2026 FOOD RENEWALThe FDA food-facility renewal window is open through December 31. Check whether your facility must renew.

Check renewal options
FDABridge

FDA data · decision report

FDA food import refusal charges: what to check next

A reproducible 2024–September 2026 analysis of selected food refusal lines, followed by an evidence-first route for five different charge families. These counts describe final refusal records, not the probability that a future shipment will be refused.

Published and materially reviewed 13 October 2026 · FDABridge editorial team

Use the charge-to-action diagnostic

What the snapshot actually counts

The official FDA Import Refusal Report download, saved again on 13 October 2026, includes 96,973 rows across all product categories. We selected 27,527 unique refusal-line keys from a declared subset of human-food product-code industries, dated 2024-01-02 to 2026-09-24. Those lines belong to 11,819 distinct entry numbers. One entry may contain multiple lines; a line may carry several charges. Neither unit counts all shipments or all foreign manufacturers.

27,527selected refusal lines
11,819distinct entry numbers
3,723lines with more than one selected issue family

The 2026 portion ends 24 September and must not be compared as a full year with 2024 or 2025. 6,075 selected lines have none of the five charge families below; this report does not classify every FDA reason.

Use the actual FDA notice first

Charge-to-action diagnostic

Match the charge code or ASC ID from your FDA notice or the public refusal line. The group counts overlap. A charge label is a starting question, not a finding that one purchased service will resolve a shipment.

Labelling and presentation

Label declarations

8,274 lines

Selected official charge codes (ASC ID): LIST INGRE-218 (218), INCONSPICU-256 (256), COLOR LBLG-274 (274), LACKS FIRM-320 (320), LACKS N/C-321 (321), NO ENGLISH-324 (324), USUAL NAME-328 (328), ALLERGEN-3300 (3300), LABELING-473 (473), NUTRIT LBL-482 (482)

What the record says, and its limit
Selected FDA charge IDs concern nutrition labelling, ingredient statements, English text, net quantity, allergens and related presentation. A public charge states FDA's refusal basis; it does not identify every defect in a private label.
Current entry or refusal
If the entry is still detained, the importer should read the actual Notice of FDA Action and its response date with a qualified label reviewer. If final refusal has issued, use FDA's refusal instructions for that entry; a revised future label does not reverse the public record.
Evidence to retrieve
Notice of FDA Action, exact marketed label and package artwork, formulation and allergen information, proposed corrected label, entry and product details.
Future compliance work
Review the product-specific U.S. label and verify any correction before future shipments. Nutrition and allergen rules are product dependent; no label review is an FDA filing or approval.
Who should review
Food-label specialist with the importer or its regulatory adviser.

Contamination or sanitary concerns

Microbial or filth charges

5,994 lines

Selected official charge codes (ASC ID): FILTHY-249 (249), LISTERIA-295 (295), SALMONELLA-9 (9)

What the record says, and its limit
Selected IDs include Salmonella, Listeria and filth charges. The archive records an apparent violation associated with a final refusal; it is not a complete laboratory or root-cause file.
Current entry or refusal
The importer should obtain its Notice and case-specific FDA evidence before deciding whether testimony, reconditioning, export or destruction is relevant. Do not assume a new laboratory test alone resolves the entry.
Evidence to retrieve
FDA notice, sample and analytical records where available, lot traceability, production and sanitation records, corrective-action history, importer communication.
Future compliance work
Investigate product and process controls with qualified food-safety personnel; assess any applicable Import Alert separately. No future release or alert removal is guaranteed.
Who should review
Food-safety and analytical specialists; case counsel where the specific enforcement matter warrants it.

Composition or residue concerns

Chemical, color or pesticide charges

8,005 lines

Selected official charge codes (ASC ID): UNSAFE COL-11 (11), UNSAFE ADD-238 (238), PESTICIDE-241 (241)

What the record says, and its limit
Selected IDs concern unsafe color additives, pesticide residues or unsafe food additives. They are not interchangeable: the permitted substance, tolerance, product and source evidence must be checked separately.
Current entry or refusal
Review the precise FDA charge and Notice with the importer. Verify the product, ingredient or residue finding and applicable standard before selecting a response; the public record alone cannot show the entire analytical basis.
Evidence to retrieve
Actual formulation and ingredient specifications, lot traceability, supplier records, FDA notice, analytical methods and results if provided, U.S. substance or tolerance basis.
Future compliance work
Have a suitable scientific or regulatory specialist examine the specific substance and source control before future shipments. A general registration service cannot resolve product composition.
Who should review
Product-specific food chemistry, toxicology, color-additive or pesticide specialist as applicable.

Conditional programme filing

FCE or scheduled-process charges

1,113 lines

Selected official charge codes (ASC ID): NEEDS FCE-62 (62), NO PROCESS-83 (83)

What the record says, and its limit
Selected IDs concern missing FCE registration or scheduled-process information for applicable acidified or low-acid canned foods. These duties do not apply to every food exporter.
Current entry or refusal
Confirm whether the actual product and process fall within the acidified-food or low-acid canned-food rules. Review the Notice and the processor's existing FCE/SID records with the importer before responding to an entry.
Evidence to retrieve
Process authority assessment, product formulation and pH/aw where relevant, container and heat-process details, FCE and SID submission evidence, FDA notice.
Future compliance work
Where the programme applies, make the required establishment and process filings for the correct product and container scope before covered production and import activity. A filing number is not FDA approval.
Who should review
Qualified process authority and FCE/SID filing specialist, with the importer for the affected entry.

Importer-owned verification

FSVP importer charges

1,821 lines

Selected official charge codes (ASC ID): FSVP VIO-3886 (3886)

What the record says, and its limit
The selected FSVP charge concerns the U.S. importer's foreign-supplier verification duties. A foreign manufacturer's registration or U.S. Agent designation does not replace the importer programme.
Current entry or refusal
The importer should review the actual FDA notice, its FSVP importer identity and the supplier-specific verification record. The foreign supplier can provide relevant evidence but does not take over the importer's legal duty merely by supplying documents.
Evidence to retrieve
Importer and supplier identity, hazard analysis, supplier evaluation, verification activity and corrective-action records, underlying supplier evidence and the FDA notice.
Future compliance work
Close the importer-owned programme gap and agree what practical supplier evidence can support it. Do not equate ordinary GFSI certificates with FDA's accredited third-party programme.
Who should review
The U.S. FSVP importer and its qualified individual; supplier quality team for supporting evidence.

Method and boundaries

  1. Source: FDA's “2024–Present” ZIP on its Import Refusal Report, re-downloaded 13 October 2026. Archive internal file date 5 October 2026. SHA-256: 3f9f113804f9efcdf484f7b7e93b0c42bd9546a6afba25295e2e3170c95680e2. The local reproduction script and immutable snapshot are retained in this release evidence.
  2. Unit: unique ENTRY_NUM + RFRNC_DOC_ID + LINE_NUM + LINE_SFX_ID. We parse the FDA REFUSAL_DATE and use PRODUCT_CODE's two-digit industry prefix. Distinct entry numbers are shown separately; repeated charges within one line count once per group.
  3. Scope: declared human-food industry codes 02, 03, 04, 05, 07, 09, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 45, 46, drawn from FDA's food import code reference and product-code explanation. We excluded mixed color-additive, miscellaneous, dietary-supplement, animal-food and meat/poultry categories for a bounded manufacturing sample. This is not a complete total of all food refusals.
  4. Classification: the ASC ID sets printed in each diagnostic are joined to ACT_SECTION_CHARGES.csv from the same ZIP. A line can be in several groups; 3,723 are. Selected group totals cannot be summed into a pie or exclusive cause percentage. Other charge IDs remain unclassified here.
  5. Interpretation: FDA's final refusal follows an entry-specific process; detention and hearing occur earlier. Import Alert/DWPE, Warning Letter, recall and food-facility registration expiration are separate mechanisms and are not counted by this archive. Public records do not include a complete private case file or the denominator of all shipments, so we report no probability, causal ranking or risk score.

Separate registration and shipment filings: A food-facility registration question belongs to the actual facility record and registration service; an FEI is not a food registration number. Prior Notice is a separate shipment task. Neither is inferred from the five selected charge groups. FSVP belongs to the importer where applicable.

This is an editorial method and triage aid, not legal advice, an FDA determination or an offer to obtain release or Import Alert removal. Ask FDA or the importer for the actual case record. For a factual correction, contact FDABridge. Review date: 13 October 2026. Update cadence: reassess after FDA's next monthly archive release, with any new counts and methodology changes dated explicitly.