India: FDA food import refusals, 2020–2025
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India was the origin of 3,725 of 22,156 US food import refusals in 2020–2025 (16.8%), ranking 2nd of 146 origins. 78% were hazard findings and 22% paperwork alone. 16% concerned vitamins, minerals, proteins, and unconventional dietary specialties for humans; the most-cited safety charge was filth, and the most-cited paperwork charge unapproved new drug.
Every US food import refusal naming India as origin, 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2025. A refusal is one import entry, however many product lines it carried. Download every table (CSV).
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By year
| Year | Refusals | Share of US total | Rank among origins |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 380 | 13.9% | 2 |
| 2021 | 429 | 14.8% | 1 |
| 2022 | 402 | 11.8% | 2 |
| 2023 | 608 | 17.3% | 2 |
| 2024 | 790 | 19.8% | 1 |
| 2025 | 1,116 | 19.8% | 1 |
| 2020–2025 | 3,725 | 16.8% | 2 |
Year links open that year's refusals, entry by entry.
Tables below show each year 2020–2025; cells are shaded against their row's own peak. Change compares 2025 with 2020 and is shown only where 2020 had at least 10 refusals ("new" where it had none).
Hazard or paperwork
A refusal is a hazard finding when any of its charges is a safety one — filth, pathogens, residues, contaminants, unsafe additives — and paperwork when every charge is labelling, registration or a missing filing. One citing only charge codes FDA has not published is unclassified.
| Year | Hazard findings | Paperwork only | Unclassified | Hazard share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 304 | 76 | 0 | 80.0% |
| 2021 | 340 | 89 | 0 | 79.3% |
| 2022 | 323 | 79 | 0 | 80.3% |
| 2023 | 477 | 131 | 0 | 78.5% |
| 2024 | 625 | 165 | 0 | 79.1% |
| 2025 | 849 | 267 | 0 | 76.1% |
| 2020–2025 | 2,918 | 807 | 0 | 78.3% |
By industry
| FDA industry | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamins, Minerals, Proteins, and Unconventional Dietary Specialties for Humans rates → Herbals-botanicals · Supplements |
67 | 70 | 77 | 91 | 114 | 191 | 610 (16.4%) | +185% |
| Spices, Flavors, and Salts rates → Spices-other |
64 | 95 | 54 | 81 | 86 | 106 | 486 (13.0%) | +66% |
| Fruit and Fruit Products rates → Berries-grapes · Citrus · Fruit-other · Stone-fruit · Tropical |
15 | 42 | 57 | 64 | 44 | 116 | 338 (9.1%) | +673% |
| Bakery Products, Doughs, Bakery Mixes, and Icings rates → Bakery |
37 | 47 | 37 | 57 | 43 | 89 | 310 (8.3%) | +141% |
| Nuts and Edible Seeds rates → Cashew · Groundnut · Other-nuts · Sesame |
23 | 23 | 46 | 81 | 74 | 55 | 302 (8.1%) | +139% |
| Whole Grains, Milled Grain Products, and Starch rates → Grains-starch-other · Maize-corn · Rice · Wheat |
37 | 6 | 10 | 44 | 129 | 72 | 298 (8.0%) | +95% |
| Fishery/Seafood Products rates → Fish-other · Shrimp-prawn · Squid-octopus · Tuna |
79 | 48 | 29 | 45 | 31 | 43 | 275 (7.4%) | −46% |
| Snack Food Items (Flour, Meal, or Vegetable Base) rates → Snacks |
18 | 6 | 18 | 17 | 62 | 109 | 230 (6.2%) | +506% |
| Macaroni and Noodle Products rates → Noodles-pasta |
2 | 49 | 24 | 18 | 73 | 57 | 223 (6.0%) | — |
| Vegetables and Vegetable Products rates → Leafy · Pepper · Vegetables-other |
5 | 7 | 19 | 19 | 56 | 110 | 216 (5.8%) | — |
| Dietary Conventional Foods and Meal Replacements rates → | 2 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 20 | 32 | 75 (2.0%) | — |
| Vegetable Oils (Includes Olive Oil) rates → | 8 | 9 | 7 | 12 | 17 | 21 | 74 (2.0%) | — |
| Candy Without Chocolate, Candy Specialties, and Chewing Gum rates → Candy |
7 | 7 | 6 | 15 | 7 | 19 | 61 (1.6%) | — |
| Multiple Food Dinners, Gravies, Sauces, and Specialties (Total Diet) rates → Sauces-prepared |
0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 43 | 60 (1.6%) | — |
| Food Sweeteners (Nutritive) | 8 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 8 | 38 (1.0%) | — |
| Dressings and Condiments rates → | 2 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 27 (0.7%) | — |
| Soft Drinks and Waters rates → Soft-drinks |
0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 24 (0.6%) | — |
| Coffee and Tea rates → | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 20 (0.5%) | — |
| Beverage Bases rates → | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 15 (0.4%) | — |
| Color Additives for Foods, Drugs, and Cosmetics rates → | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 12 (0.3%) | — |
| Milk, Butter, and Dried Milk Products rates → | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 11 (0.3%) | — |
| Vegetable Protein Products (Simulated Meats) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 (0.2%) | — |
| Cereal Preparations, Breakfast Foods | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 (0.1%) | — |
| Chocolate and Cocoa Products | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 (0.1%) | — |
| Gelatin, Rennet, Pudding Mixes, and Pie Fillings | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 (0.1%) | — |
| Food Additives - for Human Use | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (0.1%) | — |
| Cheese and Cheese Products | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.0%) | — |
| Ice Cream and Related Products | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.0%) | — |
By charge group
A refusal citing charges in two groups counts once in each, so rows can add up to more than the total.
| Charge group | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filth and insanitary conditions (hazard) | 110 | 200 | 192 | 176 | 171 | 373 | 1,222 (32.8%) | +239% |
| Salmonella (hazard) | 110 | 123 | 95 | 103 | 120 | 184 | 735 (19.7%) | +67% |
| Labelling (paperwork) | 67 | 63 | 58 | 109 | 173 | 192 | 662 (17.8%) | +187% |
| Process and registration (paperwork) | 53 | 64 | 62 | 101 | 130 | 228 | 638 (17.1%) | +330% |
| Pesticide residues (hazard) | 44 | 14 | 23 | 112 | 191 | 176 | 560 (15.0%) | +300% |
| Unsafe additives (hazard) | 49 | 44 | 30 | 86 | 123 | 150 | 482 (12.9%) | +206% |
| Contaminants (hazard) | 19 | 14 | 24 | 31 | 72 | 60 | 220 (5.9%) | +216% |
| Undeclared allergens (hazard) | 9 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 49 | 21 | 99 (2.7%) | — |
| Veterinary drug residues (hazard) | 12 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 20 | 18 | 86 (2.3%) | +50% |
| Mycotoxins (hazard) | 3 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 16 (0.4%) | — |
| Other pathogens (hazard) | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 (0.2%) | — |
| Listeria monocytogenes (hazard) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 (0.0%) | new |
| Other charges (no group) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 12 (0.3%) | — |
Most-cited charges
FDA's own charge codes, with a plain-English label. Each is counted once per refusal.
Safety charges
| Charge | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
filth FILTHY |
83 | 186 | 160 | 160 | 136 | 266 | 991 | +220% |
Salmonella SALMONELLA |
110 | 123 | 95 | 103 | 120 | 184 | 735 | +67% |
pesticide residue PESTICIDE |
44 | 14 | 23 | 112 | 191 | 176 | 560 | +300% |
unsafe color additive UNSAFE COL |
27 | 27 | 18 | 54 | 46 | 89 | 261 | +230% |
unsafe food additive UNSAFE ADD |
10 | 12 | 11 | 31 | 82 | 64 | 210 | +540% |
insanitary handling MFR INJ |
0 | 1 | 22 | 6 | 31 | 93 | 153 | — |
insanitary plant MFR INSAN |
0 | 1 | 19 | 7 | 22 | 89 | 138 | — |
poisonous or deleterious substance POISONOUS |
15 | 11 | 17 | 9 | 23 | 34 | 109 | +127% |
undeclared allergen ALLERGEN |
9 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 49 | 20 | 98 | — |
poisonous substance POISONORD |
2 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 42 | 22 | 88 | — |
Paperwork charges
| Charge | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
unapproved new drug UNAPPROVED |
44 | 52 | 42 | 90 | 99 | 173 | 500 | +293% |
nutrition labeling NUTRIT LBL |
28 | 41 | 26 | 58 | 81 | 88 | 322 | +214% |
ingredients not listed LIST INGRE |
22 | 21 | 14 | 39 | 68 | 65 | 229 | +195% |
color not declared COLOR LBLG |
10 | 15 | 11 | 27 | 28 | 49 | 140 | +390% |
no net quantity LACKS N/C |
7 | 11 | 9 | 19 | 39 | 51 | 136 | — |
false or misleading label FALSE |
4 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 52 | 30 | 103 | — |
no manufacturer name LACKS FIRM |
12 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 25 | 23 | 83 | +92% |
no common name USUAL NAME |
9 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 28 | 24 | 73 | — |
not in English NO ENGLISH |
6 | 11 | 3 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 62 | — |
labeling LABELING |
5 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 17 | 15 | 55 | — |
By month
Pooled across 2020–2025. Each row is shaded against its own peak, so its season shows whatever its size. Hazard findings peak in December; Paperwork only peak in December.
Hazard or paperwork
| Kind | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hazard findings | 240 | 235 | 222 | 218 | 206 | 206 | 271 | 238 | 274 | 251 | 278 | 279 | December |
| Paperwork only | 52 | 41 | 69 | 58 | 70 | 62 | 83 | 66 | 78 | 82 | 59 | 87 | December |
By charge group
| Charge group | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filth and insanitary conditions | 87 | 99 | 86 | 86 | 83 | 89 | 124 | 89 | 109 | 108 | 133 | 129 | November |
| Salmonella | 73 | 60 | 66 | 57 | 56 | 50 | 52 | 53 | 68 | 54 | 83 | 63 | November |
| Labelling | 54 | 35 | 62 | 62 | 45 | 37 | 57 | 60 | 61 | 74 | 55 | 60 | October |
| Process and registration | 35 | 31 | 45 | 34 | 51 | 54 | 74 | 46 | 66 | 69 | 50 | 83 | December |
| Pesticide residues | 48 | 68 | 50 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 42 | 49 | 51 | 33 | 41 | 43 | February |
Import divisions
The FDA division that handled the entry. DSWI and DNBI are the Mexican and Canadian land borders, so this says as much about the route as about the product.
| Division | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DNEI — Northeast | 136 | 152 | 124 | 227 | 262 | 377 | 1,278 | +177% |
| DSEI — Southeast | 80 | 78 | 99 | 111 | 177 | 337 | 882 | +321% |
| DWCI — West Coast | 82 | 107 | 96 | 134 | 154 | 170 | 743 | +107% |
| DNBI — North Border, the Canadian land border | 43 | 55 | 57 | 86 | 102 | 119 | 462 | +177% |
| DSWI — Southwest, the Mexican land border | 39 | 37 | 26 | 50 | 95 | 113 | 360 | +190% |
Method
- Source: FDA Import Refusal Report (U.S. Food and Drug Administration); every food import refusal dated 2020–2025.
- Counts are import entries, not product lines. A refusal naming several origins counts once for each, so origin shares can add up to more than 100%.
- Charge groups are this site's grouping of FDA's charge codes; a code belongs to the first group that claims it, the same rule as the hazard pages.
- A charge is what FDA cited to refuse the entry, often on appearance or documents rather than a laboratory result. Counts depend on how often each product is examined, so they are not a rate of unsafe food.
- Licence: CC-BY-4.0. Cite as "India: FDA food import refusals, 2020–2025", fruit-risk.com, 2026-09-20, https://fdair.fruit-risk.com/reports/india.html.
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