India — Candy Without Chocolate, Candy Specialties, and Chewing Gum — Candy
India received 34 FDA import refusals in Candy, part of Candy Without Chocolate, Candy Specialties, and Chewing Gum between 2024-Q1 and 2026-Q4. Volume peaked at 8 in 2025-Q1, with the trend falling sharply year-on-year. The most-cited issues are unsafe color additive, filth, and color not declared. Measured against US import value, that runs at 1,274 refusals per $1 billion of imports of this commodity from India over the last 3 years.
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Key figures
If you import candy from India
Higher risk. India ranks 5th of 19 origins shipping candy to the US on refusals per $1 billion of US imports, at 1,274 — above 78% of them.
least riskmost risk
- Hazard or paperwork
- Of 36 refusals in the last 3 years, 29 were hazard findings and 7 paperwork alone.
- Refusals against import volume
- On average, 1 refusal per 183 tonnes imported into the US over the last 3 years; the 2nd highest refusal rate of 13 origins with enough import volume on record to rate (US import quantities 2022–2024, FAOSTAT).
- Where refusals happen
- DNEI — Northeast (16); DWCI — West Coast (9); DSEI — Southeast (5).
- Riskiest months
- March, July, June, by refusals since 2020.
- Test for before shipping
- unsafe color additive (18), filth (11), undeclared allergen (3), unsafe food additive (3), poisonous substance (1).
- Paperwork to get right
- color not declared (15), ingredients not listed (11), nutrition labeling (4).
FDA does not publish how many entries it examines, so no page can state a true probability of refusal; these are the figures that are published.
Quarterly refusals, last 12 quarters
Show the numbers
| Quarter | Refusals | Hazard | Paperwork |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-Q1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2024-Q2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 2024-Q3 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2024-Q4 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2025-Q1 | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| 2025-Q2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025-Q3 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 2025-Q4 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| 2026-Q1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 2026-Q2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2026-Q3 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 2026-Q4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Recent refusals
- H67-1717485-7 CARAMEL CANDY PIECES, HARD, WITHOUT NUTS OR FRUIT (WITHOUT CHOCOLATE) Import division DNEI. unsafe color additivecolor not declared
- KM6-3687316-8 FLAVORED CANDY, HARD (LIVE SAVERS, ETC.), WITHOUT NUTS AND FRUIT (WITHOUT CHOCOLATE) Import division DSWI. unapproved new drug
- SCS-0285424-6 CANDY SPECIALTIES, N.E.C. (WITHOUT CHOCOLATE) Import division DNEI. unsafe color additiveingredients not listed
- WUG-0224208-8 CANDY SPECIALTIES, N.E.C. (WITHOUT CHOCOLATE) Import division DWCI. filth
- KM6-3682737-0 CANDY SPECIALTIES, N.E.C. (WITHOUT CHOCOLATE) Import division DNBI. filthno net quantitynutrition labeling
- 1FX-1730235-7 CANDY SPECIALTIES, N.E.C. (WITHOUT CHOCOLATE) Import division DSEI. filthlabeling
- H67-1709592-0 HARD CANDY WITHOUT NUTS AND FRUIT, N.E.C. (WITHOUT CHOCOLATE) Import division DNEI. unsafe color additivecolor not declaredcolor additive labeling
- AEK-9158829-1 CANDY SPECIALTIES, N.E.C. (WITHOUT CHOCOLATE) Import division DSEI. ingredients not listedsupplement labelingdietary supplement violationlabeling
- 8RG-2586163-0 CANDY SPECIALTIES, N.E.C. (WITHOUT CHOCOLATE) Import division DNEI. filth
- H67-1702081-1 HARD CANDY WITHOUT NUTS AND FRUIT, N.E.C. (WITHOUT CHOCOLATE) Import division DWCI. unsafe color additivecolor not declared
- K80-5147108-5 MINT CANDY, HARD, WITHOUT NUTS AND FRUIT (WITHOUT CHOCOLATE) Import division DWCI. unsafe color additive
- KM6-3660103-1 CANDY BAR OR PIECES (NOT CARAMEL OR FONDANT), SOFT, WITHOUT NUTS AND FRUIT (WITHOUT CHOCOLATE) Import division DNEI. filth
- EVJ-1244471-0 HARD CANDY WITHOUT NUTS AND FRUIT, N.E.C. (WITHOUT CHOCOLATE) Import division DWCI. filthunsafe color additivecolor not declared
- 8L5-0002796-2 CANDY SPECIALTIES, N.E.C. (WITHOUT CHOCOLATE) Import division DWCI. sulfites not declaredingredients not listednot in Englishundeclared allergen
- 8L5-0002753-3 CANDY SPECIALTIES, N.E.C. (WITHOUT CHOCOLATE) Import division DNEI. unsafe color additive
- U47-2503362-3 SOFT CANDY WITHOUT NUTS AND FRUIT, N.E.C. (WITHOUT CHOCOLATE) Import division DNEI. ingredients not listedcolor not declarednutrition labelingunsafe color additive+2 more
- DP4-3828439-1 CANDY BAR OR PIECES (NOT CARAMEL OR FONDANT), SOFT, WITH NUTS AND FRUIT (WITHOUT CHOCOLATE) Import division DNEI. undeclared allergen
- AEK-8495743-8 FLAVORED CANDY, SOFT (LIVE SAVERS, ETC.), WITH FRUIT (WITHOUT CHOCOLATE) Import division DSEI. filth
- KM6-3636570-2 HARD CANDY WITH FRUIT, N.E.C. (WITHOUT CHOCOLATE) Import division DNEI. unsafe color additiveingredients not listed
- MQ9-0209146-0 ROCK CANDY, HARD, WITHOUT NUTS AND FRUIT (WITHOUT CHOCOLATE) Import division DWCI. unsafe color additivecolor not declared
Data and downloads
Download all 69 entries (CSV) — every refusal behind this page, with its import division, FDA product code, charges and whether it was a hazard finding or paperwork.
The file holds entries up to 2026-10-20. To get new ones for India by email, watch India.
India country report since 2020 — every refusal by year, charge and import division →