability — the lot numbers on the cartons must match the documents. A licensed customs representative lodges the declaration, and the Ministry of Health's border offices (USMAF) may sample the goods at the port before release.
Moisture and quality in transit
Aflatoxins are produced by moulds that thrive on moisture. Shipping nuts at the right moisture content, in dry, clean containers protected against condensation, protects the lot from deteriorating between the US test and the EU sample — it is not only about appearance.
Door-to-Door Shipping Service
We book from the handler's port — Oakland or Los Angeles/Long Beach for most California nuts — with containers checked for dryness, and make sure the pre-export check certificate or test results, the commercial invoice, a packing list with lot numbers and any proof of origin needed for a tariff-quota claim travel with the goods. The export filing is completed before loading.
In Italy, our WCA partner agent coordinates discharge and a licensed customs representative clears the goods, presenting them for any health-authority sampling. Delivery follows to your warehouse or plant, with storage at a partner warehouse if you are drawing down a large lot.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the EU aflatoxin limits for almonds and pistachios?
Are US almonds checked for aflatoxin at the EU border?
How do you ship almonds from California to Italy?
Is there import duty on US almonds and pistachios in the EU?
Almonds & Pistachios is just one example. AGF ships whatever your business moves — on this lane and beyond. If your commodity isn't covered by one of our guides, tell us what you ship and we'll build the logistics around it.
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