FDA import refusals
FDA import refusals: seafood from Philippines
FDA category: Fishery/Seafood Products · October 2016 to September 9, 2026
FDA refused 311 seafood shipment lines from Philippines between October 2016 and September 9, 2026, 24 of them in 2026; the most refused products were tuna and octopus, most often for FILTHY (filthy, putrid or decomposed substance).
Data from FDA public records, last checked .
- 311
- seafood lines refused since October 2016
- 24
- refused so far in 2026
- 10
- firms with the most records, listed below
Seafood refusals from Philippines 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) | 24 | |
| 2025 | 43 | +43% |
| 2024 | 30 | +233% |
| 2023 | 9 | -44% |
| 2022 | 16 | +45% |
| 2021 | 11 | 0% |
| 2020 | 11 | -84% |
| 2019 | 68 | +45% |
| 2018 | 47 | +31% |
| 2017 | 36 | |
| 2016 (from Oct) | 16 |
Tuna refusals from Philippines
FDA refused 66 tuna lines from Philippines between October 2016 and September 9, 2026, 21% of the seafood lines.
| FDA product description | Lines | Share of seafood |
|---|---|---|
| Tuna (albacore, yellowfin, bluefin, skipjack, etc.) | 66 | 21.2% |
Octopus refusals from Philippines
FDA refused 48 octopus lines from Philippines between October 2016 and September 9, 2026, 15% of the seafood lines.
| FDA product description | Lines | Share of seafood |
|---|---|---|
| Octopus, other aquatic species | 48 | 15.4% |
Fish sauce refusals from Philippines
FDA refused 32 fish sauce lines from Philippines between October 2016 and September 9, 2026, 10% of the seafood lines.
| FDA product description | Lines | Share of seafood |
|---|---|---|
| Fish sauce, fishery products, n.e.c. | 32 | 10.3% |
Recent fish sauce refusals
| Date | Firm | Product | Charges | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nutri-AsiaBulacan, Philippines | Fish sauce, fishery products, n.e.c | USUAL NAME | Source |
Other seafood products refused from Philippines
| Product group | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Milkfish | 30 | 9.6% |
| Sardines | 16 | 5.1% |
| Herring | 15 | 4.8% |
| Anchovy | 12 | 3.9% |
| Shrimp & prawns | 11 | 3.5% |
| Fish | 9 | 2.9% |
| Scad | 9 | 2.9% |
Why FDA refused seafood from Philippines
FDA records a charge code on each refused line; one line can carry several.
| Charge code | Meaning | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| FILTHY | Filthy, putrid or decomposed substance | 136 | 37% |
| SALMONELLA | Salmonella | 94 | 26% |
| MFR INSAN | Insanitary manufacturing, processing or packing | 51 | 14% |
| INSANITARY | Prepared, packed or held under insanitary conditions | 22 | 6% |
| HISTAMINE | Histamine | 18 | 5% |
| POISONOUS | Poisonous or deleterious substance | 18 | 5% |
| UNDER PRC | The article appears to have inadequate processing in having been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary… | 14 | 4% |
| INADPRCCTL | Inadequate process controls | 5 | 1% |
| MFRHACCP | Seafood HACCP requirements not met | 5 | 1% |
| NEEDS ACID | Appears to have been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby it may have become… | 4 | 1% |
Import alerts for seafood that list Philippines firms
| Alert | Covers | Red | Yellow | Green |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16-81 | Seafood products: Salmonella | 63 | ||
| 16-74 | Uneviscerated salt-cured, dried, smoked or fermented fish | 21 | ||
| 16-105 | Fish products: decomposition, histamine or indole | 10 | ||
| 16-119 | Fish products from importer and processor combinations | 4 | ||
| 16-13 | Anchovy or Bagoong Products from the Philippines | 3 | ||
| 16-120 | Seafood from processors not in compliance with HACCP | 3 | ||
| 16-137 | Seafood Due to Viral Contamination | 1 | 1 | |
| 16-04 | Seafood products that appear to be misbranded | 1 | ||
| 16-50 | Molluscan bivalve shellfish | 1 | ||
| 16-125 | Refrigerated raw fish in reduced oxygen packaging | 1 |
Philippines seafood firms with the most FDA records
Counts are FDA records in SupplierRadar's data, not a ranking of quality.
| Firm | City | FDA records |
|---|---|---|
| Malalag Bay Aquaculture & Processing Corp. | General Santos City | 24 |
| Santa Cruz Seafoods, Inc. | South Cotabato | 18 |
| Mommy Gina Tuna Resources (MGTR), Inc | General Santos City | 17 |
| HLS Aqua Products | Bacolod City | 17 |
| Central Seafoods Inc. | Cebu | 16 |
| Alsons Aquaculture Corporation | Alabel | 14 |
| HLS Aqua Products | Bacolod City | 13 |
| Global Food Solutions, Incorporated | San Pablo City | 13 |
| Mendoza Industries | Dipolog City | 12 |
| Philippine Cinmic Industrial Corporation | Gen. Santos City | 11 |
Latest seafood refusals from Philippines
Questions about seafood refusals from Philippines
- How many seafood shipments from Philippines did FDA refuse in 2026?
- FDA refused 24 shipment lines of seafood from Philippines in 2026 through September 9, 2026, compared with 43 in 2025.
- Why does FDA refuse seafood from Philippines?
- FDA records a charge code on every refused shipment line. For seafood from Philippines the most frequent are FILTHY (filthy, putrid or decomposed substance, 136 lines), SALMONELLA (Salmonella, 94 lines) and MFR INSAN (insanitary manufacturing, processing or packing, 51 lines). A charge describes what FDA's reference table says about one shipment line, not about every firm.
- Which import alerts cover seafood from Philippines?
- As of October 25, 2026, the FDA import alerts for this category that list Philippines firms are Import Alert 16-81 (63 firms), Import Alert 16-74 (21 firms), Import Alert 16-105 (10 firms) and Import Alert 16-119 (4 firms). General food alerts numbered 99-xx can list Philippines 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.