Dehydrated onion and garlic from India can be imported into the United States without a special licence, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the agency that matters most, with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) handling entry. What usually stops a shipment is not a ban but a salmonella positive, a missing prior notice, an unregistered plant, or a supplier already on an FDA import alert.
The FDA steps before the goods sail
Three FDA requirements apply to every commercial shipment. None is a product approval, but each can hold a container.
- Food facility registration: the Indian plant that dries, mills or packs the product must be registered with FDA and must renew in each even-numbered year. Ask for the registration number and check it. See FDA facility registration for your supplier.
- Prior notice: FDA must be told about each shipment before it arrives, usually filed by your customs broker through CBP's system or FDA's prior notice web portal.
- Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP): the US importer must hold a written programme showing the foreign supplier controls its hazards. The FSVP rule for US importers explains what you have to keep on file.
Check the import alert list first
FDA publishes import alerts that let it detain products from named firms without physical examination. Salmonella in spices and dried seasonings is a long-running reason for listing. Before you sample a new plant, search its name on FDA's import alert pages, as set out in checking a supplier against FDA import alerts.
Lab tests that matter in the US
- Salmonella: the single biggest risk. Ask for a negative result on every lot, and consider steam-sterilised grades for ready-to-eat uses. See how salmonella gets into dehydrated onion.
- Microbiology: total plate count, yeast and mould, coliforms and E. coli to the limits in your customer's specification.
- Pesticide residues: the US uses EPA tolerances under 40 CFR Part 180, not EU MRLs. A residue with no US tolerance for that crop is a violation at any detectable level, so ask the lab to report against EPA tolerances.
- Ethylene oxide: EPA sets tolerances for ethylene oxide and its reaction product on dried vegetables, so US rules differ from the EU's. Many US buyers still specify ETO-free product, especially if they also sell into Canada or Europe.
- Irradiation: FDA permits irradiation of dried spices and vegetable seasonings, but retail labels must declare it. Compare the options in steam-sterilised versus irradiated spices.
The document pack
Your broker will expect a commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin, the prior notice confirmation and lab reports tied to each lot number. A phytosanitary certificate is not normally needed for commercially dried onion and garlic, but confirm the current position for your product in USDA APHIS's Agricultural Commodity Import Requirements (ACIR) database. Cartons and bags must show the country of origin in English. The full list is in the document pack your broker will ask for.
Duty
Dried onion and garlic sit in chapter 7 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, which the US International Trade Commission publishes at hts.usitc.gov. There is no US free trade agreement with India, and India no longer has GSP benefits. Additional tariffs on Indian goods have changed several times since 2025, and some agricultural items have been exempted under the interim India-US framework. At the time of writing the full agreement is still being negotiated, so ask your broker to confirm the total rate on your exact code at the date of entry. We do not quote rates.
What the US market buys
California has its own large onion and garlic dehydration industry, so Indian product generally competes on value and on supply in years when domestic crops are short. Powder and granules go into seasoning blends, snack coatings, meat and sausage processing, sauces and dressings. Minced and chopped onion go into food service, soup mixes and ready meals.
Ports and routes
Containers leave Mundra, Pipavav or Nhava Sheva. East coast cargo usually goes west to New York and New Jersey or Savannah, Gulf cargo to Houston, and west coast cargo east via a transshipment hub such as Colombo or Singapore to Los Angeles and Long Beach. Door-to-port times are often in the range of four to seven weeks, but routing around the Red Sea has changed transits since 2024, so ask your carrier for the current schedule.
Cities
New York and New Jersey covers Port Newark-Elizabeth and humid summer storage.
Los Angeles covers the San Pedro Bay ports and competition from California's own dehydrators.
Chicago covers rail delivery from the coasts and the city's meat processors.
Houston covers Port Houston and storing powder in Gulf heat.
How we help
We audit the plant before you order, confirm its FDA registration, check it against import alerts, have every lot tested at an NABL-accredited lab against US limits, supervise loading and check the documents before they go to your broker, for one written fee agreed in advance. Start with our pages on dehydrated onion and dehydrated garlic, or book a free sourcing review.