FDA import refusals
FDA import refusals: seafood from China
FDA category: Fishery/Seafood Products · October 2016 to October 15, 2026
FDA refused 1,120 seafood shipment lines from China between October 2016 and October 15, 2026, 57 of them in 2026; the most refused products were eel and tilapia, most often for VETDRUGRES (animal drug residue).
Data from FDA public records, last checked .
- 1,120
- seafood lines refused since October 2016
- 57
- refused so far in 2026
- 10
- firms with the most records, listed below
Seafood refusals from China by year
Shipment lines FDA refused each year. The table has the same numbers as the chart.
| Year | Refusal lines | vs prior year |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | 57 | |
| 2025 | 93 | +15% |
| 2024 | 81 | +1% |
| 2023 | 80 | +74% |
| 2022 | 46 | +7% |
| 2021 | 43 | -9% |
| 2020 | 47 | -63% |
| 2019 | 127 | -55% |
| 2018 | 280 | +30% |
| 2017 | 216 | |
| 2016 (from Oct) | 50 |
Eel refusals from China
FDA refused 211 eel lines from China between October 2016 and October 15, 2026, 19% of the seafood lines.
| FDA product description | Lines | Share of seafood |
|---|---|---|
| Eel | 94 | 8.4% |
| Eel, aquaculture harvested fishery/seafood products | 72 | 6.4% |
| Eel, hot smoked, fish | 45 | 4.0% |
Recent eel refusals
| Date | Firm | Product | Charges | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fujian Qingliu Shoho Eel Industry., Co., LtdSanming, China | EEL | UNSAFE ADDVETDRUGRES | Source | |
| Fujian Qingliu Shoho Eel Industry., Co., LtdSanming, China | EEL | UNSAFE ADDVETDRUGRES | Source | |
| Fujian Qingliu Shoho Eel Industry., Co., LtdSanming, China | EEL | UNSAFE ADDVETDRUGRES | Source | |
| Fujian Qingliu Shoho Eel Industry., Co., LtdSanming, China | EEL | UNSAFE ADDVETDRUGRES | Source | |
| Fujian Qingliu Shoho Eel Industry., Co., LtdSanming, China | EEL | UNSAFE ADDVETDRUGRES | Source |
Tilapia refusals from China
FDA refused 146 tilapia lines from China between October 2016 and October 15, 2026, 13% of the seafood lines.
| FDA product description | Lines | Share of seafood |
|---|---|---|
| Tilapia, aquaculture harvested fishery/seafood products | 146 | 13.0% |
Recent tilapia refusals
| Date | Firm | Product | Charges | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guangdong Gourmet Aquatic Products Co., Ltd.Zhan Jiang, China | Tilapia, aquaculture harvested fishery/seafood products | VETDRUGRES | Source |
Croaker refusals from China
FDA refused 79 croaker lines from China between October 2016 and October 15, 2026, 7% of the seafood lines.
| FDA product description | Lines | Share of seafood |
|---|---|---|
| Croaker | 79 | 7.1% |
Other seafood products refused from China
| Product group | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Shrimp & prawns | 79 | 7.1% |
| Squid | 68 | 6.1% |
| Cod | 58 | 5.2% |
| Clams | 45 | 4.0% |
Why FDA refused seafood from China
FDA records a charge code on each refused line; one line can carry several.
| Charge code | Meaning | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| VETDRUGRES | Animal drug residue | 475 | 37% |
| FILTHY | Filthy, putrid or decomposed substance | 352 | 28% |
| UNSAFE ADD | Food additive unsafe under section 409 | 196 | 15% |
| POISONOUS | Poisonous or deleterious substance | 45 | 4% |
| LIST INGRE | Ingredients not listed | 40 | 3% |
| SALMONELLA | Salmonella | 39 | 3% |
| NUTRIT LBL | Nutrition information missing from label | 35 | 3% |
| PESTICIDE | Pesticide chemical residue | 34 | 3% |
| ALLERGEN | Major food allergen not declared | 32 | 3% |
| NO ENGLISH | Required label information not in English | 31 | 2% |
Import alerts for seafood that list China firms
| Alert | Covers | Red | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16-81 | Seafood products: Salmonella | 98 | |
| 16-124 | Aquaculture seafood: unapproved drugs | 51 | |
| 16-127 | Seafood: chloramphenicol | 23 | |
| 16-131 | Aquacultured, shrimp, dace, and eel from China and Hong Kong | 20 | |
| 16-39 | Ready-to-eat seafood: Listeria monocytogenes | 19 | |
| 16-74 | Uneviscerated salt-cured, dried, smoked or fermented fish | 12 | |
| 16-105 | Fish products: decomposition, histamine or indole | 12 | |
| 16-120 | Seafood from processors not in compliance with HACCP | 10 | |
| 16-02 | Dried shark fins, fish maws and shark cartilage: filth | 8 | |
| 16-50 | Molluscan bivalve shellfish | 8 |
China seafood firms with the most FDA records
Counts are FDA records in SupplierRadar's data, not a ranking of quality.
| Firm | City | FDA records |
|---|---|---|
| Dalian Hongdao Marine Products Co., Ltd. | Dalian | 47 |
| Changle Juquan Foods Co., Ltd. | Fuzhou | 44 |
| Xiangjiang Food Co.,Ltd | Ningbo | 30 |
| Jiangxi Junma Foods Co.,LTD | Shangrao City | 28 |
| Shengyuan Aquatic Food Co.,Ltd.Ningde Fujian | Ningde | 24 |
| Zhanjiang Fuchang Aquatic Products Freezing Plant | Zhanjiang | 23 |
| Fujian Rongjiang Imp. & Exp. Corp. | Fuzhou | 20 |
| Maoming Hongye Aquatic Products Co., Ltd. | Huazhou | 20 |
| Fujian Jiafeng Agricultural Development Co., Ltd | Ningde | 16 |
| Dalian Shenghang Food Co., Ltd | Zhuanghe | 16 |
Latest seafood refusals from China
Questions about seafood refusals from China
- How many seafood shipments from China did FDA refuse in 2026?
- FDA refused 57 shipment lines of seafood from China in 2026 through October 15, 2026, compared with 93 in 2025.
- Why does FDA refuse seafood from China?
- FDA records a charge code on every refused shipment line. For seafood from China the most frequent are VETDRUGRES (animal drug residue, 475 lines), FILTHY (filthy, putrid or decomposed substance, 352 lines) and UNSAFE ADD (food additive unsafe under section 409, 196 lines). A charge describes what FDA's reference table says about one shipment line, not about every firm.
- Which import alerts cover seafood from China?
- As of October 26, 2026, the FDA import alerts for this category that list China firms are Import Alert 16-81 (98 firms), Import Alert 16-124 (51 firms), Import Alert 16-127 (23 firms) and Import Alert 16-131 (20 firms). General food alerts numbered 99-xx can list China firms too; see the country page.
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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.