Last refresh: . 26,528 refusals since 2020-01-01.

Veterinary drug residues in US Food Imports — FDA Import Refusals

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Veterinary drug residues appeared in 448 FDA import refusals between 2020 and 2026 — 2.3% of the 19,236 refusals that identify a hazard. The origins cited most often are China, Vietnam, India. The most-affected product category is Fishery/Seafood Products. Volume in 2025 was up 38% on 2024.

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Veterinary drug residues refusals by year

YearRefusalsYoY
2020 53 —
2021 58 +9.4%
2022 55 -5.2%
2023 57 +3.6%
2024 68 +19.3%
2025 94 +38.2%
2026 63 — YTD
Total448

Origins most cited for Veterinary drug residues

#Origin countryRefusals
1 China 112
2 Vietnam 92
3 India 91
4 Indonesia 43
5 Bangladesh 26
6 Thailand 14
7 Malaysia 13
8 Hong Kong 11
9 Mexico 11
10 Ecuador 4
11 Japan 4
12 Pakistan 4
13 Egypt 3
14 Turkey 3
15 Albania 2
16 Lesotho 2
17 Philippines 2
18 Taiwan 2
19 United Kingdom 2
20 Argentina 1
21 Canada 1
22 Colombia 1
23 Romania 1
24 Saudi Arabia 1
25 South Africa 1
26 Switzerland 1

Product categories where Veterinary drug residues appears

#Product categoryRefusals
1Fishery/Seafood Products418
2Vitamins, Minerals, Proteins, and Unconventional Dietary Specialties for Humans16
3Food Sweeteners (Nutritive)11
4Bakery Products, Doughs, Bakery Mixes, and Icings2
5Fruit and Fruit Products1

FDA charge codes in Veterinary drug residues

CodeWhat it meansRefusals
VETDRUGRESveterinary drug residue364
NITROFURANnitrofuran165

Recent Veterinary drug residues refusals

About Veterinary drug residues

Veterinary-drug-residue charges apply when food appears to contain an animal drug, or a residue of one, that is unsafe within the meaning of Section 409 or unapproved under Section 512 — most often nitrofurans or chloramphenicol, both long barred from food-producing animals, or another new animal drug lacking approval for that species. The charge itself is brought under Section 402(a)(2)(C). Refusals in this group concentrate in farmed shrimp and other aquaculture, honey, and poultry and other meat from producers still using drugs not cleared for use in the United States.

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.