FDA import refusals
FDA import refusals: seafood from Vietnam
FDA category: Fishery/Seafood Products · October 2016 to October 7, 2026
FDA refused 1,430 seafood shipment lines from Vietnam between October 2016 and October 7, 2026, 91 of them in 2026; the most refused products were tuna and mahi mahi, most often for FILTHY (filthy, putrid or decomposed substance).
Data from FDA public records, last checked .
- 1,430
- seafood lines refused since October 2016
- 91
- refused so far in 2026
- 10
- firms with the most records, listed below
Seafood refusals from Vietnam 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) | 91 | |
| 2025 | 165 | +96% |
| 2024 | 84 | -19% |
| 2023 | 104 | -10% |
| 2022 | 115 | -23% |
| 2021 | 150 | +121% |
| 2020 | 68 | -68% |
| 2019 | 214 | +11% |
| 2018 | 192 | +9% |
| 2017 | 176 | |
| 2016 (from Oct) | 71 |
Tuna refusals from Vietnam
FDA refused 325 tuna lines from Vietnam between October 2016 and October 7, 2026, 23% of the seafood lines.
| FDA product description | Lines | Share of seafood |
|---|---|---|
| Tuna (albacore, yellowfin, bluefin, skipjack, etc.) | 325 | 22.7% |
Mahi mahi refusals from Vietnam
FDA refused 238 mahi mahi lines from Vietnam between October 2016 and October 7, 2026, 17% of the seafood lines.
| FDA product description | Lines | Share of seafood |
|---|---|---|
| Mahi mahi | 238 | 16.6% |
Recent mahi mahi refusals
| Date | Firm | Product | Charges | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saigon Aquatic Products Trading Joint Stock Company Branch - Hung Thinh Frozen Food FactoryHo Chi Minh, Vietnam | Mahi mahi | FILTHYSALMONELLA | Source |
Fish refusals from Vietnam
FDA refused 116 fish lines from Vietnam between October 2016 and October 7, 2026, 8% of the seafood lines.
| FDA product description | Lines | Share of seafood |
|---|---|---|
| Fish, n.e.c. | 116 | 8.1% |
Recent fish refusals
| Date | Firm | Product | Charges | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emdees Foods Limited Liability CompanyCan Tho, Vietnam | Fish, n.e.c | SALMONELLA | Source | |
| Emdees Foods Limited Liability CompanyCan Tho, Vietnam | Fish, n.e.c | VETDRUGRESLACKS N/C | Source | |
| Tan Thanh Loi Frozen Food Co., Ltd.Long An, Vietnam | Fish, n.e.c | VETDRUGRES | Source |
Other seafood products refused from Vietnam
| Product group | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Shrimp and prawns | 109 | 7.6% |
| Aquaculture harvested fishery/seafood products | 72 | 5.0% |
| Anchovy | 41 | 2.9% |
| Snapper | 41 | 2.9% |
| Tilapia | 41 | 2.9% |
| Groupers | 38 | 2.7% |
| Fish maw | 28 | 2.0% |
Why FDA refused seafood from Vietnam
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 | 645 | 41% |
| SALMONELLA | Salmonella | 293 | 18% |
| VETDRUGRES | Animal drug residue | 202 | 13% |
| HISTAMINE | Histamine | 108 | 7% |
| MFR INSAN | Insanitary manufacturing, processing or packing | 81 | 5% |
| NITROFURAN | Nitrofurans | 78 | 5% |
| MFRHACCP | Seafood HACCP requirements not met | 66 | 4% |
| INSANITARY | Prepared, packed or held under insanitary conditions | 57 | 4% |
| HEPATITISA | Appears to contain Hepatitis A Virus, a poisonous or deleterious substance which may render it injurious to… | 33 | 2% |
| NO ENGLISH | Required label information not in English | 25 | 2% |
Import alerts for seafood that list Vietnam firms
| Alert | Covers | Red | Green |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16-81 | Seafood products: Salmonella | 203 | |
| 16-124 | Aquaculture seafood: unapproved drugs | 35 | |
| 16-74 | Uneviscerated salt-cured, dried, smoked or fermented fish | 22 | 4 |
| 16-127 | Seafood: chloramphenicol | 23 | |
| 16-105 | Fish products: decomposition, histamine or indole | 20 | |
| 16-120 | Seafood from processors not in compliance with HACCP | 11 | |
| 16-129 | Seafood products: nitrofurans | 11 | |
| 16-04 | Seafood products that appear to be misbranded | 10 | |
| 16-125 | Refrigerated raw fish in reduced oxygen packaging | 8 | 2 |
| 16-39 | Ready-to-eat seafood: Listeria monocytogenes | 6 |
Vietnam seafood firms with the most FDA records
Counts are FDA records in SupplierRadar's data, not a ranking of quality.
| Firm | City | FDA records |
|---|---|---|
| Hai Son Foods Co. | Cam Lam District | 79 |
| Trang Thuy Seafood Company Limited | Binh Kien Ward | 46 |
| Sustainable Seafood Co., Ltd. | Cam Lam | 46 |
| Huy Nam Seafoods Co., Ltd. | Chau Thanh | 32 |
| JK Fish Co LTD | Nha Trang | 31 |
| Ngoc Ha Co Ltd Food Processing and Trading | Chau Thanh District | 31 |
| The Light Seafood Company | Nha Trang | 30 |
| Viet Nam Just Fish Company Limited | Nha Trang | 29 |
| Song Tran Import and Export Co., Ltd | Duc Hoa District | 29 |
| Hai Phu Seafood One Member Export Import Limited | Quang Ngai | 29 |
Latest seafood refusals from Vietnam
Questions about seafood refusals from Vietnam
- How many seafood shipments from Vietnam did FDA refuse in 2026?
- FDA refused 91 shipment lines of seafood from Vietnam in 2026 through October 7, 2026, compared with 165 in 2025.
- Why does FDA refuse seafood from Vietnam?
- FDA records a charge code on every refused shipment line. For seafood from Vietnam the most frequent are FILTHY (filthy, putrid or decomposed substance, 645 lines), SALMONELLA (Salmonella, 293 lines) and VETDRUGRES (animal drug residue, 202 lines). A charge describes what FDA's reference table says about one shipment line, not about every firm.
- Which import alerts cover seafood from Vietnam?
- As of October 26, 2026, the FDA import alerts for this category that list Vietnam firms are Import Alert 16-81 (203 firms), Import Alert 16-124 (35 firms), Import Alert 16-74 (26 firms) and Import Alert 16-127 (23 firms). General food alerts numbered 99-xx can list Vietnam firms too; see the country page.
Built for the person who signs the FSVP file
Buying seafood from Vietnam?
Check each Vietnam supplier against every FDA record in one paste, free for five suppliers. Watch the ones you buy from and get the source the day a record changes.
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.