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

FDA Import Refusals Logged by DSEI

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The DSEI import division logged 6,511 FDA refusals between 2020 and 2026, 25.1% of all US import refusals in the dataset. The origins it rejects most often are India, Mexico, Indonesia. Its most-rejected product category is Vitamins, Minerals, Proteins, and Unconventional Dietary Specialties for Humans. Volume in 2025 was up 67% 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 DSEI, by year

YearRefusalsYoY
2020 639 —
2021 812 +27.1%
2022 974 +20.0%
2023 823 -15.5%
2024 827 +0.5%
2025 1,385 +67.5%
2026 1,051 — YTD
Total6,511

Origins most often refused by DSEI

#Origin countryRefusals
1 India 1,134
2 Mexico 613
3 Indonesia 460
4 Guatemala 302
5 United Kingdom 274
6 Australia 251
7 China 219
8 Malaysia 209
9 Colombia 175
10 Vietnam 174
11 Brazil 166
12 Turkey 161
13 Thailand 149
14 Germany 113
15 Dominican Republic 108
16 Portugal 106
17 Spain 106
18 Switzerland 96
19 Honduras 92
20 Ecuador 83
21 Costa Rica 78
22 Italy 75
23 United States 70
24 Japan 66
25 South Korea 65
26 Canada 62
27 Nicaragua 61
28 Peru 55
29 Jamaica 51
30 Nigeria 49

Product categories most often refused by DSEI

#Product categoryRefusals
1Vitamins, Minerals, Proteins, and Unconventional Dietary Specialties for Humans2,755
2Fishery/Seafood Products669
3Fruit and Fruit Products498
4Vegetables and Vegetable Products433
5Dietary Conventional Foods and Meal Replacements258
6Color Additives for Foods, Drugs, and Cosmetics221
7Candy Without Chocolate, Candy Specialties, and Chewing Gum211
8Baby (Infant and Junior) Food Products199
9Bakery Products, Doughs, Bakery Mixes, and Icings192
10Spices, Flavors, and Salts169
11Nuts and Edible Seeds124
12Snack Food Items (Flour, Meal, or Vegetable Base)115
13Chocolate and Cocoa Products105
14Soft Drinks and Waters94
15Whole Grains, Milled Grain Products, and Starch91

Recent refusals logged by DSEI

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.