FDA import refusals
FDA import refusals: spices from Nicaragua
FDA category: Spices, Flavors, and Salts · October 2016 to October 31, 2025
FDA refused 12 spices shipment lines from Nicaragua between October 2016 and October 31, 2025, 2 of them in 2025; the most refused products were vanilla bean and vanilla, most often for UNSAFE ADD (food additive unsafe under section 409).
Data from FDA public records, last checked .
- 12
- spices lines refused since October 2016
- 2
- refused so far in 2025
- 3
- firms with the most records, listed below
Spices 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 2 | |
| 2017 | 6 | |
| 2016 (from Oct) | 2 |
Vanilla bean refusals from Nicaragua
FDA refused 6 vanilla bean lines from Nicaragua between October 2016 and October 31, 2025, 50% of the spices lines.
| FDA product description | Lines | Share of spices |
|---|---|---|
| Vanilla bean, raw material for extracts and flavors | 6 | 50.0% |
Recent vanilla bean refusals
| Date | Firm | Product | Charges | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrias Alimenticias "Dona Tina"Managua, Nicaragua | Vanilla bean, raw material for extracts and flavors | COUMARIN | Source | |
| Industrias Alimenticias "Dona Tina"Managua, Nicaragua | Vanilla bean, raw material for extracts and flavors | UNSAFE ADD | Source | |
| Industrias Alimenticias "Dona Tina"Managua, Nicaragua | Vanilla bean, raw material for extracts and flavors | UNSAFE ADD | Source | |
| Industrias Alimenticias "Dona Tina"Managua, Nicaragua | Vanilla bean, raw material for extracts and flavors | COUMARIN | Source | |
| Industrias Alimenticias "Dona Tina"Managua, Nicaragua | Vanilla bean, raw material for extracts and flavors | UNSAFE ADD | Source |
Vanilla refusals from Nicaragua
FDA refused 3 vanilla lines from Nicaragua between October 2016 and October 31, 2025, 25% of the spices lines.
| FDA product description | Lines | Share of spices |
|---|---|---|
| Vanilla, natural extract or flavor (spice) | 3 | 25.0% |
Recent vanilla refusals
| Date | Firm | Product | Charges | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrias Alimenticias "Dona Tina"Managua, Nicaragua | Vanilla, natural extract or flavor (spice) | COUMARIN | Source | |
| Industrias Alimenticias "Dona Tina"Managua, Nicaragua | Vanilla, natural extract or flavor (spice) | UNSAFE ADD | Source | |
| Industrias Alimenticias "Dona Tina"Managua, Nicaragua | Vanilla, natural extract or flavor (spice) | UNSAFE ADD | Source |
Cinnamon refusals from Nicaragua
FDA refused 1 cinnamon line from Nicaragua between October 2016 and October 31, 2025, 8% of the spices lines.
| FDA product description | Lines | Share of spices |
|---|---|---|
| Cinnamon, cassia, whole (spice) | 1 | 8.3% |
Recent cinnamon refusals
| Date | Firm | Product | Charges | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Productos Nica Oscar SantanaManagua, Nicaragua | Cinnamon, cassia, whole (spice) | LABELING | Source |
Other spices products refused from Nicaragua
| Product group | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Peppermint | 1 | 8.3% |
| Raspberry | 1 | 8.3% |
Why FDA refused spices from Nicaragua
FDA records a charge code on each refused line; one line can carry several.
| Charge code | Meaning | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNSAFE ADD | Food additive unsafe under section 409 | 5 | 42% |
| COUMARIN | The article appears to bear or contain Coumarin, a poisonous or deleterious substance, which may render it… | 4 | 33% |
| BACTERIA | The article appears to contain a poisonous and deleterious substance which may render it injurious to… | 1 | 8% |
| LABELING | Fair Packaging and Labeling Act | 1 | 8% |
| UNSAFE COL | Color additive unsafe under section 721 | 1 | 8% |
Nicaragua spices firms with the most FDA records
Counts are FDA records in SupplierRadar's data, not a ranking of quality.
| Firm | City | FDA records |
|---|---|---|
| Industrias Alimenticias "Dona Tina" | Managua | 10 |
| Productos Nica | Managua | 1 |
| Productos Nica Oscar Santana | Managua | 1 |
Latest spices refusals from Nicaragua
| Date | Firm | Product | Charges | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrias Alimenticias "Dona Tina"Managua, Nicaragua | Vanilla, natural extract or flavor (spice) | COUMARIN | Source | |
| Industrias Alimenticias "Dona Tina"Managua, Nicaragua | Raspberry, natural extract or flavor (spice) | UNSAFE COL | Source | |
| Industrias Alimenticias "Dona Tina"Managua, Nicaragua | Vanilla, natural extract or flavor (spice) | UNSAFE ADD | Source | |
| Industrias Alimenticias "Dona Tina"Managua, Nicaragua | Vanilla, natural extract or flavor (spice) | UNSAFE ADD | Source | |
| Industrias Alimenticias "Dona Tina"Managua, Nicaragua | Vanilla bean, raw material for extracts and flavors | COUMARIN | Source | |
| Industrias Alimenticias "Dona Tina"Managua, Nicaragua | Vanilla bean, raw material for extracts and flavors | UNSAFE ADD | Source | |
| Industrias Alimenticias "Dona Tina"Managua, Nicaragua | Vanilla bean, raw material for extracts and flavors | UNSAFE ADD | Source | |
| Industrias Alimenticias "Dona Tina"Managua, Nicaragua | Vanilla bean, raw material for extracts and flavors | COUMARIN | Source | |
| Productos NicaManagua, Nicaragua | Peppermint, whole (spice) | BACTERIA | Source | |
| Productos Nica Oscar SantanaManagua, Nicaragua | Cinnamon, cassia, whole (spice) | LABELING | Source | |
| Industrias Alimenticias "Dona Tina"Managua, Nicaragua | Vanilla bean, raw material for extracts and flavors | UNSAFE ADD | Source | |
| Industrias Alimenticias "Dona Tina"Managua, Nicaragua | Vanilla bean, raw material for extracts and flavors | COUMARIN | Source |
Questions about spices refusals from Nicaragua
- How many spices shipments from Nicaragua did FDA refuse in 2025?
- FDA refused 2 shipment lines of spices from Nicaragua in 2025 through October 31, 2025.
- Why does FDA refuse spices from Nicaragua?
- FDA records a charge code on every refused shipment line. For spices from Nicaragua the most frequent are UNSAFE ADD (food additive unsafe under section 409, 5 lines), COUMARIN (COUMARIN, 4 lines) and BACTERIA (BACTERIA, 1 line). A charge describes what FDA's reference table says about one shipment line, not about every firm.
- Which import alerts cover spices from Nicaragua?
- As of October 26, 2026, no import alert numbered under this category lists a firm in Nicaragua in SupplierRadar's records. General food alerts numbered 99-xx can still list Nicaragua firms; 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.