Food products from India have faced high rejection rates when exported to the United States over the past four years due to hygiene issues, according to a report in The Indian Express on 22 February.

　　According to the report, data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shows that during the period from October 2019 to September 2023, the number of food products from Mexico, India and other countries rejected by U.S. Customs is at the forefront, with Mexico in first place, with 5,374 batches, and India in second place, with 3,925 batches. However, if the rejection rate (rejected food as a percentage of all food exported to a particular country), India is Mexico (0.025%) 6 times, 0.15%.

　　FDA data show that of the 3,925 shipments of food products from India that were denied entry by U.S. Customs, 953 shipments (24%) were denied entry because they were "unclean" and 786 shipments (20%) were denied entry because they contained salmonella. The most common product categories rejected were spices, vitamins, minerals and proteins, bakery products and seafood products.

　　The Indian Express cited Nestlé India as an example, saying that of the 2,965 shipments of food products exported by the company to the United States, 110 shipments were refused entry, a refusal rate of 3.7 percent, with the majority of the rejected shipments being noodles and related products. The most common allegation against Nestlé's rejected shipments was that the products "contained, in whole or in part, soiled, spoiled or decomposed material, or were unfit for human consumption". Other common allegations relate to mislabeling of nutritional and ingredient information.

　　The Indian media says the number of rejections of Indian food exports has been on a downward trend over the past 10 years, falling from a peak of 1,591 rejections in 2015 to 1,033 in 2023. However, a study published by the US Department of Agriculture in 2022 has renewed concerns that food products from India had the highest number of batches detected with pathogen violations between 2002 and 2019, with 5,115 batches of imported food products from India, or 22.9%, related to and denied entry by customs out of more than 22,000 identified pathogen and toxin violations, the Indian Express said. Mexico came second with a 13.9% share. The study said that these violations were mainly salmonella contamination.