Mycotoxins in US Food Imports — FDA Import Refusals
Mycotoxins appeared in 88 FDA import refusals between 2020 and 2026 — 0.3% of the 25,860 refusals that identify a hazard. The origins cited most often are El Salvador, India, Mexico. The most-affected product category is Nuts and Edible Seeds. Volume in 2025 was up 47% on 2024.
Email me about new FDA import refusals involving aflatoxin
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.
Mycotoxins notifications by year
| Year | Notifications | of which border rejections | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 10 | 10 | — | |
| 2021 | 11 | 11 | +10.0% | |
| 2022 | 14 | 14 | +27.3% | |
| 2023 | 8 | 8 | -42.9% | |
| 2024 | 15 | 15 | +87.5% | |
| 2025 | 22 | 22 | +46.7% | |
| 2026 | 8 | 8 | — | YTD |
| Total | 88 |
Origins most cited for Mycotoxins
| # | Origin country | Notifications |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Salvador | 20 |
| 2 | India | 16 |
| 3 | Mexico | 10 |
| 4 | United States | 9 |
| 5 | Turkey | 8 |
| 6 | Haiti | 4 |
| 7 | Afghanistan | 3 |
| 8 | Ghana | 3 |
| 9 | Hong Kong | 3 |
| 10 | Philippines | 3 |
| 11 | Argentina | 2 |
| 12 | Bangladesh | 1 |
| 13 | Canada | 1 |
| 14 | Germany | 1 |
| 15 | Indonesia | 1 |
| 16 | Nicaragua | 1 |
| 17 | Pakistan | 1 |
| 18 | Thailand | 1 |
Product categories where Mycotoxins appears
| # | Product category | Notifications |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nuts and Edible Seeds | 34 |
| 2 | Whole Grains, Milled Grain Products, and Starch | 26 |
| 3 | Candy Without Chocolate, Candy Specialties, and Chewing Gum | 10 |
| 4 | Fruit and Fruit Products | 9 |
| 5 | Snack Food Items (Flour, Meal, or Vegetable Base) | 5 |
| 6 | Spices, Flavors, and Salts | 2 |
| 7 | Fishery/Seafood Products | 1 |
| 8 | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 1 |
Recent Mycotoxins notifications
- NF7-0001079-8 BangladeshSnack Food Items (Flour, Meal, or Vegetable Base)SNACK FOODS NOT ELSEWHERE MENTIONED, N.E.C. aflatoxinnutrit lblunsafe col
- 392-0260825-1 MexicoCandy Without Chocolate, Candy Specialties, and Chewing GumHARD CANDY WITH NUT OR NUT PRODUCTS, N.E.C. (WITHOUT CHOCOLATE) aflatoxin
- 392-0261261-8 MexicoCandy Without Chocolate, Candy Specialties, and Chewing GumCARAMEL CANDY PIECES, HARD, WITH NUTS OR NUT PRODUCTS (NOT COCONUT) (WITHOUT CHOCOLATE) mycotoxin
- 8KP-0071041-9 IndiaNuts and Edible SeedsPEANUT, SHELLED aflatoxinfilthy
- 392-0260207-2 MexicoCandy Without Chocolate, Candy Specialties, and Chewing GumCARAMEL CANDY PIECES, HARD, WITH NUTS OR NUT PRODUCTS (NOT COCONUT) (WITHOUT CHOCOLATE) aflatoxin
- 8Q4-0008382-5 El SalvadorWhole Grains, Milled Grain Products, and StarchCORN, BOLTED MEAL OR FLOUR aflatoxin
- 8Q4-0008342-9 El SalvadorWhole Grains, Milled Grain Products, and StarchCORN, BOLTED MEAL OR FLOUR aflatoxin
- NXW-0008454-5 TurkeyNuts and Edible SeedsPEANUT, SHELLED aflatoxin
- SCS-9490813-9 TurkeyFruit and Fruit ProductsFIG, DRIED OR PASTE mycotoxin
- BNI-0139010-1 GhanaNuts and Edible SeedsMELON SEEDS (EDIBLE SEED) mycotoxinnutrit lbl
- BNI-0135965-0 GhanaWhole Grains, Milled Grain Products, and StarchCORN, BOLTED MEAL OR FLOUR mycotoxin
- 8Q4-0007678-7 El SalvadorWhole Grains, Milled Grain Products, and StarchCORN, BOLTED MEAL OR FLOUR aflatoxin
- 8Q4-0007680-3 El SalvadorWhole Grains, Milled Grain Products, and StarchCORN, BOLTED MEAL OR FLOUR mycotoxin
- AZR-4748170-1 TurkeyNuts and Edible SeedsPISTACHIO, IN SHELL aflatoxin
- 8Q4-0007246-3 El SalvadorWhole Grains, Milled Grain Products, and StarchCORN, BOLTED MEAL OR FLOUR mycotoxin
- 8Q4-0007226-5 El SalvadorWhole Grains, Milled Grain Products, and StarchCORN, BOLTED MEAL OR FLOUR mycotoxin
- 8Q4-0007284-4 El SalvadorWhole Grains, Milled Grain Products, and StarchCORN, BOLTED MEAL OR FLOUR mycotoxin
- 8Q4-0007445-1 El SalvadorWhole Grains, Milled Grain Products, and StarchCORN, BOLTED MEAL OR FLOUR mycotoxin
- F87-2500066-2 GermanyNuts and Edible SeedsPISTACHIO, SHELLED aflatoxin
- KM6-3645046-2 IndiaNuts and Edible SeedsPEANUT, SHELLED mycotoxin
About Mycotoxins
Mycotoxin charges are brought under Section 402(a)(1): the food appears to bear or contain a poisonous and deleterious mould-produced toxin, most often aflatoxin, but also deoxynivalenol, fumonisin, ochratoxin A or patulin. These toxins form when crops are stored warm and damp rather than during processing, so the charge tracks growing and storage conditions in the country of origin as much as the product itself. Refusals concentrate in tree nuts, peanuts, dried figs, spices, corn and apple products such as juice, where the source mould thrives.
Which FDA import refusals does this page count?
Every entry FDA refused that cites this hazard among its charge codes. A single entry can carry more than one charge, so an entry refused for both a pathogen and a labelling defect is counted on both the relevant hazard page and, separately, in the hazard/paperwork split shown on the leaderboard.
What happens when this hazard is found in a shipment?
The entry is refused admission into US commerce. The importer must recondition the shipment (where that is possible), export it out of the United States, or have it destroyed under FDA supervision. Repeated findings against one shipper or product can lead FDA to place them on an Import Alert, which subjects future shipments to detention without physical examination.
Where does this data come from?
The public FDA Import Refusal Report, refetched weekly. Counts are per entry (consignment), so one entry listing several charge codes for the same hazard is counted once.