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US President Donald Trump has rolled back tariffs on several food imports, a move that could finally bring some relief to American shoppers — and give a boost to India’s mango, pomegranate and tea exports.

The White House said on Friday that tropical fruits, juices, tea and spices would no longer face reciprocal duties. The announcement also included coffee, cocoa, oranges, tomatoes and beef — a list that reflects how political the price of everyday food items has become in the US.

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Trump had earlier slapped a 25 per cent reciprocal tariff on Indian goods and added another 25 per cent penalty over India’s decision to buy Russian oil. But as food prices kept rising, the administration made small course corrections. One of them was exempting generic medicines — a big win for India, which supplies nearly half of all generics sold in the US.

Still, many of the earlier tariffs had already trickled down to supermarket shelves, pushing up prices. Democrats tapped into this frustration in recent elections in New York City, New Jersey and Virginia, framing the campaign around “affordability” — the struggle of ordinary households to keep up with their daily expenses.

While Trump has spent much of his time on foreign policy and trade battles, voters care more about the weekly grocery bill. In a foreign media poll this week, 63 per cent of registered voters said Trump hasn’t met expectations on handling the cost of living or the economy. Surprisingly, nearly a third of Republicans agreed.

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Trump brushed off the affordability narrative as a “complete con job,” pointing to cheaper petrol and energy and the much higher inflation peak under then president Joe Biden — at one point as high as 19.7 per cent.

Inflation may have settled to 3 per cent in September, but food isn’t getting cheaper. Roasted coffee is up nearly 19 per cent, beef and veal about 15 per cent, government data showed, as per IANS report. Indian grocery stores in the US are worse hit, reporting a roughly 30 per cent jump in the price of spices and imported Indian foods.

Mangoes, oddly enough, have long played a soft-diplomacy role in India–US relations. The US lifted a ban on Indian mangoes in 2006, a moment celebrated by then-president George W. Bush. Earlier this year, they even found a mention in the joint statement issued during Trump’s February visit to India. “India also expressed appreciation for US measures taken to enhance exports of Indian mangoes and pomegranates to the United States”, the statement said.