U.S. food imports keep expanding and China holds its #1-source spot — but underneath, FDA enforcement has changed shape: from spot-checking products to verifying whole supply chains.
China leads, ahead of Mexico and Canada. Its 16.6% share is up 0.6 points from a year ago, while Mexico and Canada slipped.
Growth is sharply uneven. Dietary supplements, bakery and fresh produce surge; aquatic products barely move under tighter antibiotic-residue scrutiny.
The fastest-growing categories also draw the most refusals. Dietary supplements top the list at a 24.6% refusal rate — up 6.3 points in a year.
In one year, "FSVP system missing or incomplete" rocketed from 13.5% of refusals to 42.1% — overtaking microbial contamination as the #1 reason. FDA shifted from end-product testing to supply-chain verification.
The share of shipments held automatically — without inspection — nearly doubled in 16 months.
Jan–Apr 2026 China food imports hit $11.2B, +13.2% — 1.5× the global pace. Share rose from 16.0% to 16.6%.
Supplements (+31.6%), bakery (+22.4%) and produce (+18.7%) grow fastest — and carry the highest refusal rates.
FSVP gaps are now the #1 refusal reason (42.1%). FDA verifies the importer's whole supply-chain program, not just the product.
Importers under $10M/yr have just an 8% FSVP compliance rate — and 100% of 2026's warned firms fall in that bracket.
FDA's pivot to FSVP means the importer of record — not the factory — now carries the compliance burden, and small importers are failing it. A U.S.-side partner with an in-house compliance team changes that math: Cube-Age's Houston hub can act as importer of record and run the FSVP program, so a shipment isn't held for a paperwork gap instead of a product problem.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Commerce Dept. ITA, USDA, FDA Import Refusal (IRES) & Import Alert databases, and China Customs — cross-verified. Data through May 12, 2026.