Pesticide residues in US Food Imports — FDA Import Refusals
Pesticide residues appeared in 3,912 FDA import refusals between 2020 and 2026 — 20.3% of the 19,236 refusals that identify a hazard. The origins cited most often are Mexico, India, China. The most-affected product category is Vegetables and Vegetable Products. Volume in 2025 was up 2% on 2024.
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Pesticide residues refusals by year
| Year | Refusals | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 395 | — | |
| 2021 | 272 | -31.1% | |
| 2022 | 437 | +60.7% | |
| 2023 | 662 | +51.5% | |
| 2024 | 805 | +21.6% | |
| 2025 | 821 | +2.0% | |
| 2026 | 520 | — | YTD |
| Total | 3,912 |
Origins most cited for Pesticide residues
| # | Origin country | Refusals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mexico | 1,038 |
| 2 | India | 639 |
| 3 | China | 316 |
| 4 | Pakistan | 188 |
| 5 | Canada | 180 |
| 6 | Vietnam | 137 |
| 7 | Guatemala | 127 |
| 8 | Chile | 94 |
| 9 | Dominican Republic | 93 |
| 10 | Peru | 83 |
| 11 | Thailand | 79 |
| 12 | Egypt | 77 |
| 13 | Colombia | 65 |
| 14 | Turkey | 62 |
| 15 | Afghanistan | 58 |
| 16 | Costa Rica | 40 |
| 17 | El Salvador | 34 |
| 18 | Hong Kong | 34 |
| 19 | South Korea | 33 |
| 20 | Brazil | 32 |
| 21 | Ecuador | 27 |
| 22 | Myanmar | 21 |
| 23 | Nicaragua | 21 |
| 24 | Saudi Arabia | 21 |
| 25 | Bangladesh | 20 |
| 26 | Australia | 19 |
| 27 | Argentina | 18 |
| 28 | Honduras | 18 |
| 29 | Italy | 18 |
| 30 | United Arab Emirates | 18 |
Product categories where Pesticide residues appears
| # | Product category | Refusals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 1,870 |
| 2 | Fruit and Fruit Products | 944 |
| 3 | Whole Grains, Milled Grain Products, and Starch | 577 |
| 4 | Nuts and Edible Seeds | 228 |
| 5 | Vegetable Oils (Includes Olive Oil) | 59 |
| 6 | Spices, Flavors, and Salts | 57 |
| 7 | Vitamins, Minerals, Proteins, and Unconventional Dietary Specialties for Humans | 39 |
| 8 | Fishery/Seafood Products | 36 |
| 9 | Coffee and Tea | 16 |
| 10 | Multiple Food Dinners, Gravies, Sauces, and Specialties (Total Diet) | 15 |
| 11 | Bakery Products, Doughs, Bakery Mixes, and Icings | 12 |
| 12 | Cereal Preparations, Breakfast Foods | 10 |
| 13 | Vegetable Protein Products (Simulated Meats) | 9 |
| 14 | Macaroni and Noodle Products | 7 |
| 15 | Snack Food Items (Flour, Meal, or Vegetable Base) | 7 |
FDA charge codes in Pesticide residues
| Code | What it means | Refusals |
|---|---|---|
PESTICIDE | pesticide residue | 3,912 |
Recent Pesticide residues refusals
- KM6-3689342-2 RAISINS, DRIED OR PASTEFrom Afghanistan, Fruit and Fruit Products. pesticide residue
- BWS-0007112-9 RAISINS, DRIED OR PASTEFrom Turkey, Fruit and Fruit Products. pesticide residuefilth
- 176-1054082-9 PEPPER, HOT, N.E.C. (FRUIT USED AS VEGETABLE)From Dominican Republic, Vegetables and Vegetable Products. pesticide residue
- ADM-0067450-4 RICE, PLAIN (WHITE OR POLISHED) PROCESSED (PACKAGED)From India, Whole Grains, Milled Grain Products, and Starch. pesticide residuefilth
- 900-0220797-6 TOMATOES (FRUIT USED AS VEGETABLE)From Dominican Republic, Vegetables and Vegetable Products. pesticide residueno manufacturer name
- NJA-0004406-7 SQUASH, SUMMER (FRUIT USED AS VEGETABLE)From Mexico, Vegetables and Vegetable Products. pesticide residue
- BHK-6118330-6 PRICKLE PEAR (CORE FRUIT)From Mexico, Fruit and Fruit Products. pesticide residue
- 83U-1466183-1 PRICKLE PEAR (CORE FRUIT)From Mexico, Fruit and Fruit Products. pesticide residue
- 83U-1466142-7 PRICKLE PEAR (CORE FRUIT)From Mexico, Fruit and Fruit Products. pesticide residue
- NDA-1038736-9 PIMIENTO PEPPER, JUICEFrom Mexico, Vegetables and Vegetable Products. pesticide residue
- T77-1669547-5 MULTIPLE FOOD SPECIALITIES, SIDE DISHES AND DESSERTS, N.E.C.From India, Multiple Food Dinners, Gravies, Sauces, and Specialties (Total Diet). pesticide residue
- 113-4144914-6 PEASFrom Poland, Vegetables and Vegetable Products. pesticide residue
- 02K-1000776-7 SCALLIONS, GREEN ONIONS (ROOT & TUBER VEGETABLE)From Mexico, Vegetables and Vegetable Products. pesticide residue
- FV9-2614399-4 PAPAYA (PAPAW) (SUBTROPICAL AND TROPICAL FRUIT)From Brazil, Fruit and Fruit Products. pesticide residue
- H67-1723782-9 SAUCES, N.E.C.From Pakistan, Multiple Food Dinners, Gravies, Sauces, and Specialties (Total Diet). pesticide residue
- 1FX-7485007-5 VIRGIN OLIVE OIL, CRUDEFrom Turkey, Vegetable Oils (Includes Olive Oil). pesticide residue
- 823-0227487-1 RAISINS (DRIED GRAPES) (BERRY)From Afghanistan, Fruit and Fruit Products. pesticide residue
- 96E-0143720-4 DATES (PIT FRUIT), (PIT FRUIT)From Peru, Fruit and Fruit Products. pesticide residue
- KM6-3684147-0 RICE, BASMATI, PROCESSED (PACKAGED)From Pakistan, Whole Grains, Milled Grain Products, and Starch. pesticide residue
- KM6-3686074-4 RAISINS, DRIED OR PASTEFrom Afghanistan, Fruit and Fruit Products. pesticide residuefilth
About Pesticide residues
Pesticide-residue charges are brought under FD&C Act Section 402(a)(2)(B): the article appears to bear or contain a pesticide chemical residue that makes it adulterated, either because the residue exceeds the tolerance set for that pesticide and commodity or because no tolerance exists for that use at all. The statutory charge language does not itself name a threshold — that is set separately, crop by crop and chemical by chemical. Refusals concentrate in fresh produce, herbs and spices, and processed foods carrying residue from earlier in the supply chain.
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.