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Wed, 28 Oct 2026

Wed, 28 Oct 2026 Restaurants sceptical over 'garlic and gherkins' plan

Import tariffs on more than 100 items - including garlic, gherkins and plant-based milk - are being removed.

* Morgan Austin, operations manager at Burgerism, said she would have liked to see a VAT reduction and more significant support for hospitality businesses.
* Hassan Zahid, owner of Fuego 1987, believes reducing tariffs on raw products such as meat or chicken would be more effective than the announced measures.
* Gavin Williams, co-owner of Mattina coffee shop, said that while his business uses plant-based milk, the tariff changes will not benefit him because his suppliers are UK-based and therefore exempt from import tariffs.
* Some business owners have questioned how much difference the removal of import tariffs on dozens of items will make to their businesses, suggesting that VAT cuts or moves to make it cheaper for them to employ staff would have been better.