Petition Filed for New AD/CVD on Erythritol From China
A domestic producer recently filed a petition with the Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission requesting new antidumping and countervailing duties on erythritol from China. Commerce will now decide whether to begin AD/CVD investigations, which could result in the imposition of permanent AD/CVD orders and the assessment of AD and CVD on importers. Cargill Inc. requested the investigation.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
Cargill is a supplier of a variety of sweeteners, and describes erythritol as "one of Cargill’s polyol sweeteners [which] is sold under the brand of Zerose." Cargill states that it is the only known source of domestically produced erythritol.
Proposed Scope
The petition proposes the following scope for the investigations:
"The product within the scope of this investigation is erythritol, which is a sugar alcohol, commonly referred to as a polyol, typically produced by the fermentation of glucose using enzymes and yeast or yeast-like fungi (though the scope includes erythritol produced using any other feedstock or organism). Erythritol is an organic compound with the molecular formula C4H10O4 and a Chemical Abstract Service (“CAS”) registry number of 149-32-6. Other names for erythritol include meso-erythritol, (2R, 3S)-butan-1,2,3,4-tetrol, butane 1,2,3,4-tetrol, or meso-1,2,3,4-Tetrahydroxybutane.
"Erythritol typically appears as a white crystalline, odorless product that rapidly dissolves in water. While erythritol is typically produced in the crystalline form or as a fine powder or in directly compressible form, the scope of these investigations covers all physical forms and grades of erythritol.
"The merchandise covered by this investigation is classifiable under HTSUS subheadings 2905.49.4000 and 2106.90.9998."
ITC Accepting Comments Before Initiating Investigation
The ITC is accepting comments on domestic industry support for the petitions to determine whether the petitions meet the dual requirements of support by domestic producers or workers accounting for (1) at least 25% of the total production of the domestic-like product and (2) more than 50% of the production of the domestic-like product produced by that portion of the industry expressing support for, or opposition to, the petition. If the petitions meet these requirements, among others, the ITC and the Commerce Department will initiate AD/CVD investigations.