The European Union has finalized anti-dumping duties on Chinese pea protein imports, bringing to a close a year-long trade investigation that is set to reshape export dynamics for one of China's leading plant protein manufacturers. The final decision, published by the European Commission on July 10, imposes a 67.1 percent anti-dumping duty on products exported by Yantai Shuangta Food Co., Ltd. (Shuangta Food), slightly lower than the provisional tariff but significantly higher than the rate applied to several other Chinese exporters.
In a regulatory filing issued on July 14, Shuangta Food confirmed that the European Commission had adopted its final ruling following an investigation into allegations that Chinese producers were exporting pea protein to the European market at unfairly low prices, causing injury to domestic manufacturers.
The investigation was launched after the Ad Hoc Coalition of Union Pea Protein Producers petitioned the European Commission to examine imports of Chinese pea protein. The probe covered pea protein containing more than 65 percent protein on a dry weight basis, regardless of whether the product was manufactured from yellow or green peas, supplied in powder or liquid form, or sold as textured or non-textured protein.
The Commission examined imports during the dumping investigation period from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, while assessing market injury over a longer period beginning January 1, 2022, through the end of the investigation.
The final ruling largely confirms the Commission's earlier conclusions. Shuangta Food will now be subject to a 67.1 percent anti-dumping duty, compared with the 67.4 percent provisional duty announced in April. Other Chinese exporters will face duties of either 40.5 percent or 67.1 percent, depending on their individual assessment under the investigation.
The outcome marks a significant reduction from the Commission's initial disclosure in early April, when Shuangta Food had been notified of a proposed anti-dumping duty of 112.7 percent. That preliminary disclosure was subsequently revised in the official provisional ruling issued later that month, lowering the company's tariff to 67.4 percent before being marginally adjusted in the final determination.
The decision represents another escalation in trade scrutiny surrounding plant-based protein ingredients, an industry experiencing rapid global expansion as demand for alternative proteins continues to rise across food manufacturing, sports nutrition and meat alternatives. The European Union has increasingly intensified its use of trade defense measures to protect domestic producers amid growing imports from Asia.
For Shuangta Food, one of China's largest pea protein producers, the final duty is expected to influence the company's competitiveness in the European market, although the slightly lower final tariff compared with the provisional rate provides modest relief. The company did not indicate any immediate operational changes following the Commission's decision.
The ruling also underscores the increasingly complex regulatory landscape facing Chinese food ingredient exporters as international markets adopt stricter trade remedies alongside sustainability and supply chain requirements. With Europe remaining an important destination for plant-based protein products, exporters are likely to place greater emphasis on market diversification and value-added products to mitigate the impact of higher import duties.
