FDA import refusals
FDA import refusals: spices from Philippines
FDA category: Spices, Flavors, and Salts · October 2016 to March 11, 2026
FDA refused 23 spices shipment lines from Philippines between October 2016 and March 11, 2026, 1 of them in 2026; the most refused products were mixed spices and seasoning with salt and saffron, most often for COLOR LBLG (artificial coloring not declared).
Data from FDA public records, last checked .
- 23
- spices lines refused since October 2016
- 1
- refused so far in 2026
- 7
- firms with the most records, listed below
Spices 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) | 1 | |
| 2025 | 1 | -50% |
| 2024 | 2 | 0% |
| 2023 | 2 | 0% |
| 2022 | 2 | +100% |
| 2021 | 1 | -75% |
| 2020 | 4 | -20% |
| 2019 | 5 | +67% |
| 2018 | 3 | +50% |
| 2017 | 2 |
Mixed spices and seasoning with salt refusals from Philippines
FDA refused 15 mixed spices and seasoning with salt lines from Philippines between October 2016 and March 11, 2026, 65% of the spices lines.
| FDA product description | Lines | Share of spices |
|---|---|---|
| Mixed spices and seasoning with salt, n.e.c. | 15 | 65.2% |
Recent mixed spices and seasoning with salt refusals
| Date | Firm | Product | Charges | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hdr Foods CorporationCavite, Philippines | Mixed spices and seasoning with salt, n.e.c | UNSAFE ADDCOLOR LBLG | Source | |
| Hdr Foods CorporationCavite, Philippines | Mixed spices and seasoning with salt, n.e.c | UNSAFE COLCOLOR LBLG | Source | |
| Hdr Foods CorporationCavite, Philippines | Mixed spices and seasoning with salt, n.e.c | FILTHY | Source | |
| Hdr Foods CorporationCavite, Philippines | Mixed spices and seasoning with salt, n.e.c | FILTHY | Source | |
| Hdr Foods CorporationCavite, Philippines | Mixed spices and seasoning with salt, n.e.c | COLORLABEL | Source |
Saffron refusals from Philippines
FDA refused 5 saffron lines from Philippines between October 2016 and March 11, 2026, 22% of the spices lines.
| FDA product description | Lines | Share of spices |
|---|---|---|
| Saffron, whole (spice) | 5 | 21.7% |
Recent saffron refusals
| Date | Firm | Product | Charges | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Rise Native Food ProductsTeresa, Philippines | Saffron, whole (spice) | UNSAFE COL | Source | |
| L. Dometita & Sons Food IndustriesQuezon City, Philippines | Saffron, whole (spice) | SUBSTITUTECOLOR LBLGYELLOW #5 | Source | |
| Gem Foods International Inc.Caloocan City North, Philippines | Saffron, whole (spice) | UNSAFE COLCOLOR LBLG | Source | |
| L. Dometita & Sons Food IndustriesQuezon City, Philippines | Saffron, whole (spice) | UNSAFE COLCOLOR LBLGOMITTED | Source | |
| Heir Deli Foods CorporationCaloocan City North, Philippines | Saffron, whole (spice) | UNSAFE COLCOLOR LBLG | Source |
Mixed spices and seasonings refusals from Philippines
FDA refused 2 mixed spices and seasonings lines from Philippines between October 2016 and March 11, 2026, 9% of the spices lines.
| FDA product description | Lines | Share of spices |
|---|---|---|
| Mixed spices and seasonings, liquid, with salt, n.e.c. | 2 | 8.7% |
Recent mixed spices and seasonings refusals
| Date | Firm | Product | Charges | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pixcel Transglobal Foods IncCaloocan City, Philippines | Mixed spices and seasonings, liquid, with salt, n.e.c | LABELINGNUTRIT LBL | Source | |
| Pixcel Transglobal Foods IncCaloocan City, Philippines | Mixed spices and seasonings, liquid, with salt, n.e.c | LABELINGNUTRIT LBL | Source |
Other spices products refused from Philippines
| Product group | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Capsicums | 1 | 4.3% |
Why FDA refused spices from Philippines
FDA records a charge code on each refused line; one line can carry several.
| Charge code | Meaning | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| COLOR LBLG | Artificial coloring not declared | 12 | 32% |
| UNSAFE COL | Color additive unsafe under section 721 | 11 | 30% |
| NO PROCESS | No scheduled process filed | 3 | 8% |
| FILTHY | Filthy, putrid or decomposed substance | 2 | 5% |
| LABELING | Fair Packaging and Labeling Act | 2 | 5% |
| NEEDS FCE | Processor not registered for canned or acidified foods | 2 | 5% |
| NUTRIT LBL | Nutrition information missing from label | 2 | 5% |
| COLORLABEL | Required information not prominent | 1 | 3% |
| OMITTED | Appears that a valuable constituent of the article has been in whole or in part omitted or abstracted from… | 1 | 3% |
| SUBSTITUTE | Appears that a substance has been substituted wholly or in part for one or more of the article's ingredients. | 1 | 3% |
Philippines spices firms with the most FDA records
Counts are FDA records in SupplierRadar's data, not a ranking of quality.
| Firm | City | FDA records |
|---|---|---|
| Hdr Foods Corporation | Cavite | 13 |
| Unilever Philippines, Inc. - Cavite Factory | Gen. Trias | 2 |
| L. Dometita & Sons Food Industries | Quezon City | 2 |
| Gem Foods International Inc. | Caloocan City North | 2 |
| Pixcel Transglobal Foods Inc | Caloocan City | 2 |
| Heir Deli Foods Corporation | Caloocan City North | 1 |
| Golden Rise Native Food Products | Teresa | 1 |
Latest spices refusals from Philippines
| Date | Firm | Product | Charges | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Rise Native Food ProductsTeresa, Philippines | Saffron, whole (spice) | UNSAFE COL | Source | |
| L. Dometita & Sons Food IndustriesQuezon City, Philippines | Saffron, whole (spice) | SUBSTITUTECOLOR LBLGYELLOW #5 | Source | |
| Gem Foods International Inc.Caloocan City North, Philippines | Saffron, whole (spice) | UNSAFE COLCOLOR LBLG | Source | |
| Hdr Foods CorporationCavite, Philippines | Mixed spices and seasoning with salt, n.e.c | UNSAFE ADDCOLOR LBLG | Source | |
| L. Dometita & Sons Food IndustriesQuezon City, Philippines | Saffron, whole (spice) | UNSAFE COLCOLOR LBLGOMITTED | Source | |
| Heir Deli Foods CorporationCaloocan City North, Philippines | Saffron, whole (spice) | UNSAFE COLCOLOR LBLG | Source | |
| Hdr Foods CorporationCavite, Philippines | Mixed spices and seasoning with salt, n.e.c | UNSAFE COLCOLOR LBLG | Source | |
| Hdr Foods CorporationCavite, Philippines | Mixed spices and seasoning with salt, n.e.c | FILTHY | Source | |
| Hdr Foods CorporationCavite, Philippines | Mixed spices and seasoning with salt, n.e.c | FILTHY | Source | |
| Hdr Foods CorporationCavite, Philippines | Mixed spices and seasoning with salt, n.e.c | COLORLABEL | Source | |
| Hdr Foods CorporationCavite, Philippines | Mixed spices and seasoning with salt, n.e.c | COLOR LBLG | Source | |
| Hdr Foods CorporationCavite, Philippines | Mixed spices and seasoning with salt, n.e.c | COLOR LBLG | Source | |
| Hdr Foods CorporationCavite, Philippines | Mixed spices and seasoning with salt, n.e.c | UNSAFE COLCOLOR LBLG | Source | |
| Hdr Foods CorporationCavite, Philippines | Mixed spices and seasoning with salt, n.e.c | UNSAFE COLCOLOR LBLG | Source | |
| Pixcel Transglobal Foods IncCaloocan City, Philippines | Mixed spices and seasonings, liquid, with salt, n.e.c | LABELINGNUTRIT LBL | Source | |
| Pixcel Transglobal Foods IncCaloocan City, Philippines | Mixed spices and seasonings, liquid, with salt, n.e.c | LABELINGNUTRIT LBL | Source | |
| Hdr Foods CorporationCavite, Philippines | Mixed spices and seasoning with salt, n.e.c | UNSAFE COL | Source | |
| Hdr Foods CorporationCavite, Philippines | Mixed spices and seasoning with salt, n.e.c | UNSAFE COL | Source | |
| Unilever Philippines, Inc. - Cavite FactoryGen. Trias, Philippines | Mixed spices and seasoning with salt, n.e.c | NEEDS FCENO PROCESS | Source | |
| Unilever Philippines, Inc. - Cavite FactoryGen. Trias, Philippines | Mixed spices and seasoning with salt, n.e.c | NEEDS FCENO PROCESS | Source |
Questions about spices refusals from Philippines
- How many spices shipments from Philippines did FDA refuse in 2026?
- FDA refused 1 shipment line of spices from Philippines in 2026 through March 11, 2026, compared with 1 in 2025.
- Why does FDA refuse spices from Philippines?
- FDA records a charge code on every refused shipment line. For spices from Philippines the most frequent are COLOR LBLG (artificial coloring not declared, 12 lines), UNSAFE COL (color additive unsafe under section 721, 11 lines) and NO PROCESS (no scheduled process filed, 3 lines). A charge describes what FDA's reference table says about one shipment line, not about every firm.
- Which import alerts cover spices from Philippines?
- As of October 26, 2026, no import alert numbered under this category lists a firm in Philippines in SupplierRadar's records. General food alerts numbered 99-xx can still list Philippines 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.