From Oreos to Philadelphia cream cheese: These are the American goods that some Europeans are boycotting

Last month, just weeks after being inaugurated for a second term as US president, Donald Trump announced that imported goods made in the European Union would be subject to tariffs of around 25%.

For consumers in the old continent, that means that almost every product that you buy from the US - from Nike trainers to iPhones will be significantly more expensive in the near future.

American goods are already subject to customs charges - in Europe and the UK; VAT is charged and added to the price of products coming from the US. The standard VAT rate depends on the country where the goods are imported (Spain is 21 percent, Germany, 19 percent) and is also applied to shipping costs, which are already quite expensive.

For example, if someone in Barcelona orders a pair of Nike Air Max 90s with a retail price of $130, shipping will be $45, which takes the pre-tax total to $175. However, that total (goods plus P+P) will be subject to 21 percent VAT - an extra $35 in duties so at checkout, you will pay $205.

It’s not clear how these import duties will work in practice but if a product becomes 25 percent more expensive overnight then people will simply stop buying and look for a cheaper alternative, thus reducing demand for those goods.

Trump argues that he is just acting in his own country’s interests, to defend the economy from a European Union that he says, “Was formed in order to screw the United States. That’s the purpose of it. And they’ve done a good job of it.”

Of course, tariffs and embargoes are nothing new. In the postwar years, the British Board of Trade slapped an embargo on certain imported US goods and tariffs on goods produced outside the Empire were upwards of 40 percent.

Protectionist policies lead to higher prices for consumers but often benefit domestic producers by reducing foreign competition. There are potential downsides - the most common being other countries taking measures in retaliation. We’ve seen this already with Canada, China and Mexico threatening to impose similar tariffs on US imports.

There is also the consumers’ reaction. In some European countries, people have started to pass on products that are ‘Made in the USA’. The EU has counterattacked, promising higher tariffs on US brands of whiskey, beer, poultry, beef, soybeans, tomatoes and fruit.

US products being boycotted by European consumers

Moya O’Sullivan, a history and English teacher in Kilkenny, Ireland told CNN that she will be boycotting American products from now on. “I’m not buying Philadelphia cheese anymore. No more Oreos either.” Her personal protest extends to throwing out US-produced dental hygiene items: Oral-B toothpaste and Listerine mouthwash, while a Jack Daniel’s and Coke is now off the menu.

“It’s very disappointing to me to see that half of America would choose Trump,” O’Sullivan complains. “The Americans didn’t learn their lesson the first time. There unfortunately do need to be consequences.”

In England, another consumer is conducting his own private protest. Bristol postman James Blackledge says he’ll be bypassing McDonald’s for his morning coffee and adds that many of his friends “stopped buying US products when Trump was elected.”

So will US exports be hurt? It’s difficult to say at this early stage - the tariffs come into effect on 2 April. In the short term, it might raise revenue for the US government but in general, high tariffs are considered counterproductive by most economists. Sooner or later, we’ll see who are the winners and losers in Trump’s trade wars.

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