Bringing Food From Canada

[Janemall]

We're going to be staying at a timeshare near Disneyland in December. It has a full kitchen, so I'm hoping to save some money by cooking in the room.

What have you brought from Canada for food? Have you had any issues with the border?

Obviously no fresh products. I'm thinking about packaged snack foods, spices/seasoning, etc.

Every bit helps with the way the dollar is right now!

 

[minnie mum]

We frequently pack food supplies when we go to WDW (we drive). Make sure you declare everything food related when you cross the border. If you make a mistake and bring something that isn't allowed, it may be seized, but at least you won't be fined for it. Wait until you get there for produce and meat products. Pre packaged food, foodstuffs still in their original packages should be fine.

 

[dancin Disney style]

We take...
tea/coffee (and coffee filtres)
powdered drink mixes
microwave popcorn
salt/pepper, garlic powder
pancake mix (premixed in ziplocs)
cereal
tin foil
ketchup/mustard
granola bars (or some other snack items)


We tend to cook about half of our meals in when we rent a condo. Those stays are also longer...12-14 days. I like to be able to just put something in the oven and let it cook. Then toss a bagged salad to go with it. Simple meals no fuss and very little clean up.

You can cook things like chili or spaghetti sauce and freeze them, in a Ziploc, to take with you. I've done it many times with out any issue. You just have to eat that in the first couple of days as it will be partially thawed when you arrive.

 

[bankr63]

We bring food all the time, camping in NYS in the summer and trips to Disney in the winter. The only thing we don't tend to bring are fresh fruits and veggies - although many of these are allowed, it's too hard to remember which ones, and an easy quick stop once you cross. We do bring meat products all the time, but be aware that there are occasional restriction (no poultry during an avian flu outbreak for instance). You do need to know what status the US is giving Canada at the time. There is a good guide to what you can bring here:
https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/de...-bringing-food-into-the-u.s.-for-personal-use

 

[Janemall]

We take...
tea/coffee (and coffee filtres)
powdered drink mixes
microwave popcorn
salt/pepper, garlic powder
pancake mix (premixed in ziplocs)
cereal
tin foil
ketchup/mustard
granola bars (or some other snack items)

Have you had any issues bringing food in ziplocks and not in the original commercial pack?

I'm nervous about bag searches!

 

[xlxo]

Obviously no fresh products. I'm thinking about packaged snack foods, spices/seasoning, etc.

Every bit helps with the way the dollar is right now!

With regards to snack foods... for what you save on the currency.... it may take up with valuable luggage space or risk potential overweight charges. I usually buy stuff at the destination so I don't need to carry them. Once I arrive, I usually go looking for the nearest Walmart to just get what I need for the days I'm there.

 

[Janemall]

We're lucky that we don't pay any baggage fees Because of the westjet credit card. I'm not concerned with room/weight as this will be in our extra suitcase that we'll be using to bring back souvenirs

I'm just more concerned to have an issue like you see on the border security show lol

 

[starvenger]

ive never packed spices, but my presumption was usually that we could get those at a dollar tree.

As for what we have packed, we've brought lots of snacks (pre packaged and nuts) for the kids and instant noodles. As previously mentioned, we declare it up front. If it gets confiscated, it gets confiscated.

And Border Security is a great show.

 

[kuhltiffany]

Groceries are SO much cheaper down there, I wouldn't bother bringing anything!

 

[Janemall]

Groceries are SO much cheaper down there, I wouldn't bother bringing anything!

I've heard that, but wasn't sure! I didn't want to have the same sticker price but pay 35-40% more for the same thing. Most of our snacks we buy at Costco

 

[mshanson3121]

Groceries are SO much cheaper down there, I wouldn't bother bringing anything!

I've heard that, but wasn't sure! I didn't want to have the same sticker price but pay 35-40% more for the same thing. Most of our snacks we buy at Costco

There are things that are still cheaper to buy in Canada, and much of the groceries down there are no cheaper than what we pay here in Canada, which in turn means it's actually more money with the discount in our money now. Alcohol, cans of pop, cereal, meat and dairy are about the only things that are cheaper now with the dollar.

So, if you can buy snack stuff at Costco, I would. Bottled water is also cheaper in Canada - Sobeys had a sale on 30-packs of 500 ml bottles for $2.99 just before we went, but we were driving so weight wasn't an issue.

 

[greenclan67]

We were just there at Xmas, and noticed a huge difference with the exchange. We are heading back in March for 2 weeks. Because we are flying Southwest this time, and bags are free, I am planning on bringing a smaller suitcase to check, with some (not heavy) dry goods in it. I will be cooking far more meals in the room then we usually do, being that we have a full kitchen. Not that I like it, but to be able to go for 2 weeks, I have too. I am also taking my crock pot as a carry on. I am taking rice in a Ziploc bag, pre making pancake mix in Ziplocs, I have been collecting PB, jam and ketchup packets when we stay at a hotel. Salt & pepper, Lipton noodles and sauce, a box or two of cereal, spices, some pasta, then hoping just have to buy meat, fresh fruit, and veggies.

 

[dancin Disney style]

Have you had any issues bringing food in ziplocks and not in the original commercial pack?

I'm nervous about bag searches!

Never had an issue. They can see/smell what's in the bag. If they take it, they take it....no big deal. The only thing they are concerned with are fresh things that can bring in bugs/disease.

A PP said that groceries are cheaper. To that I say not really. Many things are the same sticker price, so then tack on the extra 40%+ for the exchange. Bring everything that you can from home. Buy it over the course of a few months and when you see it on sale. Doing it this way you won't even feel the expense. Condiments are a really big expense if you have to buy them all after you arrive and you won't use a whole bottle of anything. Months in advance I start saving small plastic bottles that I wash out. I use them to bring ketchup or mustard etc. Since I have the large bottle at home it's much less wasteful and sort of free. Whatever is left over I throw out and don't feel guilty about it. This also leaves suitcase room to bring home any purchases you have made.

Make a menu plan for your trip. This will give you a much better idea of what you can/should bring from home. It will also help you to put together a grocery list for a quick shopping trip when you get there. Think about easy things like frozen lasagna, whole roasted deli chickens that can be used for a few different things, bagged salads and fruit trays.

A great point that a friend of mine made once. She said, when you are away you aren't buying your weeks groceries at home so roll that money into your vacay food budget. It softens the expense a little.

 

[dsneygirl]

Have you had any issues bringing food in ziplocks and not in the original commercial pack?

I'm nervous about bag searches!

I would not bring any powdery and or leafy unlabeled substances in generic plastic bags. Sure they can sniff or swap and pull you aside and hold you up. For what to save a couple dollars? I would google maps your condo location and see what grocery stores are nearby. Sometimes it's worth an extra few bucks for less hassle. If you are buying fresh or refrigerated items and have to make a trip. Another few bucks isn't going to break your budget.

 

[samsteele]

The PPs are right about declaring every kind of food in your bag. In October, I drove across the Thousand Islands bridge and at American customs, the border officer had me turn off my car while in line, open the back gate and he went through my suitcase looking for food. I had a bag of cornflakes and some granola bars and didn't think to mention them when asked because I always believed food meant fresh food, fruit, produce, beef, etc. I got a lecture but was lucky that was all. The poor ladies behind me in their vehicle definitely got a shock as they watched him rifle through my socks and undies just to find cornflakes. Stressful and a bit scary. Not a very pleasant way to learn that "food" means absolutely everything edible including dry snacks. American customs have definitely twigged on that Canadians are carrying food when they vacation in the US so declare everything.

 

[quandrea]

Never had an issue. They can see/smell what's in the bag. If they take it, they take it....no big deal. The only thing they are concerned with are fresh things that can bring in bugs/disease.

A PP said that groceries are cheaper. To that I say not really. Many things are the same sticker price, so then tack on the extra 40%+ for the exchange. Bring everything that you can from home. Buy it over the course of a few months and when you see it on sale. Doing it this way you won't even feel the expense. Condiments are a really big expense if you have to buy them all after you arrive and you won't use a whole bottle of anything. Months in advance I start saving small plastic bottles that I wash out. I use them to bring ketchup or mustard etc. Since I have the large bottle at home it's much less wasteful and sort of free. Whatever is left over I throw out and don't feel guilty about it. This also leaves suitcase room to bring home any purchases you have made.

Make a menu plan for your trip. This will give you a much better idea of what you can/should bring from home. It will also help you to put together a grocery list for a quick shopping trip when you get there. Think about easy things like frozen lasagna, whole roasted deli chickens that can be used for a few different things, bagged salads and fruit trays.

A great point that a friend of mine made once. She said, when you are away you aren't buying your weeks groceries at home so roll that money into your vacay food budget. It softens the expense a little.

This is s great post. I don't find groceries cheaper in central Florida and quality is much lower than what I'm used to at home for the same price. The produce is so poor, we actually focused on canned and dried fruits more for this trip. I did find Amazon Pantry to be significantly cheaper than Garden Grocer and Publix for dry goods. I got the Amazon Prime free trial for thirty days and filled a Pantry box. My grocery bill was about one hundred dollars cheaper than with Garden Grocer. Shopping took a long time, as I had to price check every item on my list. But that one hundred dollars is one forty Canadian and will buy us a few nice lunches out. My husband always says we have to eat there or at home and it does soften the grocery bill blow a bit. My Garden Grocer bill was six hundred Canadian for two weeks (just got the Visa bill yesterday that showed the exchange). Yikes! However, that will cover nearly every meal and all our treats for two weeks. I even bake on holiday. Dd has allergies so we can't do the fun Disney snacks. But at 4.50 a pop for cupcakes, my family is just as happy with my homemade cakes and cookies (they taste better anyway). This trip will be different with the low dollar, but we are grateful to escape the cold. Fewer splurges. Those will wait until the dollar stabilises. If it doesn't, this may be our new normal.

 

[Janemall]

I'm actually really looking forward to having a full kitchen this trip. Every other time we've gone to Disneyland we've had to eat out every meal (except for our continental breakfast).

It's not just about saving money (darn crappy dollar), but my husband and I always feel ill during our trip. We're just not used to that much sodium and fat in our diet!

 

[starvenger]

No kidding about the sodium and fat - there are points on a trip where I just feel like having blanched greens.

And that's not even taking portion size into account. At many places you can get two meals out of a dinner, even if you try and finish the whole thing.

 

[Janemall]

It's scary how even similar items in canada (cracker, cheese, meat) have so much higher sodium and fat too down in the US. Things I guess we take for granted in Canada!

 

[bankr63]

It's scary how even similar items in canada (cracker, cheese, meat) have so much higher sodium and fat too down in the US. Things I guess we take for granted in Canada!

Actually this surprises me. Americans have stronger regulation on Sodium in the US and we usually find it to be lower in many grocery products. But then we tend to focus on lower sodium products whenever possible anyway. Restaurants always seem to use a lot of salt however.