About 85 percent of the food and beverages Americans buy comes from the domestic supply chain. Direct imports account for roughly 15 percent of total U.S. food and beverage spending, with another 4 percent of the “domestic” share covering the cost of imported ingredients embedded in American-made products. That overall number, though, masks dramatic differences by food category. The U.S. is nearly self-sufficient in dairy and grain but relies heavily on other countries for seafood, fresh fruit, and tropical products like coffee.
The Domestic Backbone: Grains, Dairy, and Eggs
The U.S. produces far more grain than it consumes. In 2025, only about 18 percent of total corn production was exported, and 38 percent of soybeans left the country. The rest stayed domestic, though most corn and soybeans go to animal feed and industrial uses (like ethanol) rather than directly onto your plate. Wheat follows a similar pattern: the U.S. grows enough to feed itself and still be a major global exporter.
Dairy is overwhelmingly homegrown. Based on USDA projections, domestic milk production covers roughly 96 percent of total supply, with imports filling a small gap mostly in specialty cheeses and certain dairy ingredients. Eggs are even more domestically sourced, with imports projected at just 70 million dozen-equivalent in 2026 against domestic production of nearly 7.9 billion dozen.
Where the Big Farm States Are
Five states account for more than a third of all U.S. farm revenue. California leads at nearly 12 percent of gross farm receipts, driven by fruits, vegetables, nuts, and dairy. Iowa follows at 7.2 percent, dominated by corn and hogs. Texas contributes 6.5 percent with cattle, cotton, and a range of crops. Nebraska (6.1 percent) and Kansas (4.7 percent) round out the top five, both anchored by cattle and grain. Together, these five states generate over 36 percent of total U.S. farm income.
Fresh Produce: A Growing Import Story
Fresh fruits and vegetables are the category where imports matter most in your daily life. In 2023, 59 percent of U.S. fresh fruit availability came from imports, up from 50 percent in 2007. For fresh vegetables (excluding potatoes, sweet potatoes, and mushrooms), the import share jumped from 20 percent to 35 percent over the same period.
Mexico dominates this trade. It supplied 51 percent of U.S. fresh fruit imports and 69 percent of fresh vegetable imports by value in 2023. Canada added another 2 percent for fruit and 20 percent for vegetables. Chile, Peru, and Central American countries fill in much of the rest, particularly for items like berries, avocados, and citrus.
Seasonality is the main driver. Mexico’s growing seasons are partially opposite to those in the U.S., so Mexican produce arrives when American farms are dormant. Tomatoes illustrate this clearly: Mexico’s share of tomato shipments to the U.S. market hit 70 percent in January 2023 but dropped to 49 percent in August, when domestic growers were in full production. Blueberry imports from Mexico peak in March through May, then fall off sharply in summer when U.S. farms in states like Georgia and Florida are harvesting.
Seafood: Mostly From Overseas
The U.S. imports 70 to 85 percent of its seafood, according to NOAA Fisheries. More than half of that imported seafood comes from foreign fish farms rather than wild catch. Shrimp from Southeast Asia and Latin America, salmon from Chile and Canada, and tilapia from China and Indonesia make up large portions of what Americans eat. Domestic wild fisheries (Alaska pollock, Gulf shrimp, Atlantic lobster) and a smaller aquaculture sector supply the remainder.
Meat: Mostly Domestic With Notable Imports
The U.S. is one of the world’s largest meat producers, and most beef, pork, and poultry consumed here is raised domestically. The country is actually a net exporter of poultry. Still, significant quantities of beef come in from abroad. The top suppliers by volume are Canada, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, New Zealand, and Uruguay. These imports often consist of lean grass-fed beef used in ground beef blends and processed products, supplementing the fattier grain-fed beef produced domestically.
Tropical Products the U.S. Can’t Grow
Coffee, cocoa, bananas, and certain spices simply don’t grow at commercial scale in the continental U.S. (Hawaii produces small amounts of coffee and cocoa, but nowhere near enough to meet demand). About 80 percent of U.S. unroasted coffee imports come from Latin America, a trade valued at $4.8 billion in 2023. Brazil alone supplies 35 percent of that, with Colombia contributing 27 percent. Bananas arrive primarily from Guatemala, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Honduras. Cocoa comes largely from West Africa.
The Big Picture on Trade Partners
U.S. agricultural imports hit a record $219.4 billion in 2025. Mexico and Canada are by far the largest trading partners for food, reflecting both geography and trade agreements. Beyond North America, key suppliers include Brazil (coffee, beef, orange juice), Chile and Peru (berries, grapes, avocados), and Southeast Asian nations (seafood, processed foods, spices). USDA projections expect horticultural imports, particularly fruits, vegetables, and processed foods from Mexico and Southeast Asia, to keep growing through at least 2035.
The practical takeaway: your grains, dairy, eggs, and most of your meat come from American farms. Your winter tomatoes, year-round berries, morning coffee, and shrimp dinner almost certainly do not.