Spain
USA trade laneSpain is the world's largest producer of table olives, and its preserved-food tradition fills US specialty shelves: Manzanilla and Gordal olives from Andalusia; tinned bonito, sardines, anchovies, mussels and octopus from Galicia and the Cantabrian coast; and piquillo peppers, asparagus and artichokes from Navarra and La Rioja.
Two rules make or break this trade. Spanish ripe olives carry US antidumping and countervailing duties, and canned and jarred foods need FDA canning registrations and process filings before they can enter. AGF ships Spanish preserved foods through WCA partner agents in Spain — AGF has no office there — with the scope and FDA checks done before booking and the entry filed by our licensed customs brokers.
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Shipping Olives & Preserved Foods from Spain to USA
Cans and jars ship palletized in dry containers, often as mixed consolidations from several producers for a specialty distributor. This is weight cargo — glass and canned product reach US road limits before the container is full — and jars need edge protection and tight stowage. From Valencia, Algeciras or Bilbao, ocean transit to the US East Coast takes roughly 10–16 days and 25–30 days to the West Coast.
Most shelf-stable conservas tolerate ambient shipping, but a dry container on a hot quay in high summer can stress olives in brine and damage labels and seals, so an insulated liner or a reefer is worth considering for premium product in July and August. Bulk olives — brined fruit in drums or IBCs for US packers — are a separate trade and need their own scope review.
- Palletized cans and jars, weight-planned to US road limits
- Mixed-producer consolidation for specialty distributors
- Liner or reefer for premium product in high summer
- Bulk brined olives in drums or IBCs for US repacking
What Drives the Cost
- AD/CVD cash deposits on ripe olives, set per producer
- Duty by product — tuna in oil carries a high base rate; most other lines are topped up to 10% in total under the Section 301 measure on EU goods
- Consolidation across producers and regions
- Weight utilization for glass and cans
- FDA holds for missing canning registrations or process filings
- Seasonal temperature protection
HS Codes and Duty Notes
Classification guidance only — duty rates change and depend on your exact product. Our licensed customs brokers verify every code before you commit to an order.
| HS Code | Products | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2005.70 | Olives prepared or preserved, not frozen — table olives in brine, pitted, stuffed or sliced | Ripe olives from Spain under these lines are subject to the AD/CVD orders; specialty olives that meet the scope exclusion are not. Scope turns on the processing method, not the tariff line. |
| 1604 | Prepared or preserved fish — tuna and bonito, sardines, anchovies | Tuna in oil carries a high base duty, and tuna not in oil is under a tariff-rate quota. Tuna also needs NOAA documentation. |
| 1605 | Prepared or preserved molluscs — mussels, octopus, squid, clams | Seafood HACCP and the FDA canning rules apply; the duty line depends on the species and preparation. |
| 2005.60 / 2005.99 / 2001 | Asparagus, peppers, artichokes and other preserved vegetables; vegetables preserved in vinegar | Piquillo peppers and artichokes usually fall in 2005; guindillas and other vegetables pickled in vinegar fall in 2001. |
Regulations and Compliance
Antidumping and countervailing duties on ripe olives
Ripe olives from Spain have been under US antidumping and countervailing duty orders since 2018, continued after a 2024 sunset review. The orders cover ripe olives in all colors, shapes and sizes — whole, pitted, sliced or chopped — and exclude specialty olives such as Spanish-style and Sicilian-style olives that are processed by fermentation only, or cured in an alkaline solution for no more than 12 hours and then fermented, as well as provisionally prepared olives unsuitable for immediate consumption. Rates are company-specific, are reset in annual administrative reviews, and are paid as cash deposits at entry. Get the producer's processing description in writing and have the scope checked before you order.
FDA canning rules: LACF and acidified foods
Shelf-stable canned and jarred foods that are low-acid (most canned fish and vegetables, and ripe olives) or acidified (many pickled peppers and vegetables) fall under FDA's canning rules. The producing plant must hold a Food Canning Establishment registration, and each product, process and container size must have a process filing on record with FDA before it ships. Whether a product counts as low-acid or acidified depends on its pH and how it is preserved, and the producer's process authority settles it. Shipments without valid filings are detained.
FDA registration, Prior Notice and FSVP
Every producer must also hold a regular FDA food facility registration — renewed in the October–December window of even-numbered years, including 2026 — each shipment needs Prior Notice, and the importer must run a Foreign Supplier Verification Program. Retail labels need US-format nutrition facts, allergens and net quantity.
Seafood: HACCP, tuna documentation and the MMPA
Imported seafood must come from processors operating under seafood HACCP, and the importer must verify it. Tuna products need NOAA's Fisheries Certificate of Origin and fall under NOAA's Seafood Import Monitoring Program, which requires the importer to hold an International Fisheries Trade Permit. Since 1 January 2026, fish from fisheries without a NOAA comparability finding under the Marine Mammal Protection Act cannot be imported, so the fishery behind each product is checked before ordering.
Other tariffs, and what this guide does not cover
Most other Spanish preserved foods pay their normal duty topped up to 10% in total under the Section 301 measure on EU goods in force since 24 July 2026 — confirmed per line at quoting. Cured meats such as jamón and chorizo fall under a separate USDA regime and are not covered here; olive oil and wine have their own guides.
Door-to-Door Import Service
We start with the product list and the producers: the olive processing method for the AD/CVD scope, the canning registration and process filings for canned and jarred products, and the fishery and NOAA documents for tuna and other seafood. Our partner agents in Spain then consolidate pallets from several producers and load at Valencia, Algeciras or Bilbao, with temperature protection in high summer.
Prior Notice is filed before arrival, and our licensed customs brokers file the entry with the FDA canning data, any AD/CVD cash deposits and the NOAA documents. Partner carriers deliver to your warehouse or distributor, or to a partner warehouse for staged distribution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there tariffs on olives from Spain?
Which olives are covered by the antidumping duty?
Do canned foods need FDA registration?
Can I import canned tuna from Spain?
Olives & Preserved Foods 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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