FDA Import Refusals Logged by DNEI

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The DNEI import division logged 6,075 FDA refusals between 2020 and 2026, 23.5% of all US import refusals in the dataset. The origins it rejects most often are India, China, Indonesia. Its most-rejected product category is Fishery/Seafood Products. Volume in 2025 was up 55% 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 DNEI, by year

Year	Refusals	YoY
2020	715	—
2021	694	-2.9%
2022	633	-8.8%
2023	747	+18.0%
2024	934	+25.0%
2025	1,446	+54.8%
2026	906	—	YTD
Total	6,075

Origins most often refused by DNEI

#	Origin country	Refusals
1	India	1,459
2	China	972
3	Indonesia	217
4	Bangladesh	172
5	Turkey	167
6	Vietnam	165
7	Pakistan	152
8	Thailand	141
9	South Korea	130
10	Italy	111
11	Egypt	104
12	Nigeria	100
13	Brazil	98
14	Ghana	93
15	Philippines	90
16	Myanmar	86
17	El Salvador	77
18	Chile	74
19	United Kingdom	71
20	Ecuador	70
21	Guatemala	70
22	Japan	67
23	Hong Kong	60
24	Greece	58
25	Taiwan	57
26	Peru	52
27	Dominican Republic	50
28	Israel	50
29	Mexico	47
30	Russia	45

Product categories most often refused by DNEI

#	Product category	Refusals
1	Fishery/Seafood Products	1,042
2	Fruit and Fruit Products	1,008
3	Vegetables and Vegetable Products	743
4	Spices, Flavors, and Salts	469
5	Nuts and Edible Seeds	376
6	Bakery Products, Doughs, Bakery Mixes, and Icings	357
7	Whole Grains, Milled Grain Products, and Starch	305
8	Vitamins, Minerals, Proteins, and Unconventional Dietary Specialties for Humans	254
9	Candy Without Chocolate, Candy Specialties, and Chewing Gum	248
10	Snack Food Items (Flour, Meal, or Vegetable Base)	199
11	Macaroni and Noodle Products	166
12	Multiple Food Dinners, Gravies, Sauces, and Specialties (Total Diet)	145
13	Soft Drinks and Waters	120
14	Vegetable Oils (Includes Olive Oil)	89
15	Ice Cream and Related Products	73

Recent refusals logged by DNEI

KM6-3677866-4 2026-09-10 IndiaSpices, Flavors, and SaltsMIXED SPICES AND SEASONING WITH SALT, N.E.C. filth
AEK-2031384-6 2026-09-10 IndiaFruit and Fruit ProductsTAMARIND (SUBTROPICAL AND TROPICAL FRUIT PUREES) filth
KM6-3677890-4 2026-09-10 IndiaMacaroni and Noodle ProductsNOODLES, INSTANT filth
AEK-9759966-4 2026-09-10 MalaysiaCoffee and TeaCOFFEE, N.E.C. supplement labeling
KM6-3681261-2 2026-09-10 IndiaVegetables and Vegetable ProductsMIXED VEGETABLES, N.E.C. poisonous or deleterious substanceno food-canning registrationno process filing
BNI-0149560-3 2026-09-09 El SalvadorSpices, Flavors, and SaltsWHOLE SPICE, N.E.C. pesticide residue
820-2219336-9 2026-09-09 IndonesiaSpices, Flavors, and SaltsCLOVE, NATURAL EXTRACT OR FLAVOR (SPICE)
KM6-3687342-4 2026-09-09 IndiaSpices, Flavors, and SaltsCORIANDER, GROUND, CRACKED (SPICE) Salmonella
SCS-1055895-3 2026-09-09 ItalyMultiple Food Dinners, Gravies, Sauces, and Specialties (Total Diet)SAUCES, N.E.C. no process filing
SCS-0285424-6 2026-09-08 IndiaCandy Without Chocolate, Candy Specialties, and Chewing GumCANDY SPECIALTIES, N.E.C. (WITHOUT CHOCOLATE) unsafe color additiveingredients not listed
NFT-2096419-2 2026-09-08 ChinaIce Cream and Related ProductsICES, FRUIT FLAVORED, ON A STICK, (POPSICLES, ETC.) unsafe color additivecolor not declared
EUG-0051865-4 2026-09-08 IndonesiaVitamins, Minerals, Proteins, and Unconventional Dietary Specialties for HumansKRATOM (HERBAL AND BOTANICAL TEAS II, CONTINUED) unsafe dietary ingredient
EH3-2671074-4 2026-09-04 Costa RicaCandy Without Chocolate, Candy Specialties, and Chewing GumJELLY FRUIT POPPERS CANDY unfit for food
K09-0100080-0 2026-09-03 ChinaBakery Products, Doughs, Bakery Mixes, and IcingsFRUIT/FRUIT FLAVORED PREPARED DRY COOKIE MIX WITHOUT MILK OR EGG unsafe color additive
KM6-3677873-0 2026-09-03 IndiaMultiple Food Dinners, Gravies, Sauces, and Specialties (Total Diet)CHILI SAUCE filth
T77-1669447-8 2026-09-03 IndiaVegetables and Vegetable ProductsVEGETABLE & VEGETABLE PRODUCTS NOT MENTIONED ELSEWHERE, N.E.C. pesticide residue
EI5-4041505-3 2026-09-03 ChileFruit and Fruit ProductsBLUEBERRIES (BERRY) insanitary plantinsanitary handling
K79-0194679-1 2026-09-02 IndiaSpices, Flavors, and SaltsPEPPER,BLACK, WHOLE (SPICE) filth
AEK-2014469-6 2026-09-02 IndiaFruit and Fruit ProductsPALM NUT ARECA, ARECA NUT OR BETEL NUT, SUBTROPICAL AND TROPICAL FRUIT poisonous or deleterious substance
DE6-9014318-0 2026-09-02 PortugalVegetables and Vegetable ProductsPEPPER, HOT, N.E.C. (FRUIT USED AS VEGETABLE) no process filing

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.