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

FDA Import Refusals Logged by DSEI

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The DSEI import division logged 6,730 FDA refusals between 2020 and 2026, 25.4% 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 1,270 — YTD
Total6,730

Origins most often refused by DSEI

#Origin countryRefusals
1 India 1,194
2 Mexico 624
3 Indonesia 465
4 Guatemala 317
5 United Kingdom 285
6 Australia 251
7 China 223
8 Malaysia 209
9 Colombia 181
10 Vietnam 176
11 Brazil 168
12 Thailand 164
13 Turkey 161
14 Germany 115
15 Dominican Republic 110
16 Portugal 109
17 Spain 108
18 Switzerland 97
19 Honduras 94
20 Ecuador 83
21 Costa Rica 80
22 Italy 78
23 United States 72
24 Canada 69
25 Japan 67
26 South Korea 66
27 Nicaragua 62
28 Peru 55
29 Jamaica 52
30 Nigeria 49

Product categories most often refused by DSEI

#Product categoryRefusals
1Vitamins, Minerals, Proteins, and Unconventional Dietary Specialties for Humans2,840
2Fishery/Seafood Products685
3Fruit and Fruit Products532
4Vegetables and Vegetable Products438
5Dietary Conventional Foods and Meal Replacements266
6Candy Without Chocolate, Candy Specialties, and Chewing Gum238
7Color Additives for Foods, Drugs, and Cosmetics221
8Baby (Infant and Junior) Food Products215
9Bakery Products, Doughs, Bakery Mixes, and Icings196
10Spices, Flavors, and Salts178
11Nuts and Edible Seeds127
12Snack Food Items (Flour, Meal, or Vegetable Base)119
13Chocolate and Cocoa Products105
14Soft Drinks and Waters98
15Whole Grains, Milled Grain Products, and Starch92

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 — more than a quarter are labelling or registration failures rather than a hazard in the product itself, which is why this site counts hazard and paperwork refusals separately.