What does CONCEALED mean on an FDA refusal?

CONCEALED is the refusal charge “Appears to be food which has damage or inferiority concealed in any manner.”. FDA's official statement for the charge reads: “The article is subject to refusal of admission pursuant to Section 801(a)(3) in that it appears to be food which has damage or inferiority concealed in any manner.”

What law does CONCEALED cite?

FDA's refusal charge table cites sections 402(b)(3) and 801(a)(3) of the FD&C Act (adulteration) for CONCEALED, and classifies the charge as adulteration. The table is the Refusal Charges reference file that FDA publishes with its Data Dashboard.

Which countries have the most CONCEALED refusals?

As of October 26, 2026, the countries with the most CONCEALED refusal lines are Indonesia (1), India (1) and Italy (1). The full list with links is in the table on this page.

Is there an FDA import alert for CONCEALED?

Yes. One FDA import alert names CONCEALED as a charge code, including Import Alert 99-47 (Foods that appear adulterated for economic gain). An import alert is a list of firms; a charge code is the reason recorded on one refused shipment line.

FDA refusal charge

FDA refusal charge CONCEALED

Appears to be food which has damage or inferiority concealed in any manner.

CONCEALED is the FDA import refusal charge for appears to be food which has damage or inferiority concealed in any manner.; it cites sections 402(b)(3) and 801(a)(3) of the FD&C Act (adulteration). FDA recorded it on 3 refused shipment lines from 3 countries between October 2016 and March 13, 2026, most often for sweeteners from Indonesia.

Data from FDA public records, last checked October 26, 2026.

3
refused shipment lines carry this charge: 3
countries of origin: 1
import alert names this charge

What CONCEALED means

SupplierRadar has not written a plain-English version of CONCEALED yet. FDA's own statement is quoted below.

FD&C Act section: 402(b)(3)801(a)(3)
Classification: adulteration

FDA's official statement

Copied unchanged from FDA's Refusal Charges reference table.

The article is subject to refusal of admission pursuant to Section 801(a)(3) in that it appears to be food which has damage or inferiority concealed in any manner.

CONCEALED · 402(b)(3), 801(a)(3); ADULTERATIONFDA reference table (CSV)

Import alerts that name CONCEALED

The charge section of each alert names this code. An alert lists firms; a charge is the reason recorded on one refused line.

Import alerts naming CONCEALED as a charge
Alert	Covers	Red	Green
99-47	Foods that appear adulterated for economic gain	52

Countries with the most CONCEALED refusals

Shipment lines carrying CONCEALED, by country of origin.

CONCEALED refusal lines by country
Country	Lines	Share of CONCEALED
Indonesia	1	33%
India	1	33%
Italy	1	33%

Product categories with the most CONCEALED refusals

CONCEALED refusal lines by product category
Category	Lines	Share of CONCEALED
Food Sweeteners (Nutritive)	2	67%
Fishery/Seafood Products	1	33%

Latest CONCEALED refusals

The 3 most recent refused lines, through March 13, 2026, each with its FDA source.

Latest FDA refusals carrying CONCEALED
Date	Firm	Product	Charges
Mar 13, 2026	Tesori del MateseSan Massimo, Italy	Honey	CONCEALED ADDED BULK	Source
Jul 15, 2025	Mega Marine PridePasuruan, Indonesia	Shrimp and prawns, aquaculture harvested fishery/seafood products	SULFITELBL CONCEALED LACKS N/C	Source
Mar 3, 2017	Sresta Natural Bioproducts Pvt. Ltd. (Unit 1)Medchal, India	Honey	SUBSTITUTE CONCEALED	Source

Questions about CONCEALED

What does CONCEALED mean on an FDA refusal?: CONCEALED is the refusal charge “Appears to be food which has damage or inferiority concealed in any manner.”. FDA's official statement for the charge reads: “The article is subject to refusal of admission pursuant to Section 801(a)(3) in that it appears to be food which has damage or inferiority concealed in any manner.”
What law does CONCEALED cite?: FDA's refusal charge table cites sections 402(b)(3) and 801(a)(3) of the FD&C Act (adulteration) for CONCEALED, and classifies the charge as adulteration. The table is the Refusal Charges reference file that FDA publishes with its Data Dashboard.
Which countries have the most CONCEALED refusals?: As of October 26, 2026, the countries with the most CONCEALED refusal lines are Indonesia (1), India (1) and Italy (1). The full list with links is in the table on this page.
Is there an FDA import alert for CONCEALED?: Yes. One FDA import alert names CONCEALED as a charge code, including Import Alert 99-47 (Foods that appear adulterated for economic gain). An import alert is a list of firms; a charge code is the reason recorded on one refused shipment line.

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SupplierRadar is not affiliated with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Data comes from public FDA records and may contain errors. This is not legal advice; importers remain responsible for their supplier evaluations.