How to Navigate the Duty-Free Window and Capture the Lowest Costs in Years
The U.S. Department of Commerce has extended the temporary anti-dumping duties on erythritol through January 12, 2026 — the maximum 180-day period allowed. After that, the market enters a short but extraordinary phase: a fully duty-free corridor lasting until March 2, 2026, when the International Trade Commission reconvenes. For formulators, brands, and co-manufacturers that rely on erythritol, this creates one of the clearest cost-reduction opportunities we’ve seen in a decade.
Thom King, CFS, Food Scientist
Chief Innovations Officer, Icon Foods
A Rare Duty-Free Corridor: January 12 – March 2, 2026
During this ~50-day window, erythritol entering U.S. customs will face zero anti-dumping duties. Equally important, shipments that clear during this period will not be subject to retroactive duty collection. That combination, no duties in the moment, no claw backs later, is unprecedented.
For brands watching their input costs, this corridor represents a clean, predictable window to reduce COFS and secure strategic inventory at the lowest landed cost we are likely to see for the next 12–18 months.
How Icon Foods Has Prepared
We anticipated the tightening around erythritol earlier this year, and we’ve secured multi-source supply across several geographies to ensure continuity and pricing leverage. With disciplined planning, we can position significant volume for U.S. entry precisely within the duty-free window.
But doing this responsibly, without over-committing supply or exposing customers to price volatility, requires early alignment. To allocate volume efficiently, we will need:
- 2026 Blanket Purchase Orders for projected erythritol needs
- A financial commitment enabling us to hold inventory and secure production slots at origin
- Forecasted monthly draws, so we can stage containers, manage freight, and place inventory in our warehouse or 3PL network
This isn’t about tying anyone up. It’s about applying the discipline needed to navigate a volatile regulatory landscape and ensure your brand isn’t caught in the industry’s predictable last-minute scramble.
Why Acting Now Matters
If brands wait until January to plan, they’ll be competing with the entire industry for the same vessels, the same origin capacity, and the same duty-free customs clearances. We’ve seen this before: production jams up, freight constraints emerge, and prices spike.
Locking in your requirements now allows us to:
- Reserve manufacturing capacity before the surge
- Stage containers for entry during the duty-free window
- Lock in the most favorable erythritol pricing available in 2026
- Carry your inventory through Icon Foods warehouses and 3PLs at preferential rates
- Ensure predictable COFS during a year when unpredictability will be the norm
What looks like regulatory chaos becomes planned, strategic savings when we build the plan together.
Next Steps: Build Your 2026 Erythritol Strategy Now
If you can forecast your erythritol requirements — beverages, bars, confections, frozen desserts, keto applications, ready-to-drink items — now is the time to roll them into a blanket PO.
From that point forward, we handle everything:
- Procurement, production slots, logistics, freight timing, customs clearance, warehousing, and fulfillment.
- This duty-free window is a temporary gift. With the right planning, it becomes a competitive advantage.
- If you’re ready to build your 2026 erythritol strategy or need help modeling your usage, reach out. We’re already staging supply. Let’s put a plan in motion.
At the end of the day, this isn’t just about catching a temporary break in duties. It’s about being proactive instead of reactive, using insight and timing to turn a volatile global market into a strategic advantage for your formulations and your bottom line. We’ve built our entire model around helping brands stay ahead of regulatory shifts, supply-chain pinches, and cost surprises — and this duty-free window is exactly the kind of moment where that partnership pays off. Let’s move now, get your volume secured, and make sure you’re positioned to win in 2026.
Taste the Icon difference.
Contact us and order samples
