A USDA analysis of FDA food inspections over a 15-year period found that seafood, vegetables and fruits are rejected more than anything else. “The countries with the most food shipments refused by FDA — Mexico, India and China — have distinct sets of product categories that reflect the quantities and types of products they export to the United States,” said the USDA’s John Bovay in summarizing the report.
The FDA inspects 1 percent of the approximately 60 million tons of food imported annually. Because of the volume, the agency uses risk-based criteria to determine which cargoes to inspect.
Fishery and seafood products accounted for 20.5 percent of rejections in recent years, and vegetables and vegetable products accounted for 16.1 percent. Fruit and fruit products ranked third. The top three were the same during 1998-2004. For 2005-13, adulteration accounted for 57 percent of violations and misbranding was cited for 41 percent. “Most of these misbranding violations were for lacking a nutrition label,” wrote Bovay, Adulteration included bacterial and chemical contamination, such as pesticide residues or unsafe additives.