Will Trump's Tariffs On Tomatoes Cost Republicans Texas?

Texans, accustomed to free salsa and chips, are seeing the restaurant appetizer disappear.
Will Trump's Tariffs On Tomatoes Cost Republicans Texas?
Credit: Twitter/Wikipedia
By Ed Scarce — October 4, 2026

With tomatoes now going for around $80 a box, free chips and salsa may soon be a thing of the past at all Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants. With the cost of living crisis, the fuel crisis, and everything else, this might be too much for Texans.

Source: Houston Public Media

Free chips and salsa at Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants could soon be a casualty of President Donald Trump's trade war with Mexico.

The administration's tariffs on Mexican tomato exports are making the traditional appetizer too costly for restaurants to just give away.

The Trump administration imposed a 17% tariff on Mexican tomatoes in July 2025, ostensibly with the aim of protecting U.S. farmers from foreign competition and boosting domestic production. Mexico accounts for roughly 90% of the tomatoes the U.S. has imported since 2015, worth more than $3 billion, according to a study by Texas A&M University AgriLife Extension Service.

Grocery stores and restaurants were initially able to absorb the higher costs rather than passing them on to consumers. But then, bad weather in Mexico and Florida reduced supplies, and tomato prices jumped to their highest level in two decades.

"As a result, we saw the fresh tomato market jumped to about $80 a box," said Dante Galeazzi, president of the Texas International Produce Association. "We saw, as American consumers, that there was a point in late April and almost the entire month of May, where grocery stores were not carrying tomatoes. So that’s a clear reflection of price elasticity where the buyers just say, ‘You know what? We’re not going to participate.'"

Restaurants have held out a few months longer, in large part because customers have become accustomed to free chips and salsa. But food costs overall have spiked roughly 35% over the past two years, in part due to the tariffs.

The Senate race is one thing, but the Governor's race is not something anyone expected.

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