FDA import refusals
FDA import refusals from Nicaragua
Food, dietary supplements and animal food · October 2016 to September 17, 2026 · how the data is collected
FDA refused 211 shipment lines from Nicaragua between October 2016 and September 2026, including 26 in 2026 through September 17, 2026; the most common charges were FILTHY, FSVP VIO and PESTICIDE, and the most refused category was seafood.
Data from FDA public records, last checked .
- 211
- refused shipment lines since October 2016
- 26
- refused so far in 2026
- 138
- Nicaragua firms with an FDA record
- 60
- firms on an active import alert
Refusals from Nicaragua 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) | 26 | |
| 2025 | 32 | +23% |
| 2024 | 26 | -32% |
| 2023 | 38 | +245% |
| 2022 | 11 | +83% |
| 2021 | 6 | -25% |
| 2020 | 8 | -38% |
| 2019 | 13 | -32% |
| 2018 | 19 | -34% |
| 2017 | 29 | |
| 2016 (from Oct) | 3 |
Why FDA refused Nicaragua shipment lines
FDA records a charge code on each refused line; one line can carry several. Each code opens FDA's official statement and the countries and products behind it.
| Charge code | Meaning | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| FILTHY | Filthy, putrid or decomposed substance | 57 | 29% |
| FSVP VIO | Importer not in compliance with FSVP | 29 | 15% |
| PESTICIDE | Pesticide chemical residue | 25 | 13% |
| NO ENGLISH | Required label information not in English | 20 | 10% |
| BACTERIA | The article appears to contain a poisonous and deleterious substance which may render it injurious to… | 15 | 8% |
| NUTRIT LBL | Nutrition information missing from label | 14 | 7% |
| UNSAFE COL | Color additive unsafe under section 721 | 11 | 6% |
| INSANITARY | Prepared, packed or held under insanitary conditions | 10 | 5% |
| SALMONELLA | Salmonella | 9 | 5% |
| MFRHACCP | Seafood HACCP requirements not met | 8 | 4% |
What FDA refused from Nicaragua, by product category
FDA product categories, most refused first. Open a category for its product, charge and firm tables.
| Category | Most refused products | Lines |
|---|---|---|
| SeafoodFishery/Seafood Products | Spiny lobster, rock lobster; Groupers; Mahi mahi | 69 |
| Root vegetables and mushroomsVegetables and Vegetable Products (root and tuber vegetables, fungi) | Taro, dasheen (root & tuber vegetable); Ginger root (root & tuber vegetable); Onion bulb (yellow, white, red, etc.), with sauce | 25 |
| CheeseCheese and Cheese Products | Cheese, pasteurized, process (standardized); Cheese and cheese products, not elsewhere mentioned, n.e.c.; Cheese products, non-standardized, n.e.c. | 18 |
| Soft drinks and waterSoft Drinks and Waters | Soft drink, subtropical or tropical fruit flavored, carbonated; Soft drink, berry fruit flavored, carbonated; Soft drink, cola, carbonated | 17 |
| Beverage basesBeverage Bases | Horchata (beverage base n.e.c.); Beverage base of non-fruit origin, n.e.c.; Beverage base, cola | 15 |
| SpicesSpices, Flavors, and Salts | Vanilla bean, raw material for extracts and flavors; Vanilla, natural extract or flavor (spice); Cinnamon, cassia, whole (spice) | 12 |
| Grains and starchWhole Grains, Milled Grain Products, and Starch | Barley flour; Corn, plain meal; Grain, whole, n.e.c. | 10 |
| Bakery productsBakery Products, Doughs, Bakery Mixes, and Icings | Bread/rolls/buns, n.e.c.; Salted crackers; Pastry, fruit or jelly filled, without custard or cream filling | 10 |
| Nuts and seedsNuts and Edible Seeds | Nuts or edible seeds not mentioned elsewhere, n.e.c.; Edible seeds, n.e.c.; Sesame seed (edible seed) | 8 |
| Vegetables (legumes and leafy)Vegetables and Vegetable Products (legumes, leaf and stem, fruit vegetables) | Kidney bean; Beans, corn, and pea, n.e.c. (vegetable); Okra (fruit used as vegetable) | 6 |
| Candy and chewing gumCandy without Chocolate, Candy Specialties, and Chewing Gum | Candy specialties, n.e.c. (without chocolate); Hard candy with fruit, n.e.c. (without chocolate); Flavored candy, hard (live savers, etc.), without nuts and fruit (without chocolate) | 6 |
| Chocolate and cocoaChocolate and Cocoa Products | Chocolate candy bar, without nuts and fruit; Cocoa dairy mix; Sweet chocolate and coating (except chocolate candy and chocolate beverage base) | 3 |
| Berries and citrusFruit and Fruit Products (berries, citrus and core fruits) | Berries, jam, jelly, preserves, marmalade, butter and candied, n.e.c.; Raspberry, red, topping or syrup | 2 |
| Tropical and pit fruitFruit and Fruit Products (pit, subtropical and tropical fruits) | Pineapple guava , subtropical and tropical fruit, jams, jellies, preserves, marmalades, candied, but; Tamarind (subtropical and tropical fruit) | 2 |
| Coffee and teaCoffee and Tea | Coffee, ground | 2 |
| Color additivesColor Additives for Foods, Drugs, and Cosmetics | Annato seeds for color manufacturing | 2 |
| Cereals and breakfast foodsCereal Preparations, Breakfast Foods | Mixed cereal, quick or instant cooking | 1 |
| Snack foodsSnack Food Items | Corn chips, fried | 1 |
| Dressings and condimentsDressings and Condiments | Vinegar, n.e.c. | 1 |
| Dietary supplementsVitamins, Minerals, Proteins, and Unconventional Dietary Specialties | Aloe (herbal and botanical (not teas) II (continued)) | 1 |
Most refused products from Nicaragua
FDA's product descriptions on the refused lines, grouped case-insensitively.
| Product | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Spiny lobster, rock lobster | 16 | 7.6% |
| Cheese, pasteurized, process (standardized) | 15 | 7.1% |
| Taro, dasheen (root & tuber vegetable) | 15 | 7.1% |
| Groupers | 13 | 6.2% |
| Mahi mahi | 13 | 6.2% |
| Fish, n.e.c. | 12 | 5.7% |
| Horchata (beverage base n.e.c.) | 11 | 5.2% |
| Soft drink, subtropical or tropical fruit flavored, carbonated | 10 | 4.7% |
| Ginger root (root & tuber vegetable) | 9 | 4.3% |
| Sea cucumber, other aquatic species | 6 | 2.8% |
FDA import alerts that list Nicaragua firms
11 alerts list at least one firm in Nicaragua: 59 firms on a red list, 60 firms on any list.
| Alert | Covers | Red | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 99-43 | Ready-to-eat foods: insanitary conditions | 20 | |
| 16-81 | Seafood products: Salmonella | 13 | |
| 99-05 | Raw agricultural products: pesticides | 13 | |
| 16-120 | Seafood from processors not in compliance with HACCP | 5 | |
| 12-10 | Cheese: microbiological contamination | 4 | |
| 45-02 | Foods with illegal or undeclared colors | 4 | |
| 23-14 | Food products: mycotoxins | 2 | |
| 99-19 | Food products: Salmonella | 2 | |
| 16-119 | Fish products from importer and processor combinations | 1 | |
| 16-125 | Refrigerated raw fish in reduced oxygen packaging | 1 | |
| 99-45 | Foods that are or contain an unsafe food additive | 1 |
Nicaragua firms with the most FDA records
Counts are FDA records in SupplierRadar's data (refusals, import alert listings and other events), not a ranking of quality.
| Firm | City | FDA records |
|---|---|---|
| Facema,S.A. | Nindiri | 16 |
| Nicalapia S.A. | Leon | 14 |
| Alimentos Industriales de Nicaragua S.A. | Masaya | 13 |
| Industrias Alimenticias "Dona Tina" | Managua | 12 |
| Cooperativa de Servicio y Credito para la Produccion Agropecuaria Masiguito R.L. | Camoapa | 12 |
| Grupo Marazul, S.A. | Puerto Cabezas | 11 |
| Productos Nica Oscar Santana | Managua | 11 |
| Industria NAcional De Refresco S.A. | Managua | 8 |
| Antonio Jarquin Jarquin | Nueva Guinea | 7 |
| Nicaraguense de Exportaciones S.A | Managua | 6 |
Latest refusals from Nicaragua
The 20 most recent refused lines, each with its FDA source.
Questions about FDA refusals from Nicaragua
- How many Nicaragua shipments did FDA refuse in 2026?
- FDA refused 26 shipment lines from Nicaragua in 2026 through September 17, 2026, compared with 32 in 2025 (a full year).
- Why does FDA refuse food from Nicaragua?
- FDA records a charge code on every refused shipment line. For Nicaragua the most frequent are FILTHY (filthy, putrid or decomposed substance, 57 lines), FSVP VIO (importer not in compliance with FSVP, 29 lines) and PESTICIDE (pesticide chemical residue, 25 lines). A charge describes what FDA's reference table says about one shipment line; it is not a finding about every firm in the country.
- Which Nicaragua firms have the most FDA refusals?
- In SupplierRadar's records the Nicaragua firms with the most FDA records (refusals, import alert listings and other events) are FACEMA,S.A. (Nindiri) with 16 records, Nicalapia S.A. (Leon) with 14 records and Alimentos Industriales de Nicaragua S.A. (Masaya) with 13 records. Each firm's page lists every record with its FDA source.
- Which FDA import alerts list Nicaragua firms?
- As of October 26, 2026, 11 FDA import alerts list at least one firm in Nicaragua. The alerts with the most Nicaragua listings are Import Alert 99-43 (20 firms), Import Alert 16-81 (13 firms) and Import Alert 99-05 (13 firms).
- How many Nicaragua firms are on an FDA import alert red list?
- As of October 26, 2026, 59 Nicaragua firms are on the red list of at least one FDA import alert in SupplierRadar's records, and 60 firms are on any list.
All Nicaragua suppliers with FDA records (69)
Every Nicaragua firm in SupplierRadar's data with an active import alert, a warning letter or at least five FDA records, most recently active first. Each name opens the firm's FDA record history.
- Alimentos Industriales de Nicaragua S.A.Masaya
- Rey de los Camarones S.A.Ciudad Sandino
- Cooperativa de Servicio y Credito para la Produccion Agropecuaria Masiguito R.L.Camoapa
- Industrias Alimenticias "Dona Tina"Managua
- Industria NAcional De Refresco S.A.Managua
- Lacteos Matiguas & Cia LimitadaMatiguas
- Parmalat Nicaragua, S.A.Managua
- Patricia Lopez SolanoManagua
- Cooperativa de Servicios para la Produccion Agropecuaria San Francisco de Asis R.L.Camoapa
- Cooperativa Nicarao, R.L.Rivas
- Corporacion Agricola SaManagua
- Dalia,Productos LacteosMatagalpa
- AgricorpManagua
- Alba Alicia Munguia RodriguezTipitapa
- Santos Andres Valladares CerratoSiuna
- Ganaderia San RamonCarazo
- Indsutrias Ircasa S.A.Managua
- Lacteos Nueva GuineaNueva Guinea
- LactosamMatagalpa
- Productos Lacteos El TriunfoEl Almendro
- Productos Lacteos Matiguas Y CiaMatiguas
- Productos Lacteos TalolingaManagua
- Productos NicaManagua
- Queso Nica El BoxeadorManagua
- Facema,S.A.Nindiri
- Man Kang, S. A.Nindiri
- Juana, Carlos y Marias SASan Ramon
- Edwin Mendoza SolisManagua
- Central American Fisheries, S.AManagua
- BORINQUEN SA NicaraguaSan Ramon
- Mariscos Procesados (CAMPRESA) S.A.Rivas
- Nicalapia S.A.Leon
- Agroinversiones, S.A.Managua
- Embotelladora Nacional S.A.Managua
- El Cacique ProduceNueva Guinea
- Compania Pesquera Charly Sociedad Anonima - COPESCHARLY S.A.Puerto Cabezas
- Baits & Sea Foods S.A.Tipitapa
- Nicaraguense de Exportaciones S.AManagua
- CR Grupo Comercial Alvacora SAManagua
- Coproexnic RLLeon-Chinengega
- Wilberto Fernado Vargas GarciaNueva Guinea
- WilbertoNueva Guinea
- Vlazar Costa Caribe S.A.Puerto Cabezas
- Productos Nica Oscar SantanaManagua
- Nicamex SeafoodManagua
- Rosquillas Vilchez TinocoSomoto Madriz
- Antonio Jarquin JarquinNueva Guinea
- Selena Daniela Perez EstradaManagua
- Central America Fisheries, S. A. - BluefieldsBluefields
- Grupo Marazul, S.A.Puerto Cabezas
- Empacadora De Raices Y Tuberculos Vargas GarciaNueva Guinea
- Aldo Somarriba SilvaManagua
- Maria Elieth Aragon RojasManagua
- Huwen HuangManagua
- Agroexport & Cia LtdManagua
- Exportaciones Guerrero Sociedad AnonimaMatagalpa
- Agropecuaria Lafise S.aManagua
- Corporacion Nicaraguense De Desarrollo MineroManagua
- Productora El Semillal S.A.Managua, Nicaragua
- Martha ChavesManagua
- Agromarina IndustrialManagua
- Empacadora Ecuanica S.A.Chinandega
- Exportacion "El Carmen" Raquel Del CarmenMasaya, Nicaragua
- Italnica Pesca S ASanta Matilda
- NicanorManagua
- ProdemasaManagua
- Sinclair Seafood Co LtdBluefields
- Exportadora De Productos Del Mar S.A.Managua
- Industrias Nacionales Agricolas SaManagua
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