Last refresh: · 25,892 refusals since 2020-01-01

Pesticide residues in US Food Imports — FDA Import Refusals

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Pesticide residues appeared in 3,860 FDA import refusals between 2020 and 2026 — 14.9% of the 25,860 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 notifications by year

YearNotificationsof which border rejectionsYoY
2020 395 395 —
2021 272 272 -31.1%
2022 437 437 +60.7%
2023 662 662 +51.5%
2024 805 805 +21.6%
2025 821 821 +2.0%
2026 468 468 — YTD
Total3,860

Origins most cited for Pesticide residues

#Origin countryNotifications
1 Mexico 1,023
2 India 632
3 China 312
4 Pakistan 186
5 Canada 179
6 Vietnam 136
7 Guatemala 127
8 Chile 93
9 Dominican Republic 88
10 Peru 81
11 Thailand 79
12 Egypt 77
13 Colombia 65
14 Turkey 58
15 Afghanistan 54
16 Costa Rica 40
17 Hong Kong 34
18 South Korea 33
19 El Salvador 32
20 Brazil 31
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 categoryNotifications
1Vegetables and Vegetable Products1,847
2Fruit and Fruit Products926
3Whole Grains, Milled Grain Products, and Starch570
4Nuts and Edible Seeds227
5Vegetable Oils (Includes Olive Oil)58
6Spices, Flavors, and Salts57
7Vitamins, Minerals, Proteins, and Unconventional Dietary Specialties for Humans39
8Fishery/Seafood Products36
9Coffee and Tea16
10Multiple Food Dinners, Gravies, Sauces, and Specialties (Total Diet)13
11Bakery Products, Doughs, Bakery Mixes, and Icings12
12Cereal Preparations, Breakfast Foods10
13Vegetable Protein Products (Simulated Meats)9
14Macaroni and Noodle Products7
15Snack Food Items (Flour, Meal, or Vegetable Base)7

Recent Pesticide residues notifications

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.