Taking food stuffs

[floridahippy]

Not sure if this is the right board to use but hopefully it is or will be moved to the right one!!
I was hoping to take teabags, coffee, coffeemate, Rice Krispies, Corn Flakes and a packet of Oats - do you think I will have any problems with these - I know about not taking fruit and dairy or meat products.
I am not a big fan of other cereals apart from kelloggs. (Fussy!!)
Hope someone can help out
Thanks

 

[rhysd2]

tea bags coffee and coffee mate should be fine. kellogs you can buy over there eaisly enough though again you should be fine. the oats however im unsure of.

fruit as you said is a no no however PROCESSED dairy and meat products are perfectly fine to take in. or have been in the past anyway.

 

[furballs]

We just flew back on Friday, and were told by the cabin crew that we werent allowed to take in any meat products at all. They came round with a box before we landed for you to put in confiscated items. Maybe our flight attendents were just been over cautious.

 

[MsPennieLane]

They've always said no meat stuff at all or fruit, so don't know about that one. You'll be ok with the tea and coffee. I'm taking some kitkats with me to send to a friend

Anz

 

[allie5]

What about Marmite? My little lad lives on Marmite on toast (sometimes all he will eat) so I need to take a small jar....Ive no idea what that make such a noxious substance from (tar, eye of newt ???) but do you think it will get through Customs?

 

[Miffy2003]

Marmite will be fine Allie but only if you take the newt variety

And I would take the unopened jar, purely to avoid Eau de Newt on the rest of your luggage LOL

 

[patdavies]

Marmite is made from a brewery waste product!!

After the barley has been malted, the remains, including the malting yeast are processed into the black noxious substance known as Marmite

 

[disneyholic family]

absolutely no meat products of any kind (processed or otherwise)...
and of course no fruit....and they ARE serious....
a woman on a flight with us put an orange in her bag to give to her kids later in the flight, and then forgot about it...
customs was nasty to her in the extreme....they took her and her little children to some back room for interogation..... (and i don't know if she got away without paying the HUGE penalty posted on all the warning signs)..

a few years ago we brought in salami (which we'd brought in for many years, but forgetting that we used to fly in via canada).....we declared it on our customs declaration and so all that happened was we had to go to a special line where these workers with what can only be referred to as hazmat suits took the salamis in their heavily gloved hands and put them into what looked like a bomb disposal unit....it was actually very funny......in a kafkaesque sort of way.....

of course if you don't declare it, you might get away with it...but if you don't declare it and they find it, what happened to the woman with the orange will happen to you (they'll throw the book at you)....

 

[rhysd2]

thats bizzare. we've taken in cheese and meat products for friends in the states etc before without any problems.... even did so this november. maybe we're just lucky /shrug

 

[disneyholic family]

did you declare it on your customs form? there is a line where they ask if you are carrying food etc. if you check yes, they ask you what you're carrying.....
if you check no, and then they search your bags and find it....oh oh....

 

[rhysd2]

nope never declared it as i was told that processed products were fine. we were checked over by sniffer dogs and have had the bags searched and they let it in. maybe their policy has changed now.

better to be safe than sorry.

 

[disneyholic family]

the dogs are smelling for either bombs or drugs.....they're not trained to find processed meat...
you're very lucky they didn't search your bags and find the "contraband" meat, which is what it would be considered since you lied on your declaration form...
i wouldn't advise playing around with american customs officers....they love to feel their power....just give them an excuse to use it...
and lying on your customs declaration form is definitely an excuse to use it...

as i said, i saw how they treated that woman, who had not declared one lousy little orange that she'd forgotten was in her bag....the penalty was recently increased and is something like $50,000 now........yes...you are lucky they didn't find it...

 

[rhysd2]

i wasnt clear enough in my previous post....

they did find the products. on this occasion it was cheese we had with us for a friend. they looked at it. and put it back in our bag and sent us on our way.

I've always been under the impression in the past its only raw unprocessed products they are concerned with as they could carry impurities. but as i said maybe they have changed it now.

we've only carried meat in once. mostly its cheese or milk products we bring in. and even then it was just a meat sandwhich we'd made for the plane.

as for the dogs. actually every time i've been checked by dogs they were being handled by department of agriculture staff. checking for smuggled food drink plants seeds bulbs etc. the bomb dogs do the checking down in the luggage loading areas of the airport typically. infact on my most recent trip there werent even any dogs around the customs area this time.

im well aware the officials in the airport are gung ho and strict thank you, and if you think orlando's bad try traveling to chicago or LA. but as i stated they looked at the cheese. put it back in my bag and sent me on my way.

Now im not saying go ahead and take it in because i maybe wrong or maybe they have just changed the rules. im just saying that in the past i've been told that processed versions of products were ok and i've been allowed into the country with them even AFTER a custom official has seen the item in question.

 

[Latte Lover]

Last year we took heaps of food into Florida, including a whole rucksack full of crisps, choc bars, muesli bars etc (a few snacks for the flight!) , plus coffee, an extra large bottle of Robinsons orange squash and a cheese and marmite sandwich! We declared it all to the customs men who were very friendly and nice. They looked at it all and checked the rest of our hand luggage and we were allowed to take it all into the country (including the cheese and marmite sandwich which was truly disgusting by this stage).
I think if you tell them what you've got they are ok about it.

 

[disneyholic family]

yes, the key is to declare that you have food on the declaration form.....the customs officials will ask you what you have, and take away what isn't allowed...
if however you don't check off that "yes" box and they find something, you can be in very big trouble....

when you get off the Disney Wonder, there is a huge sign warning you that there is a $50,000 fine for bringing fruit into the country....

i've never entered the US through orlando....we always come in via JFK or Newark....at JFK, customs is particularly difficult...(hey...they're new yorkers...new yorkers are always difficult regardless of their line of work)...

 

[Grumpy John]

Do not assume the dogs that are walking around immigration are just after drugs or explosives, earlier in the year we were waiting at immigration and the dog came past and sat down by an old couple. They had fruit in their hand luggage that they had forgotteon to hand in on the plane. The dog had smelt it. Very embarrassing for the couple in question!