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

FDA Import Refusals Logged by DNBI

← all import divisions · dashboard

The DNBI import division logged 2,991 FDA refusals between 2020 and 2026, 11.6% of all US import refusals in the dataset. The origins it rejects most often are Canada, India, China. Its most-rejected product category is Vegetables and Vegetable Products. Volume in 2025 was up 21% on 2024.

What these division codes mean
DNEI
Division of Northeast Imports.
DSEI
Division of Southeast Imports.
DWCI
Division of West Coast Imports.
DSWI
Division of Southwest Imports — the Mexican land border.
DNBI
Division of North Border Imports — the Canadian land border.

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FDA refusals logged by DNBI, by year

YearRefusalsYoY
2020 243 —
2021 343 +41.2%
2022 362 +5.5%
2023 444 +22.7%
2024 545 +22.7%
2025 660 +21.1%
2026 394 — YTD
Total2,991

Origins most often refused by DNBI

#Origin countryRefusals
1 Canada 827
2 India 517
3 China 148
4 United States 105
5 Turkey 103
6 Pakistan 73
7 Jordan 70
8 Indonesia 59
9 Thailand 54
10 Afghanistan 53
11 Lebanon 53
12 United Kingdom 45
13 Italy 43
14 Vietnam 43
15 Tanzania 38
16 South Korea 32
17 Egypt 28
18 United Arab Emirates 28
19 Yemen 25
20 Malaysia 24
21 Myanmar 23
22 Poland 23
23 Spain 23
24 Australia 22
25 Saudi Arabia 22
26 Senegal 22
27 Sweden 22
28 Chile 19
29 Morocco 19
30 Peru 19

Product categories most often refused by DNBI

#Product categoryRefusals
1Vegetables and Vegetable Products478
2Vitamins, Minerals, Proteins, and Unconventional Dietary Specialties for Humans464
3Fruit and Fruit Products451
4Fishery/Seafood Products229
5Nuts and Edible Seeds185
6Candy Without Chocolate, Candy Specialties, and Chewing Gum180
7Bakery Products, Doughs, Bakery Mixes, and Icings154
8Spices, Flavors, and Salts149
9Whole Grains, Milled Grain Products, and Starch126
10Soft Drinks and Waters74
11Snack Food Items (Flour, Meal, or Vegetable Base)71
12Chocolate and Cocoa Products61
13Multiple Food Dinners, Gravies, Sauces, and Specialties (Total Diet)59
14Macaroni and Noodle Products51
15Vegetable Oils (Includes Olive Oil)33

Recent refusals logged by DNBI

About FDA import refusals

What is an FDA import refusal?

An FDA import refusal is an entry that FDA examined, or sampled, and refused admission into US commerce — most often because it appeared adulterated or misbranded under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. It is an entry-level administrative action, not a finding of guilt and not an adjudication; the importer may recondition, re-export or destroy the goods.

What is the difference between the import division and the country of origin?

The import division is one of FDA's own operating divisions that processed the entry and issued the refusal. The country of origin is where the refused product was produced or shipped from. These pages rank import divisions by the number of refusals they issued, separately from the origin-country breakdown.

Do import refusals keep unsafe food out of the United States?

Yes, that is their purpose: refusing an entry at the border stops a non-compliant consignment from reaching US commerce. Not every refusal is a safety finding, though — close to three in ten are labelling or registration failures rather than a hazard in the product itself, which is why this site counts hazard and paperwork refusals separately.