diff --git a/main/src/com/google/refine/importers/SeparatorBasedImporter.java b/main/src/com/google/refine/importers/SeparatorBasedImporter.java
index 0ba84153d..51234c4f3 100644
--- a/main/src/com/google/refine/importers/SeparatorBasedImporter.java
+++ b/main/src/com/google/refine/importers/SeparatorBasedImporter.java
@@ -76,6 +76,7 @@ public class SeparatorBasedImporter extends TabularImportingParserBase {
         JSONUtilities.safePut(options, "guessCellValueTypes", false);
         JSONUtilities.safePut(options, "processQuotes", true);
         JSONUtilities.safePut(options, "quoteCharacter", String.valueOf(CSVParser.DEFAULT_QUOTE_CHARACTER));
+        JSONUtilities.safePut(options, "trimStrings", true);
 
         return options;
     }
diff --git a/main/src/com/google/refine/importers/TabularImportingParserBase.java b/main/src/com/google/refine/importers/TabularImportingParserBase.java
index b36827030..3db0b7514 100644
--- a/main/src/com/google/refine/importers/TabularImportingParserBase.java
+++ b/main/src/com/google/refine/importers/TabularImportingParserBase.java
@@ -104,6 +104,7 @@ abstract public class TabularImportingParserBase extends ImportingParserBase {
         boolean storeBlankRows = JSONUtilities.getBoolean(options, "storeBlankRows", true);
         boolean storeBlankCellsAsNulls = JSONUtilities.getBoolean(options, "storeBlankCellsAsNulls", true);
         boolean includeFileSources = JSONUtilities.getBoolean(options, "includeFileSources", false);
+        boolean trimStrings = JSONUtilities.getBoolean(options, "trimStrings", false);
 
         int filenameColumnIndex = -1;
         if (includeFileSources) {
@@ -168,6 +169,9 @@ abstract public class TabularImportingParserBase extends ImportingParserBase {
                                 if (value instanceof String) {
                                     storedValue = guessCellValueTypes ?
                                         ImporterUtilities.parseCellValue((String) value) : (String) value;
+                                    if(trimStrings) {
+                                        storedValue = ((String) storedValue).toString().trim();
+                                    }
                                 } else {
                                     storedValue = ExpressionUtils.wrapStorable(value);
                                 }
diff --git a/main/tests/server/src/com/google/refine/importers/TsvCsvImporterTests.java b/main/tests/server/src/com/google/refine/importers/TsvCsvImporterTests.java
index 4f4d7e9e4..c573c098c 100644
--- a/main/tests/server/src/com/google/refine/importers/TsvCsvImporterTests.java
+++ b/main/tests/server/src/com/google/refine/importers/TsvCsvImporterTests.java
@@ -206,6 +206,46 @@ public class TsvCsvImporterTests extends ImporterTest {
         Assert.assertEquals(project.rows.get(0).cells.get(2).value, " data3");
     }
 
+    @Test(groups = {  }, dataProvider = "CSV-TSV-AutoDetermine")
+    public void readTrimsLeadingTrailingWhitespaceOnTrimStrings(String sep){
+        //create input to test with
+        String inputSeparator =  sep == null ? "\t" : sep;
+        String input = " data1 " + inputSeparator + " 3.4 " + inputSeparator + " data3 ";
+
+        try {
+            prepareOptions(sep, -1, 0, 0, 0, false, false, true);
+            parseOneFile(SUT, new StringReader(input));
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            Assert.fail("Exception during file parse",e);
+        }
+        Assert.assertEquals(project.columnModel.columns.size(), 3);
+        Assert.assertEquals(project.rows.size(), 1);
+        Assert.assertEquals(project.rows.get(0).cells.size(), 3);
+        Assert.assertEquals(project.rows.get(0).cells.get(0).value, "data1");
+        Assert.assertEquals(project.rows.get(0).cells.get(1).value, "3.4");
+        Assert.assertEquals(project.rows.get(0).cells.get(2).value, "data3");
+    }
+
+    @Test(groups = {  }, dataProvider = "CSV-TSV-AutoDetermine")
+    public void readDoesNotTrimLeadingTrailingWhitespaceOnNoTrimStrings(String sep){
+        //create input to test with
+        String inputSeparator =  sep == null ? "\t" : sep;
+        String input = " data1 " + inputSeparator + " 3.4 " + inputSeparator + " data3 ";
+
+        try {
+            prepareOptions(sep, -1, 0, 0, 0, false, false, false);
+            parseOneFile(SUT, new StringReader(input));
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            Assert.fail("Exception during file parse",e);
+        }
+        Assert.assertEquals(project.columnModel.columns.size(), 3);
+        Assert.assertEquals(project.rows.size(), 1);
+        Assert.assertEquals(project.rows.get(0).cells.size(), 3);
+        Assert.assertEquals(project.rows.get(0).cells.get(0).value, " data1 ");
+        Assert.assertEquals(project.rows.get(0).cells.get(1).value, " 3.4 ");
+        Assert.assertEquals(project.rows.get(0).cells.get(2).value, " data3 ");
+    }
+
     @Test(dataProvider = "CSV-TSV-AutoDetermine")
     public void readCanAddNull(String sep){
         //create input to test with
@@ -596,6 +636,19 @@ public class TsvCsvImporterTests extends ImporterTest {
         
         prepareOptions(sep, limit, skip, ignoreLines, headerLines, guessValueType, ignoreQuotes, quoteCharacter,"[]");      
     }
+
+    protected void prepareOptions(
+            String sep, int limit, int skip, int ignoreLines,
+            int headerLines, boolean guessValueType, boolean ignoreQuotes, boolean trimStrings) {
+        whenGetStringOption("separator", options, sep);
+        whenGetIntegerOption("limit", options, limit);
+        whenGetIntegerOption("skipDataLines", options, skip);
+        whenGetIntegerOption("ignoreLines", options, ignoreLines);
+        whenGetIntegerOption("headerLines", options, headerLines);
+        whenGetBooleanOption("guessCellValueTypes", options, guessValueType);
+        whenGetBooleanOption("processQuotes", options, !ignoreQuotes);
+        whenGetBooleanOption("trimStrings", options, trimStrings);
+    }
     
     protected void prepareOptions(
             String sep, int limit, int skip, int ignoreLines,
diff --git a/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/index/parser-interfaces/separator-based-parser-ui.html b/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/index/parser-interfaces/separator-based-parser-ui.html
index addb4cdd9..953d4fc56 100644
--- a/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/index/parser-interfaces/separator-based-parser-ui.html
+++ b/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/index/parser-interfaces/separator-based-parser-ui.html
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@
       <tr><td width="1%"><input type="radio" name="column-separator" value="custom" id="$column-separator-custom" /></td>
         <td><label for="$column-separator-custom" id="or-import-custom"></label>
           <input bind="columnSeparatorInput" type="text" class="lightweight" size="5" /></td></tr>
+      <tr><td width="1%"><input type="checkbox" bind="trimStringsCheckbox" id="$trim" /></td>
+        <td><label for="$trim" id="or-import-trim"></label></td></tr>
       <tr><td colspan="2" id="or-import-escape"></td></tr>
       </table></div></td>
     
diff --git a/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/index/parser-interfaces/separator-based-parser-ui.js b/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/index/parser-interfaces/separator-based-parser-ui.js
index 3ed6ffc3d..c3cfce199 100644
--- a/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/index/parser-interfaces/separator-based-parser-ui.js
+++ b/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/index/parser-interfaces/separator-based-parser-ui.js
@@ -117,6 +117,7 @@ Refine.SeparatorBasedParserUI.prototype.getOptions = function() {
 
   options.storeBlankCellsAsNulls = this._optionContainerElmts.storeBlankCellsAsNullsCheckbox[0].checked;
   options.includeFileSources = this._optionContainerElmts.includeFileSourcesCheckbox[0].checked;
+  options.trimStrings = this._optionContainerElmts.trimStringsCheckbox[0].checked;
   
   if (this._optionContainerElmts.columnNamesCheckbox[0].checked) {
       var columnNames = this._optionContainerElmts.columnNamesInput.val();
@@ -145,6 +146,7 @@ Refine.SeparatorBasedParserUI.prototype._initialize = function() {
   $('#or-import-escape').html($.i18n('core-index-parser/escape'));
   $('#or-import-columnNames').html($.i18n('core-index-parser/column-names-label') + ':');
   $('#or-import-optional').html($.i18n('core-index-parser/column-names-optional'));
+  $('#or-import-trim').html($.i18n('core-index-parser/trim'));
   
   self._optionContainerElmts.columnNamesInput.prop('disabled', true);
   
@@ -236,6 +238,9 @@ Refine.SeparatorBasedParserUI.prototype._initialize = function() {
   if (this._config.includeFileSources) {
     this._optionContainerElmts.includeFileSourcesCheckbox.prop("checked", true);
   }
+  if (this._config.trimStrings) {
+    this._optionContainerElmts.trimStringsCheckbox.attr("checked", "unchecked");
+  }
 
   var onChange = function() {
     self._scheduleUpdatePreview();