Salmonella in US Food Imports — FDA Import Refusals
Salmonella appeared in 2,395 FDA import refusals between 2020 and 2026 — 12.5% of the 19,236 refusals that identify a hazard. The origins cited most often are India, Mexico, Vietnam. The most-affected product category is Fishery/Seafood Products. Volume in 2025 was up 20% on 2024.
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Salmonella refusals by year
| Year | Refusals | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 298 | — | |
| 2021 | 386 | +29.5% | |
| 2022 | 337 | -12.7% | |
| 2023 | 289 | -14.2% | |
| 2024 | 362 | +25.3% | |
| 2025 | 434 | +19.9% | |
| 2026 | 289 | — | YTD |
| Total | 2,395 |
Origins most cited for Salmonella
| # | Origin country | Refusals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 838 |
| 2 | Mexico | 200 |
| 3 | Vietnam | 191 |
| 4 | Indonesia | 123 |
| 5 | Thailand | 90 |
| 6 | Bangladesh | 85 |
| 7 | Turkey | 73 |
| 8 | Jordan | 66 |
| 9 | China | 50 |
| 10 | Myanmar | 49 |
| 11 | Nigeria | 39 |
| 12 | Lebanon | 36 |
| 13 | Pakistan | 35 |
| 14 | Canada | 34 |
| 15 | Brazil | 31 |
| 16 | Philippines | 31 |
| 17 | Ghana | 28 |
| 18 | Taiwan | 25 |
| 19 | United Arab Emirates | 25 |
| 20 | Syria | 23 |
| 21 | Ecuador | 21 |
| 22 | Israel | 21 |
| 23 | Egypt | 20 |
| 24 | Guatemala | 19 |
| 25 | Jamaica | 19 |
| 26 | Kenya | 17 |
| 27 | Paraguay | 17 |
| 28 | Fiji | 13 |
| 29 | Spain | 13 |
| 30 | Bolivia | 12 |
Product categories where Salmonella appears
| # | Product category | Refusals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fishery/Seafood Products | 699 |
| 2 | Spices, Flavors, and Salts | 584 |
| 3 | Nuts and Edible Seeds | 354 |
| 4 | Fruit and Fruit Products | 173 |
| 5 | Vegetables and Vegetable Products | 173 |
| 6 | Snack Food Items (Flour, Meal, or Vegetable Base) | 164 |
| 7 | Candy Without Chocolate, Candy Specialties, and Chewing Gum | 50 |
| 8 | Vitamins, Minerals, Proteins, and Unconventional Dietary Specialties for Humans | 44 |
| 9 | Bakery Products, Doughs, Bakery Mixes, and Icings | 36 |
| 10 | Multiple Food Dinners, Gravies, Sauces, and Specialties (Total Diet) | 31 |
| 11 | Whole Grains, Milled Grain Products, and Starch | 19 |
| 12 | Coffee and Tea | 15 |
| 13 | Meat, Meat Products, and Poultry | 13 |
| 14 | Macaroni and Noodle Products | 9 |
| 15 | Chocolate and Cocoa Products | 7 |
FDA charge codes in Salmonella
| Code | What it means | Refusals |
|---|---|---|
SALMONELLA | Salmonella | 2,395 |
Recent Salmonella refusals
- KM6-3685440-8 FISH, N.E.C.From Bangladesh, Fishery/Seafood Products. Salmonella
- 442-8673499-9 ANIMAL BY-PRODUCTS AND EXTRACTS, N.E.C.From Canada, Vitamins, Minerals, Proteins, and Unconventional Dietary Specialties for Humans. supplement labelinglabelingunauthorized health claimnutrition labeling+2 more
- FY4-0124128-3 MORINGA OLEIFERA (HERBAL AND BOTANICAL TEAS II, (CONTINUED)From India, Vitamins, Minerals, Proteins, and Unconventional Dietary Specialties for Humans. Salmonella
- NDA-1038475-4 HUSK TOMATO (TOMATILLO) (FRUIT USED AS VEGETABLE)From Mexico, Vegetables and Vegetable Products. Salmonella
- KM6-3685157-8 PEPPER,BLACK, WHOLE (SPICE)From India, Spices, Flavors, and Salts. filthSalmonella
- NDA-1038362-4 HUSK TOMATO (TOMATILLO) (FRUIT USED AS VEGETABLE)From Mexico, Vegetables and Vegetable Products. Salmonella
- DF4-1647484-2 MINT, GROUND, CRACKED (SPICE)From Turkey, Spices, Flavors, and Salts. Salmonella
- KM6-3684279-1 MIXED SPICE AND SEASONINGS, GROUND, CRACKED, WITHOUT SALT, N.E.C.From United Arab Emirates, Spices, Flavors, and Salts. insanitary plantinsanitary handlingSalmonella
- 82S-0005237-9 PEPPER,BLACK, WHOLE (SPICE)From India, Spices, Flavors, and Salts. filthSalmonella
- KM6-3684693-3 TAMARIND, JAM, JELLY, PRESERVES, MARMALADE, BUTTER OR CANDIEDFrom India, Fruit and Fruit Products. Salmonellafilth
- B6V-0284901-6 PEPPER, BLACK, GROUND, CRACKED (SPICE)From Brazil, Spices, Flavors, and Salts. Salmonella
- KM6-3684852-5 FISH, N.E.C.From Vietnam, Fishery/Seafood Products. Salmonella
- 82S-0005221-3 TURMERIC, GROUND, CRACKED (SPICE)From India, Spices, Flavors, and Salts. Salmonella
- SCS-7191918-5 PEPPER,BLACK, WHOLE (SPICE)From India, Spices, Flavors, and Salts. filthSalmonella
- BNI-0150588-0 MELON SEEDS (EDIBLE SEED)From Ghana, Nuts and Edible Seeds. Salmonella
- MH7-2120737-0 ANIMAL BY-PRODUCTS AND EXTRACTS, N.E.C.From Indonesia, Vitamins, Minerals, Proteins, and Unconventional Dietary Specialties for Humans. not in EnglishlabelingSalmonella
- DP4-8687034-9 BETEL NUT, IN SHELLFrom India, Nuts and Edible Seeds. filthSalmonellaunsafe food additivepoisonous substance
- AQZ-0642768-9 SHRIMP AND PRAWNS, AQUACULTURE HARVESTED FISHERY/SEAFOOD PRODUCTSFrom Indonesia, Fishery/Seafood Products. filthSalmonella
- AVV-4672301-7 MORINGA OLEIFERA (HERBAL AND BOTANICAL TEAS II, (CONTINUED)From India, Vitamins, Minerals, Proteins, and Unconventional Dietary Specialties for Humans. Salmonella
- KM6-3682195-1 SHRIMP AND PRAWNS, AQUACULTURE HARVESTED FISHERY/SEAFOOD PRODUCTSFrom India, Fishery/Seafood Products. filthSalmonella
About Salmonella
Salmonella is charged under FD&C Act Section 402(a)(1) as a poisonous and deleterious substance that may render food injurious to health; its presence is treated as adulteration outright, without a numeric threshold a shipment can fall under. It is the most frequently charged microbiological hazard in FDA import refusals and turns up across a wide range of commodities — spices, sesame and other seeds, nuts, poultry and seafood, and ready-to-eat products — reflecting both how widely it survives processing and how closely shipments are tested.
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.