Cheese importer Gellert Global Group sues over Canadian tariffs

New Jersey cheese importer Gellert Global Group has filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration over its tariffs on Canadian goods, Food Navigator reported. The family-owned business is contesting the administration's use of Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930. The administration used the provision to enact a 50 percent tariff on over 20 billion dollars worth of imports from Canada. [1]

The legal action by Gellert Global Group follows a similar lawsuit previously launched by spice importer Burlap and Barrel, according to Food Navigator. Gellert Global Group argues that the president improperly invoked the seldom-used 1930 trade provision to penalize incoming food products. [1]

The lawsuit comes after Donald Trump enacted broad trade measures during his second presidential term. During his first administration, Trump promoted foreign tariffs to counter perceived unfair trade practices. Between January and April 2025, the average effective United States tariff rate climbed from 2.5 percent to an estimated 27 percent. [1][3][4]

By July 21, 2026, legal adjustments, negotiations, and rulings by the Supreme Court of the United States reduced the average effective tariff rate to 12.1 percent. Gellert Global Group joins an expanding list of commercial firms taking the federal government to court to challenge the lawfulness of the trade penalties. [1][3]