What does IMITATION mean on an FDA refusal?

IMITATION is the refusal charge “The article appears to be an imitation of another food, and the label does not bear in type of uniform size…”. FDA's official statement for the charge reads: “The article appears to be an imitation of another food, and the label does not bear in type of uniform size and prominence, the word "imitation" and immediately thereafter, the name of the food imitated.”

What law does IMITATION cite?

FDA's refusal charge table cites sections 403(c) and 801(a)(3) of the FD&C Act (misbranding) for IMITATION, and classifies the charge as misbranding. The table is the Refusal Charges reference file that FDA publishes with its Data Dashboard.

Which countries have the most IMITATION refusals?

As of October 27, 2026, the countries with the most IMITATION refusal lines are China (1). The full list with links is in the table on this page.

Is there an FDA import alert for IMITATION?

SupplierRadar found no food import alert whose charge section names IMITATION. 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 IMITATION

The article appears to be an imitation of another food, and the label does not bear in type of uniform size…

IMITATION is the FDA import refusal charge for the article appears to be an imitation of another food, and the label does not bear in type of uniform size…; it cites sections 403(c) and 801(a)(3) of the FD&C Act (misbranding). FDA recorded it on 1 refused shipment line from 1 country between October 2016 and October 6, 2023, most often for snack foods from China.

Data from FDA public records, last checked October 27, 2026.

1
refused shipment lines carry this charge: 1
countries of origin: 0
import alerts name this charge

What IMITATION means

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

FD&C Act section: 403(c)801(a)(3)
Classification: misbranding

FDA's official statement

Copied unchanged from FDA's Refusal Charges reference table.

The article appears to be an imitation of another food, and the label does not bear in type of uniform size and prominence, the word "imitation" and immediately thereafter, the name of the food imitated.

IMITATION · 403(c), 801(a)(3); MISBRANDINGFDA reference table (CSV)

Countries with the most IMITATION refusals

Shipment lines carrying IMITATION, by country of origin.

IMITATION refusal lines by country
Country	Lines	Share of IMITATION
China	1	100%

Product categories with the most IMITATION refusals

IMITATION refusal lines by product category
Category	Lines	Share of IMITATION
Snack Food Items	1	100%

Latest IMITATION refusals

The 1 most recent refused lines, through October 6, 2023, each with its FDA source.

Latest FDA refusals carrying IMITATION
Date	Firm	Product	Charges
Oct 6, 2023	Tianjin Tingjin Food Co., Ltd.Tianjin, China	Potato chips,fried	IMITATION PESTICIDE NO ENGLISH+1	Source

Questions about IMITATION

What does IMITATION mean on an FDA refusal?: IMITATION is the refusal charge “The article appears to be an imitation of another food, and the label does not bear in type of uniform size…”. FDA's official statement for the charge reads: “The article appears to be an imitation of another food, and the label does not bear in type of uniform size and prominence, the word "imitation" and immediately thereafter, the name of the food imitated.”
What law does IMITATION cite?: FDA's refusal charge table cites sections 403(c) and 801(a)(3) of the FD&C Act (misbranding) for IMITATION, and classifies the charge as misbranding. The table is the Refusal Charges reference file that FDA publishes with its Data Dashboard.
Which countries have the most IMITATION refusals?: As of October 27, 2026, the countries with the most IMITATION refusal lines are China (1). The full list with links is in the table on this page.
Is there an FDA import alert for IMITATION?: SupplierRadar found no food import alert whose charge section names IMITATION. 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.