Taking food across the border?

[Sugar Jones]

We are bringing a cooler full of drinks and was hoping to bring some snacks with us on our drive to Disney. I don't mind stopping in the U.S. to buy the snacks, but I was hoping I could pick stuff up here when's it's on sale and just start building my stock.

What kind of things are we allowed to bring into the U.S. This is what I was planning on bringing:

1 case of water, some Gatorade, Coke, & juice boxes
Granola bars
boxed cereals (the little ones)
chips
crackers


I will buy some fruit & veggies when we stop for our stock up for Disney when we get closer to Disney.

 

[Ted in Halifax]

We cross the border with that stuff .... no fruits and veggies, so you are ok

 

[Alderbrook]

We cross the border with that stuff .... no fruits and veggies, so you are ok

We've crossed with fruits & veggies in a cooler, but we eat the stuff on the drive down & they're packaged in snack containers (sandwich bags, tupperwear). I don't think they're concerned with snacks, but more concerned if you're importing stuff.

My inlaws have time share & bring a lot of food down with them because they do all their cooking down there & have never had a problem & they bring boxes of stuff with them so they don't have to buy a lot down there.

 

[abdmom]

We've crossed with fruits & veggies in a cooler, but we eat the stuff on the drive down & they're packaged in snack containers (sandwich bags, tupperwear). I don't think they're concerned with snacks, but more concerned if you're importing stuff.

My inlaws have time share & bring a lot of food down with them because they do all their cooking down there & have never had a problem & they bring boxes of stuff with them so they don't have to buy a lot down there.

From the CBP website, here is a list of the restricted items that you are NOT allowed to cross the border with:

"Restricted items include meats, fruits, vegetables, plants, soil, and products made from animal or plant materials."

It does not matter whether the items are for your consumption or not. Any prepackaged items such as cereals, crackers, granola bars should be fine. Fresh fruit, veggies and meat items are not.

 

[KiKi Mouse]

Last year when we crossed with our pop up trailer they had the fruit sniffing dog (lol) check it out.
Packaged stuff is fine, fresh fruit/veggies isn't.

 

[Practically_Perfect]

1 case of water, some Gatorade, Coke, & juice boxes
Granola bars
boxed cereals (the little ones)
chips
crackers

You should be fine to cross the border with this stuff. As others have mentioned, you absolutely should not be bringing meats, fresh veggies & fruits (particularly citrus), plants, soil, etc. across the border. The reason for this is concern over cross-contamination and introducing "alien species" (insects, fungi, etc.) into different regions.

Anyone who's filled out the Canadian customs card might remember the "Have you been on a farm or plan to be on a farm in the next 14 days" question. Well, I'm a farmers daughter, so I always answer yes. I know the reason behind this question is the concern that I might be "importing" soil on my shoes. Again, I know that the concern is over cross-contamination of the soil so I'm always careful about which shoes I wear, and make sure to clean them before I pack to return home.

Enjoy your trip - you must starting to get really excited!!

 

[Sugar Jones]

Thanks everyone. I thought that stuff would be okay.

We go travel to the August Nascar race in Michigan every year with our trailer, but the only thing we ever bring is water, so I just wanted to be sure. They just usually ask us what we have in the fridge and we say nothing and that has been fine.


And YES I am getting super excited!!! I've started googling our route and looking up hotels that we could stay at on the way down.

Our plan is to leave at 4:00am Sat. morning and drive for 14-15hours. Hopefully getting us into Georgia. Our main goal for day one is getting to GA. A bonus is if we could get pass Atlanta, but just passing the state line into Georgia is our goal

 

[Alderbrook]

From the CBP website, here is a list of the restricted items that you are NOT allowed to cross the border with:

"Restricted items include meats, fruits, vegetables, plants, soil, and products made from animal or plant materials."

It does not matter whether the items are for your consumption or not. Any prepackaged items such as cereals, crackers, granola bars should be fine. Fresh fruit, veggies and meat items are not.

I know you're not supposed to, but they've never said anything to us about our ham sandwiches, baby carrots, a few apples, & grapes that were in our cooler.

My cousin is president of the union for Canada Customs in Sarnia & I always check with him. He said they will never say anything about snacks in a cooler of veggies & fruits.

 

[Polarone]

I cross the border every day for work and I know they will randomly search vehicles and will grab:

Fruit
Veggies
Dairy products
Eggs
Meat (not always the same kind, but beef is almost always a no-no, and poultry/pork is dependant on what the USDA restrictions are at the time)

Plus, if you have something that is open or without the packaging on hand and there is any chance of one of those items they will take it from you (for example, if you have potato salad in a cooler they'll grab it since some are made with eggs).

Odds are they won't catch you, but if they do and they are in a bad mood they can really ruin your day. Last week a car full of dancers from my daughter's dance school was stopped at the border on their way to a dance clinic because the border guard saw one of them popping the last bite of a Sausage McMuffin from McD's in her mouth. He did a vehicles search at the booth, then sent them to secondary where they had to pull everything out of the vehicle, all the dance bags were opened and then they took everyone inside for a strip search! Mind you, this is a group of 4 girls aged 12-15 and one 40-ish mom driving them, with every girl having a dance bag and the driver having letters from the dance school and every parent explaining what was going on - hardly what you would think of as a security threat/smuggling ring!

 

[Alderbrook]

A strip search of a bunch of teenage girls?

 

[Polarone]

Yep - it was done by a female officer, and they didn't have to strip all the way down (just remove outer clothing), and there was another female officer in the room. They didn't get the full treatment, but it really shook up a couple of them.

Bottom line is - no matter what you think you have almost zero rights at the border. They can do nearly anything they want with little or no reason, so your best bet is to stay polite and calm. Over the years (been working in the US since 1997 and crossing every business day since then) I've seen all kinds of things at the border - people standing next to cars with the seats pulled out of the vehicle, tires removed from the wheel rims and luggage piled up beside them, people standing next to a wall with a couple of officers with police dogs watching them, people being hauled away in police vans and so on. They'll also patrol the pre-inspection area (where you are lined up waiting to get to the booth) with dogs and mirrors looking under your car or asking you to open your trunk so the dog can jump in and sniff around. These aren't daily occurances, but they do happen.

Of course, I've also heard that the Detroit side of the Windsor/Detroit crossing is one of the worst border crossings betwen the two countries with agents who are a little too full of themselves, but I can't really confirm that. I know in hearing about the Sarnia border and the BC/Washington state ones that they seem a lot more mellow about things than goes on here. After 9/11 I used to meet up with some people to car pool at 4AM on the Windsor side of the tunnel. I'd get to work just before noon - and that went on for three months.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Of course, I've also heard that the Detroit side of the Windsor/Detroit crossing is one of the worst border crossings betwen the two countries with agents who are a little too full of themselves, but I can't really confirm that.

My family and I have experienced two different types of US Customs agents when crossing into the United States at the Ambassador Bridge. A few years ago we crossed around 8:00 PM because we planned to drive through the night and the Customs Agent said why are you crossing so late, what do you all do for a living, why are you leaving so late and etc. Maybe he tried to catch us off guard or something, but we were honest and calm, while he was being very full of himself.

However there was another time a few years later when we said that we were driving to Disney World and we got asked where we were staying? After we said the Contemporary the Agent asked how come were not staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, so we started talking about WDW with him and that was unexpected.

 

[Ted in Halifax]

Bottom line is - no matter what you think you have almost zero rights at the border. They can do nearly anything they want with little or no reason, so your best bet is to stay polite and calm.

I tell my wife this ... but I get the "You are so Paranoid .... who ever taught you that" lecture. I'm hoping a strip search comes our way

 

[Alderbrook]

When my DH & I were first dating we drove to Florida. The custom agent asked us a million weird questions, one of which was "does your employer know you're away?" I remember driving away with both of us looking at each other like "WTH?" I remember looking at the guard weird when he was asking us these strange questions. We wondered if he was just trying to catch us off guard?

We have been going to Florida every 2 years since I was a baby (I'm 34 know) & just started flying down within the last few years & have never run into a problem with anything. I've seen strange things happen at the border but we've never had it happen to us (KNOCK ON WOOD ). We watched this van in front of being questioned while a customs agent hid & went underneath the van at the back searching for something while the people inside the van had no idea there was someone under it.

I've always found the agents to be friendly & basically wave us thru. My boss went for a meeting in Buffalo a few weeks ago & forgot his passport & they actually let him cross. So I guess it's hit & miss.

 

[GrtWtNorth]

My parents were big food-packers, and absolutely hated throwing away food. But every time they crossed the border, agents would question them and they would have to throw out a couple oranges and a banana. Then they would complain about it for the next five years!

My wife and I used to cross with snack foods like carrot sticks and veggies under a blanket in the back seat. Our story would have been that we "forgot they were there". But we were never asked and never discovered. However, that was before kids, and if we were caught and delayed for any reason, it was our fault and we would have to deal with the consequences. Now, crossing with a toddler, we don't do anything that might risk a delay or intense questioning.

The only thing I do (once in a while) is grab a cheap case of beer at a gas station in the US on a cross-border shopping day-trip. I declare it, but the Canadian agents are not interested in doing the paperwork to collect the $5 or $6 of duty and just wave me through. (They were very interested when I wanted to bring in a case of wine. +$100 duty and taxes.)

 

[Sugar Jones]

We cross a few times a year for shopping or going out for dinner etc...and EVERY single time we get comments about our last name. One time on the way back a Custom's agent literally pretended to fall down laughing at it, and then still made us go in and pay duty

I'm used to people making comments about my last name, but if you gonna make fun of it at least you could do is forgive me of duty charges


I think we will end up taking some boxed stuff for snacks and then pick the rest near Disney.

This may be a dumb question, but are most stores open on Sunday's in the U.S? That's the day we will be arriving at Disney.

Also are the prices of things higher the closer we get to Disney, like maybe we should stop somewhere in GA to load up?

 

[striker3636]

Anytime you want to bring food over the border, check the official website at:
https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/82

It is updated whenever changes occur. Scroll down a bit on the page to see the comments specific to Canadians. We camp in the U.S. several times a year, and we are very careful with food as our snowbird parents have been inspected a few times for food. When asked what we have, I always say that i have checked the border protection website, and state that all meat, fruit and vegies have grown/packaged in Canada labels. No problems so far. When things are "iffy" with restrictions, I bring only non-perishables and stop at a grocery store on the US side to pick up the rest. I can usually find a larger grocery store open on a Sunday.

 

[Dittz]

Now I'm worried.

We are traveling From Welland to All Star Movies in October. We will have our 1 year old daughter with us. I was planning on bringing my own milk for her. Is this going to be a problem? Also was going to buy the compliment brand "lunchables" for her (Disney ones with mickey crackers, cheese and meat slices).

Do you think we will have a problem with this?

 

[Alderbrook]

Now I'm worried.

We are traveling From Welland to All Star Movies in October. We will have our 1 year old daughter with us. I was planning on bringing my own milk for her. Is this going to be a problem? Also was going to buy the compliment brand "lunchables" for her (Disney ones with mickey crackers, cheese and meat slices).

Do you think we will have a problem with this?

I would take them but that's just me. If you don't want to, just stop once you're across the border at a grocery store & pick some stuff up.

 

[formill]

Anytime you want to bring food over the border, check the official website at:
https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/82

It is updated whenever changes occur. Scroll down a bit on the page to see the comments specific to Canadians. We camp in the U.S. several times a year, and we are very careful with food as our snowbird parents have been inspected a few times for food. When asked what we have, I always say that i have checked the border protection website, and state that all meat, fruit and vegies have grown/packaged in Canada labels. No problems so far. When things are "iffy" with restrictions, I bring only non-perishables and stop at a grocery store on the US side to pick up the rest. I can usually find a larger grocery store open on a Sunday.

We've always taken plenty of food- after checking that site...there is lots now you can take and we always tell them what we do have- I have taken my grocery receipts but not once been asked. We've had our car taken away from us before and completely searched and they searched my purse/husband's wallet etc too- but never been strip searched......