Products on Import Alert face detention without physical examination (DWPE) at the port of entry. FDA issues Import Alerts when patterns of non-compliance from a specific business or country give the Agency reasonable belief that future shipments may violate regulations.
For example, FDA sampled 16 shipments of dried peppers from ten different shippers in Mexico in 1988. FDA found excessive mold in 14 of those samples. This led to the publication of Import Alert #24-11, which subjects all shipments of dried peppers from Mexico to DWPE unless the shipper’s product is exempt. This is just one instance of over 240 active FDA Import Alerts.
