Mexico: FDA food import refusals, 2020–2025
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Mexico was the origin of 3,830 of 22,156 US food import refusals in 2020–2025 (17.3%), the most of any origin. 76% were hazard findings and 24% paperwork alone. 26% concerned vegetables and vegetable products; the most-cited safety charge was unsafe color additive, and the most-cited paperwork charge color not declared.
Every US food import refusal naming Mexico 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 | 415 | 15.2% | 1 |
| 2021 | 410 | 14.2% | 2 |
| 2022 | 864 | 25.3% | 1 |
| 2023 | 647 | 18.4% | 1 |
| 2024 | 702 | 17.6% | 2 |
| 2025 | 792 | 14.1% | 2 |
| 2020–2025 | 3,830 | 17.3% | 1 |
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 | 320 | 95 | 0 | 77.1% |
| 2021 | 319 | 91 | 0 | 77.8% |
| 2022 | 615 | 249 | 0 | 71.2% |
| 2023 | 502 | 145 | 0 | 77.6% |
| 2024 | 532 | 170 | 0 | 75.8% |
| 2025 | 635 | 157 | 0 | 80.2% |
| 2020–2025 | 2,923 | 907 | 0 | 76.3% |
By industry
| FDA industry | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vegetables and Vegetable Products rates → Leafy · Pepper · Vegetables-other |
127 | 122 | 166 | 172 | 232 | 169 | 988 (25.8%) | +33% |
| Fruit and Fruit Products rates → Berries-grapes · Citrus · Fruit-other · Stone-fruit · Tropical |
76 | 86 | 109 | 119 | 163 | 173 | 726 (19.0%) | +128% |
| Snack Food Items (Flour, Meal, or Vegetable Base) rates → Snacks |
22 | 56 | 246 | 86 | 67 | 206 | 683 (17.8%) | +836% |
| Vitamins, Minerals, Proteins, and Unconventional Dietary Specialties for Humans rates → Herbals-botanicals · Supplements |
43 | 29 | 181 | 63 | 88 | 87 | 491 (12.8%) | +102% |
| Candy Without Chocolate, Candy Specialties, and Chewing Gum rates → Candy |
43 | 31 | 27 | 63 | 31 | 45 | 240 (6.3%) | +5% |
| Dietary Conventional Foods and Meal Replacements rates → | 13 | 9 | 30 | 38 | 18 | 26 | 134 (3.5%) | +100% |
| Soft Drinks and Waters rates → Soft-drinks |
25 | 13 | 27 | 26 | 22 | 15 | 128 (3.3%) | −40% |
| Fishery/Seafood Products | 5 | 6 | 20 | 22 | 5 | 6 | 64 (1.7%) | — |
| Multiple Food Dinners, Gravies, Sauces, and Specialties (Total Diet) rates → Sauces-prepared |
9 | 7 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 58 (1.5%) | — |
| Milk, Butter, and Dried Milk Products rates → | 5 | 4 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 47 (1.2%) | — |
| Spices, Flavors, and Salts rates → Spices-other |
10 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 39 (1.0%) | −70% |
| Bakery Products, Doughs, Bakery Mixes, and Icings rates → Bakery |
6 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 6 | 7 | 38 (1.0%) | — |
| Cheese and Cheese Products rates → | 5 | 16 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 38 (1.0%) | — |
| Dressings and Condiments | 5 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 34 (0.9%) | — |
| Beverage Bases | 4 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 27 (0.7%) | — |
| Nuts and Edible Seeds | 5 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 23 (0.6%) | — |
| Food Sweeteners (Nutritive) | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 17 (0.4%) | — |
| Chocolate and Cocoa Products rates → Chocolate-cocoa |
1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 10 (0.3%) | — |
| Whole Grains, Milled Grain Products, and Starch | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 10 (0.3%) | — |
| Edible Insects and Insect-Derived Foods | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 (0.2%) | — |
| Filled Milk and Imitation Milk Products | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 (0.2%) | — |
| Alcoholic Beverages | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 (0.1%) | — |
| Ice Cream and Related Products | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 (0.1%) | — |
| Macaroni and Noodle Products | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 (0.1%) | — |
| Coffee and Tea | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 (0.1%) | — |
| Baby (Infant and Junior) Food Products | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (0.1%) | — |
| Cereal Preparations, Breakfast Foods | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 (0.1%) | — |
| Food Additives - for Human Use rates → | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.0%) | — |
| Miscellaneous Food Related Items | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labelling (paperwork) | 151 | 138 | 353 | 259 | 252 | 360 | 1,513 (39.5%) | +138% |
| Unsafe additives (hazard) | 94 | 84 | 306 | 168 | 114 | 260 | 1,026 (26.8%) | +177% |
| Pesticide residues (hazard) | 78 | 104 | 149 | 176 | 257 | 143 | 907 (23.7%) | +83% |
| Filth and insanitary conditions (hazard) | 113 | 102 | 123 | 150 | 122 | 184 | 794 (20.7%) | +63% |
| Process and registration (paperwork) | 55 | 48 | 220 | 98 | 73 | 97 | 591 (15.4%) | +76% |
| Salmonella (hazard) | 33 | 23 | 28 | 19 | 46 | 26 | 175 (4.6%) | −21% |
| Contaminants (hazard) | 9 | 13 | 10 | 7 | 18 | 30 | 87 (2.3%) | — |
| Undeclared allergens (hazard) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 13 (0.3%) | — |
| Listeria monocytogenes (hazard) | 1 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 (0.3%) | — |
| Veterinary drug residues (hazard) | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 10 (0.3%) | — |
| Mycotoxins (hazard) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 (0.2%) | — |
| Other pathogens (hazard) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 (0.1%) | — |
| Other charges (no group) | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 (0.1%) | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
unsafe color additive UNSAFE COL |
84 | 78 | 278 | 149 | 99 | 244 | 932 | +190% |
pesticide residue PESTICIDE |
78 | 104 | 149 | 176 | 257 | 143 | 907 | +83% |
filth FILTHY |
97 | 89 | 110 | 133 | 85 | 168 | 682 | +73% |
Salmonella SALMONELLA |
33 | 23 | 28 | 19 | 46 | 26 | 175 | −21% |
unsafe food additive UNSAFE ADD |
10 | 6 | 29 | 21 | 27 | 24 | 117 | +140% |
insanitary conditions INSANITARY |
12 | 11 | 10 | 14 | 30 | 8 | 85 | −33% |
insanitary plant MFR INSAN |
11 | 6 | 10 | 15 | 31 | 9 | 82 | −18% |
poisonous or deleterious substance POISONOUS |
8 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 14 | 27 | 72 | — |
insanitary handling MFR INJ |
4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 20 | — |
lead PB-FOOD |
1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 14 | — |
Paperwork charges
| Charge | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2020–2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
color not declared COLOR LBLG |
74 | 91 | 259 | 148 | 91 | 232 | 895 | +214% |
not in English NO ENGLISH |
45 | 32 | 206 | 96 | 99 | 93 | 571 | +107% |
unapproved new drug UNAPPROVED |
34 | 27 | 207 | 79 | 49 | 74 | 470 | +118% |
nutrition labeling NUTRIT LBL |
62 | 30 | 50 | 79 | 86 | 109 | 416 | +76% |
label not conspicuous INCONSPICU |
27 | 16 | 16 | 28 | 39 | 59 | 185 | +119% |
ingredients not listed LIST INGRE |
25 | 13 | 27 | 30 | 30 | 54 | 179 | +116% |
false or misleading label FALSE |
16 | 25 | 25 | 37 | 33 | 23 | 159 | +44% |
no net quantity LACKS N/C |
16 | 16 | 28 | 19 | 27 | 21 | 127 | +31% |
labeling LABELING |
15 | 3 | 12 | 19 | 24 | 20 | 93 | +33% |
no manufacturer name LACKS FIRM |
11 | 5 | 11 | 25 | 22 | 18 | 92 | +64% |
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 April; Paperwork only peak in December.
Hazard or paperwork
| Kind | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hazard findings | 237 | 253 | 276 | 332 | 255 | 210 | 223 | 254 | 180 | 234 | 241 | 228 | April |
| Paperwork only | 91 | 45 | 48 | 58 | 47 | 54 | 83 | 61 | 87 | 67 | 128 | 138 | December |
By charge group
| Charge group | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labelling | 116 | 111 | 125 | 199 | 97 | 99 | 128 | 153 | 118 | 131 | 102 | 134 | April |
| Unsafe additives | 68 | 84 | 91 | 163 | 75 | 70 | 89 | 108 | 52 | 83 | 62 | 81 | April |
| Pesticide residues | 85 | 107 | 110 | 82 | 65 | 67 | 64 | 53 | 46 | 80 | 77 | 71 | March |
| Filth and insanitary conditions | 63 | 51 | 60 | 67 | 105 | 61 | 51 | 68 | 60 | 56 | 86 | 66 | May |
| Process and registration | 67 | 25 | 28 | 30 | 31 | 29 | 56 | 39 | 54 | 36 | 102 | 94 | November |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DSWI — Southwest, the Mexican land border | 366 | 363 | 659 | 572 | 598 | 662 | 3,220 | +81% |
| DSEI — Southeast | 40 | 35 | 193 | 70 | 87 | 109 | 534 | +172% |
| DNEI — Northeast | 4 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 35 | — |
| DWCI — West Coast | 4 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 24 | — |
| DNBI — North Border, the Canadian land border | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 17 | — |
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 "Mexico: FDA food import refusals, 2020–2025", fruit-risk.com, 2026-09-20, https://fdair.fruit-risk.com/reports/mexico.html.
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