Costa Rica — All Categories
Costa Rica received 52 FDA import refusals across all food categories between 2024-Q1 and 2026-Q4. Volume peaked at 17 in 2026-Q3, with the trend rising sharply year-on-year. The most-cited issues are unfit for food, pesticide residue, and filth. No trade baseline is published for some of Costa Rica's categories, so no per-$1B rate is shown for the origin total.
Exporting from Costa Rica? Get an email when shipments from Costa Rica are refused at the US border — before your buyers ask.
One email a week, and only when something matches. We'll send a confirmation link first; unsubscribe any time from the footer of any email.
Key figures
- Hazard or paperwork
- Of these, 46 were hazard refusals and 6 were paperwork refusals.
Quarterly refusals, last 12 quarters
Show the numbers
| Quarter | Refusals | Hazard | Paperwork |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-Q1 | 9 | 8 | 1 |
| 2024-Q2 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 2024-Q3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024-Q4 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2025-Q1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025-Q2 | 7 | 6 | 1 |
| 2025-Q3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2025-Q4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2026-Q1 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| 2026-Q2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2026-Q3 | 17 | 17 | 0 |
| 2026-Q4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
By year
| Year | Refusals |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 26 |
| 2025 | 12 |
| 2024 | 14 |
| 2023 | 30 |
| 2022 | 19 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2020 | 13 |
By category, last 156 weeks
| Category | Refusals | Per $1B US imports | Most-cited hazard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fishery/Seafood Products | 19 | — | filth |
| Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 15 | — | pesticide residue |
| Fruit and Fruit Products | 10 | — | unfit for food |
| Candy Without Chocolate, Candy Specialties, and Chewing Gum | 9 | — | unfit for food |
| Gelatin, Rennet, Pudding Mixes, and Pie Fillings | 4 | — | unfit for food |
| Coffee and Tea | 2 | — | no net quantity |
| Snack Food Items (Flour, Meal, or Vegetable Base) | 1 | — | nutrition labeling |
| Soups | 1 | — | false or misleading label |
Recent refusals
- CFQ-8141565-1 JELLIED CANDY, SOFT (JELLY BEANS, GUM DROPS, ETC.), WITH FRUIT (WITHOUT CHOCOLATE)Candy Without Chocolate, Candy Specialties, and Chewing Gum. Import division DSEI. unfit for food
- E84-0129224-6 CARAMEL CANDY PIECES, HARD, WITHOUT NUTS OR FRUIT (WITHOUT CHOCOLATE)Candy Without Chocolate, Candy Specialties, and Chewing Gum. Import division DSEI. filth
- EH3-2670727-8 JELLY FRUIT POPPERS CANDYCandy Without Chocolate, Candy Specialties, and Chewing Gum. Import division DNBI. unfit for food
- EH3-2671074-4 JELLY FRUIT POPPERS CANDYCandy Without Chocolate, Candy Specialties, and Chewing Gum. Import division DNEI. unfit for food
- ASE-1514365-4 GEL CUPS, FRUIT FLAVORED W/FRUIT CANDYCandy Without Chocolate, Candy Specialties, and Chewing Gum. Import division DSEI. unsafe color additivenot in Englishunfit for foodnutrition labeling
- EUG-0050479-5 MIXED FRUIT FLAVORED IMITATION FRUIT, JAM, JELLY, PRESERVES, MARMALADE, BUTTER OR CANDIEDFruit and Fruit Products. Import division DWCI. unfit for food
- ASE-1514023-9 GEL CUPS, FRUIT FLAVORED W/FRUIT CANDYCandy Without Chocolate, Candy Specialties, and Chewing Gum. Import division DSEI. unfit for food
- 8Q4-0009113-3 GELATIN, FLAVOREDGelatin, Rennet, Pudding Mixes, and Pie Fillings. Import division DNEI. unfit for food
- EUG-0049042-5 MIXED FRUIT FLAVORED IMITATION FRUIT, JAM, JELLY, PRESERVES, MARMALADE, BUTTER OR CANDIEDFruit and Fruit Products. Import division DSWI. unfit for food
- EUG-0049264-5 MIXED FRUIT FLAVORED IMITATION FRUIT, JAM, JELLY, PRESERVES, MARMALADE, BUTTER OR CANDIEDFruit and Fruit Products. Import division DSWI. unfit for food
- EUG-0049273-6 MIXED FRUIT FLAVORED IMITATION FRUIT, JAM, JELLY, PRESERVES, MARMALADE, BUTTER OR CANDIEDFruit and Fruit Products. Import division DWCI. unfit for food
- B7E-0038513-6 CASSAVA (ROOT AND TUBER VEGETABLE)Vegetables and Vegetable Products. Import division DSEI. insanitary conditions
- 176-1051174-7 TARO, DASHEEN (ROOT & TUBER VEGETABLE)Vegetables and Vegetable Products. Import division DNEI. pesticide residue
- 629-0052045-3 OTHER FRUIT AND FRUIT PRODUCTS, JAM, JELLY, PRESERVES, MARMALADE, BUTTER OR CANDIED, N.E.C.Fruit and Fruit Products. Import division DSWI. unfit for food
- 629-0052071-9 OTHER FRUIT AND FRUIT PRODUCTS, JAM, JELLY, PRESERVES, MARMALADE, BUTTER OR CANDIED, N.E.C.Fruit and Fruit Products. Import division DSWI. unfit for food
- 629-0052044-6 OTHER FRUIT AND FRUIT PRODUCTS, JAM, JELLY, PRESERVES, MARMALADE, BUTTER OR CANDIED, N.E.C.Fruit and Fruit Products. Import division DSWI. unfit for food
- 629-0052073-5 OTHER FRUIT AND FRUIT PRODUCTS, JAM, JELLY, PRESERVES, MARMALADE, BUTTER OR CANDIED, N.E.C.Fruit and Fruit Products. Import division DSWI. unfit for food
- 629-0052072-7 OTHER FRUIT AND FRUIT PRODUCTS, JAM, JELLY, PRESERVES, MARMALADE, BUTTER OR CANDIED, N.E.C.Fruit and Fruit Products. Import division DSWI. unfit for food
- 9UA-0345571-6 GELATIN, FLAVOREDGelatin, Rennet, Pudding Mixes, and Pie Fillings. Import division DSEI. unfit for food
- DMV-0010927-5 SQUASH, SUMMER (FRUIT USED AS VEGETABLE)Vegetables and Vegetable Products. Import division DSEI. pesticide residue
Recent weeks
| Week | Refusals |
|---|---|
| 2026-W44 | 0 |
| 2026-W43 | 0 |
| 2026-W42 | 0 |
| 2026-W41 | 1 |
| 2026-W40 | 0 |
| 2026-W39 | 1 |
| 2026-W38 | 0 |
| 2026-W37 | 1 |
→ See all FDA import refusals for 2026-W44
Data and downloads
Download all 116 entries (CSV) — every refusal behind this page, with its import division, FDA product code, charges and whether it was a hazard finding or paperwork. Every entry is also listed by year above.
The file holds entries up to 2026-10-07. To get new ones for Costa Rica by email, watch Costa Rica.
Costa Rica country report since 2020 — every refusal by year, charge and import division →