FDA import refusals
FDA import refusals: seafood from Venezuela
FDA category: Fishery/Seafood Products · October 2016 to May 19, 2025
FDA refused 65 seafood shipment lines from Venezuela between October 2016 and May 19, 2025, 4 of them in 2025; the most refused products were crab and fish, most often for FILTHY (filthy, putrid or decomposed substance).
Data from FDA public records, last checked .
- 65
- seafood lines refused since October 2016
- 4
- refused so far in 2025
- 10
- firms with the most records, listed below
Seafood refusals from Venezuela by year
Shipment lines FDA refused each year. The table has the same numbers as the chart.
| Year | Refusal lines | vs prior year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | -56% |
| 2024 | 9 | +80% |
| 2023 | 5 | +150% |
| 2022 | 2 | -71% |
| 2021 | 7 | |
| 2019 | 11 | -15% |
| 2018 | 13 | 0% |
| 2017 | 13 | |
| 2016 (from Oct) | 1 |
Crab refusals from Venezuela
FDA refused 29 crab lines from Venezuela between October 2016 and May 19, 2025, 45% of the seafood lines.
| FDA product description | Lines | Share of seafood |
|---|---|---|
| Crab | 29 | 44.6% |
Fish refusals from Venezuela
FDA refused 10 fish lines from Venezuela between October 2016 and May 19, 2025, 15% of the seafood lines.
| FDA product description | Lines | Share of seafood |
|---|---|---|
| Fish, n.e.c. | 10 | 15.4% |
Recent fish refusals
| Date | Firm | Product | Charges | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cumana Seafood C.A.Cumana, Venezuela | Fish, n.e.c | FILTHY | Source | |
| Cumana Seafood C.A.Cumana, Venezuela | Fish, n.e.c | FILTHY | Source | |
| Cumana Seafood C.A.Cumana, Venezuela | Fish, n.e.c | FILTHY | Source | |
| Cumana Seafood C.A.Cumana, Venezuela | Fish, n.e.c | FILTHYLACKS FIRMUSUAL NAME | Source | |
| Procesadora Nature CorpJobo Alto (Kilometro 25), Venezuela | Fish, n.e.c | FILTHY | Source |
Shrimp and prawns refusals from Venezuela
FDA refused 10 shrimp and prawns lines from Venezuela between October 2016 and May 19, 2025, 15% of the seafood lines.
| FDA product description | Lines | Share of seafood |
|---|---|---|
| Shrimp and prawns, aquaculture harvested fishery/seafood products | 10 | 15.4% |
Recent shrimp and prawns refusals
| Date | Firm | Product | Charges | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Procesadora Antartica, C.A.San Francisco, Venezuela | Shrimp and prawns, aquaculture harvested fishery/seafood products | FILTHY | Source | |
| Procesadora Antartica, C.A.San Francisco, Venezuela | Shrimp and prawns, aquaculture harvested fishery/seafood products | FILTHY | Source | |
| Procesadora Antartica, C.A.San Francisco, Venezuela | Shrimp and prawns, aquaculture harvested fishery/seafood products | FILTHY | Source | |
| Procesadora Antartica, C.A.San Francisco, Venezuela | Shrimp and prawns, aquaculture harvested fishery/seafood products | FILTHY | Source | |
| Procesadora Antartica, C.A.San Francisco, Venezuela | Shrimp and prawns, aquaculture harvested fishery/seafood products | FILTHY | Source |
Other seafood products refused from Venezuela
| Product group | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mussels | 4 | 6.2% |
| Shrimp & prawns | 4 | 6.2% |
| Corvina | 2 | 3.1% |
| Mahi mahi | 2 | 3.1% |
| Fish maw | 1 | 1.5% |
| Sea cucumber | 1 | 1.5% |
| Snapper | 1 | 1.5% |
Why FDA refused seafood from Venezuela
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 | 24 | 33% |
| SALMONELLA | Salmonella | 12 | 16% |
| LABELING | Fair Packaging and Labeling Act | 9 | 12% |
| LISTERIA | Listeria monocytogenes | 6 | 8% |
| LACKS FIRM | Manufacturer name and address missing | 5 | 7% |
| USUAL NAME | Common or usual name missing | 5 | 7% |
| NO PROCESS | No scheduled process filed | 4 | 5% |
| MFR INJ | Insanitary conditions, may be injurious | 3 | 4% |
| NUTRIT LBL | Nutrition information missing from label | 3 | 4% |
| NITROFURAN | Nitrofurans | 2 | 3% |
Import alerts for seafood that list Venezuela firms
| Alert | Covers | Red | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16-81 | Seafood products: Salmonella | 19 | |
| 16-120 | Seafood from processors not in compliance with HACCP | 8 | |
| 16-39 | Ready-to-eat seafood: Listeria monocytogenes | 3 | |
| 16-105 | Fish products: decomposition, histamine or indole | 3 | |
| 16-127 | Seafood: chloramphenicol | 2 | |
| 16-04 | Seafood products that appear to be misbranded | 1 | |
| 16-50 | Molluscan bivalve shellfish | 1 | |
| 16-119 | Fish products from importer and processor combinations | 1 | |
| 16-129 | Seafood products: nitrofurans | 1 |
Venezuela seafood firms with the most FDA records
Counts are FDA records in SupplierRadar's data, not a ranking of quality.
| Firm | City | FDA records |
|---|---|---|
| Factoria del Lago C.A. | Maracaibo | 8 |
| Procesadora Antartica, C.A. | San Francisco | 6 |
| King Crab de Venezuela, C.A. | La Canada de Urdaneta | 4 |
| Comercializadora LMM, C.A. | Maracaibo | 4 |
| Productos Piscicolas Propisca SA | Carupano | 4 |
| Distribuidora Bienes Costo,C.A. | Santa Rita | 3 |
| Comercializadora S.R, C.A. | Maracaibo | 3 |
| Comercializadora Lugo, C.A. | Maracaibo | 3 |
| Comercial Visol C.A. | Punto Fijo | 3 |
| Procesadora Nature Corp | Jobo Alto (Kilometro 25) | 3 |
Latest seafood refusals from Venezuela
| Date | Firm | Product | Charges | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Productos Piscicolas Propisca SACarupano, Venezuela | Mussels, aquaculture harvested fishery/seafood products | NO PROCESS | Source | |
| Productos Piscicolas Propisca SACarupano, Venezuela | Mussels, aquaculture harvested fishery/seafood products | NO PROCESS | Source | |
| Productos Piscicolas Propisca SACarupano, Venezuela | Mussels, aquaculture harvested fishery/seafood products | NO PROCESS | Source | |
| Productos Piscicolas Propisca SACarupano, Venezuela | Mussels, aquaculture harvested fishery/seafood products | NO PROCESS | Source | |
| Cumana Seafood C.A.Cumana, Venezuela | Fish, n.e.c | FILTHY | Source | |
| Cumana Seafood C.A.Cumana, Venezuela | Fish, n.e.c | FILTHY | Source | |
| Cumana Seafood C.A.Cumana, Venezuela | Fish, n.e.c | FILTHY | Source | |
| Procesadora Antartica, C.A.San Francisco, Venezuela | Shrimp and prawns, aquaculture harvested fishery/seafood products | FILTHY | Source | |
| Procesadora Antartica, C.A.San Francisco, Venezuela | Shrimp and prawns, aquaculture harvested fishery/seafood products | FILTHY | Source | |
| Procesadora Antartica, C.A.San Francisco, Venezuela | Shrimp and prawns, aquaculture harvested fishery/seafood products | FILTHY | Source | |
| Procesadora Antartica, C.A.San Francisco, Venezuela | Shrimp and prawns, aquaculture harvested fishery/seafood products | FILTHY | Source | |
| Procesadora Antartica, C.A.San Francisco, Venezuela | Shrimp and prawns, aquaculture harvested fishery/seafood products | FILTHY | Source | |
| Procesadora Antartica, C.A.San Francisco, Venezuela | Shrimp and prawns, aquaculture harvested fishery/seafood products | FILTHY | Source | |
| Grupo VPAS C.A.Caracas, Venezuela | Spiny lobster, rock lobster | FILTHY | Source | |
| Cumana Seafood C.A.Cumana, Venezuela | Fish, n.e.c | FILTHYLACKS FIRMUSUAL NAME | Source | |
| Procesadora Nature CorpJobo Alto (Kilometro 25), Venezuela | Fish, n.e.c | FILTHY | Source | |
| Procesadora Nature CorpJobo Alto (Kilometro 25), Venezuela | Fish, n.e.c | FILTHY | Source | |
| Procesadora Nature CorpJobo Alto (Kilometro 25), Venezuela | Fish, n.e.c | FILTHY | Source | |
| Inversiones Emilimar 2016, C.A.Maiquetia, Venezuela | Shrimp & prawns | LIST INGRELACKS FIRMLACKS N/C+1 | Source | |
| Inversiones Camarco C.A.Sucre, Venezuela | Snapper (red, gray, malabar, etc.) | FILTHY | Source |
Questions about seafood refusals from Venezuela
- How many seafood shipments from Venezuela did FDA refuse in 2025?
- FDA refused 4 shipment lines of seafood from Venezuela in 2025 through May 19, 2025, compared with 9 in 2024.
- Why does FDA refuse seafood from Venezuela?
- FDA records a charge code on every refused shipment line. For seafood from Venezuela the most frequent are FILTHY (filthy, putrid or decomposed substance, 24 lines), SALMONELLA (Salmonella, 12 lines) and LABELING (Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, 9 lines). A charge describes what FDA's reference table says about one shipment line, not about every firm.
- Which import alerts cover seafood from Venezuela?
- As of October 25, 2026, the FDA import alerts for this category that list Venezuela firms are Import Alert 16-81 (19 firms), Import Alert 16-120 (8 firms), Import Alert 16-39 (3 firms) and Import Alert 16-105 (3 firms). General food alerts numbered 99-xx can list Venezuela 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.