ANYONE WITH US CUSTOMS QUESTIONS?
hey,
I am a US customs and border protection agriculture specialist and posted a few responses to some questions that folks had about importing meats on another string. Anyway, I just wanted to ask if anyone had questions about bringing food into the US. Or, if people had any questions about the whole customs experience in general. Now, of course, there are sensitive issues that I can't talk about for obvious reasons, but I am always amazed at how little people know about what food items are actually allowed or not allowed. I feel bad when folks come back from Europe and say, for example, "well, i wish i could have brought back some of my dad's cheese that he makes for my grandson." well, you can bring back cheese. anyway, post a comment/question and I'll address it if you want. If not, this string will die a silent death.
TheMan
Dec 23, 2006 01:04AM
I'll take you up on it:
You say we can bring back cheese. Any caveats to that? I told my sister to bring me back some gouda from Holland this weekend. I assume that's fine, right?
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yeah, a hard cheese is good to go. although, if it is wet and dripping with ooze...you may have some problems. Other than that, you can bring boatloads back. As long as it is not for commercial sale...than you may have to pay duty if it is A TON of cheese and over $800 of commercial value.
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You're TheMan for this one! (please post in Italy board)
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/353586
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Please tell me why I can't bring a Florida Orange through US customs, on a flight from Toronto to Denver. The orange CAME FROM THE US!!!!! My plan is to eat it on the plane.
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If the orange has a sticker on it from the US, it is good to go. If it doesn't have a sticker, there is no way we can know it came from the US. That is our port policy at the current time. Other places can care less about the sticker...they regulate the fruit, not the origin. Canada, doesn't have a citrus industry, so they get a lot of their fruit from central america, south america, and yes...the USA. However, citrus is HIGHLY regulated because of citrus canker (or other diseases) so anytime we see a fruit...even dried peels...we seize and destroy it. Better to eat the orange on the plane before leaving it than getting it seized.
A footnote- they tell us that citrus canker, the latest variant to hit florida at least, came from a group of visitors from south america who owned a citrus grove in their backyard back home. They went to visit a friend in Miami who had some lime trees in his backyard and well, either the fruits they brought and had a picnic with or the clothes they wore had the bacteria on it and the disease was spread from there. Now, whenever there is an outbreak, all trees within many acres of that infected tree have to be incinerated. Not a good thing if you are a grower in a citrus industry.
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Just an immigration note here -- all large Canadian airports with flights to the US (with the exception of Halifax, I think) now do preclearance, so thenurse would have to go through US customs in Toronto, hence the problem -- she can't even eat it on the plane.
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Once a US fruit leaves our country it is treated as a fruit from the country it is returning from because it could have been exposed to numerous plant pests while it was gone.
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Okeedokee. Here's, ahem, a hypothetical list of stuff that some people I know (but NEVER me, of course) bring from Iran. TheMan, I love your moniker, but I'll admit that I'm a bit paranoid about posting on this thread :)
roasted pistachio nuts (creamy fresh nuts, salt and lemon like you wouldn't believe. nothing here compares)
roasted pumpkin seeds
frozen chopped fried herbs (for the universal iranian favorite food, ghormeh sabzi, a lush lamb herb stew with fenugreek, garlic chives, parsley, and dried limes. not only are some of these herbs tough to find here, but there's also an enormous flavor and fragrance difference)
saffron
dried sour cherries and other dried fruit
we've, i mean they've never declared anything, and have been lucky. but i'd love to know what if any of this stuff is actually okay to bring in.
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You don't have to be paranoid about me. I am just really interested in what the general populace believes about what they can or can't bring. I think there is a great disconnect between what people think they know about customs and what is the reality. Maybe if they had a clue, than folks would be able to enjoy the things that are really important to them. I mean, food is such an important link to a person's persona...right?
Let's see...Iran...
If a nut or seed is processed and for food, than it is okay. So the roasted nuts should be good to enter. The roasted pumpkin seed, however, is a curcurbit seed and is subject to Kapra beetles...but I think without looking at a manual that it is okay from Iran. I know some countries are regulated for that seed so it may not be okay unless it is grounded (Nigeria for example with the egousi seed), but I'll check (we have a matrix for curcurbit seeds in plain view because they are so common.) the chopped and fried frozen herbs should be enterable as they have been cooked. No lamb though...it is a ruminant...but you didn't say lamb was coming in. dried cherries and dried fruit are okay also.
zereshk, or barberry, is often seized from Iran because of certain pests/diseases that it is associated with. although, i do not think it carries a risk, I still have to seize it. That is a common item from Iran that is seized. I have a question to you. Do you know about zereshk? Is it expensive or hard to find in the US? Folks are sometimes really upset when we toss the zereshk in the bin. It won't change the way we operate, but I want to be able to know what it means to someone when we do this. I mean, if you can buy it here for a buck a pound, than no big deal and I'll explain that it has a pest risk and inspection is over. However, if it is $100 a bag, I want to really take the time and explain the whole reasoning behind our actions.
For my port, folks from Iran also often bring citrus over...like lemons and limes...so that is the main focus. at least for us. Oh, and also plants. Live plants. For some reason, people from Iran often bring these plants that they want to plant in their backyards. We don't want any invasive plant species in the US, so we seize those as well.
It also comes down to pests. Sometimes, we get nuts that would be enterable, but have insects crawling in the bags. So, we have to seize it. That is a no-brainer and trumps anything that is "enterable" or "non-enterable" as well.
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Wow. Thanks so much. That's very helpful.
Zereshk (small red super sour barberries) can be found in the US, in Iranian grocery stores. Trouble is that Iranian stores are few and far between, and the quality is not as good, and it is expensive. I never use zereshk, so I can't estimate the price, but I'd guess it's under your $100/bag figure.
I'm guessing from what you say that dried limes are a no-go?
Okay, back to the herbs--you said if they were cooked they'd be okay. But how would we prove that, if, as you say fresh herbs are subject to seizure? Really, you can't get herbs like that here, especially picked and washed and chopped fried by loving aunts over many days. Sigh.
Thanks again.
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usually chopped or fine grated herbs are enterable. Better yet, if they are shredded then they are usually enterable. To be safe, shredded and dried are always enterable...unless they have bugs.
Dried limes are citrus and are thus seized. No canker allowed in the USA.
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Cucurbit seeds are not allowed from Iran. Only Jordan, Kuwait, & Lebanon as far as the middle east goes
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Oh, I forgot about saffron. If it is dried, than no port should seize it. A wet or fresh herb is subject to being seized. Also, if there are insects on it, then it is as good as gone.
In the end, if you have an item that is taken that you don't think should be seized, ask to see the manual where it says that item should be taken. If they don't, ask to speak to a supervisor. CBP is really good about that, and, believe you me, you will talk to a supervisor. Honestly, we don't have to show you the citation in the manual, but if anyone ever asked me, I would walk them through the whole thought process just to ensure that we don't come off as some random loose cannon organization, because that is not what we are. If a person doesn't speak English, have them ask for a translator.
In the end though, if an officer makes a decision, than reversing that is going to be pretty hard.
The whole process of moving through the line is so incredibly fast. However, it will be (or should be at least in my mind) slowed for people who want a thorough explanation.
Now, if you have a sausage or a whole fruit and do this, it is a no brainer and you will be fast tracked. Those items are not enterable under any circumstance. However, some things like zereshk do warrant a little more explaining.
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Zereshk is not expensive in Los Angeles. Btw, I am very impressed that you knew what zereshk was! Very few iranians i know, know that it's a barberry. The only reason I know that is from cookbooks! I've never seen/heard of a barberry in my life (i'm from LA)
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we seized some today and the woman said "but, that is so expensive." We often hear that so it just piqued my interest. thanks.
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I just bought some at an Iranian grocery store here in Los Angeles. It comes out to about $9 a pound. A pound is a hell of a lot of dried barberries.
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Here are potentially some items I MIGHT bring back from my next trip to London: chocolates, cookies, booze, bread, potato chips, tea, coffee, butter, containers of clotted cream from Sainsbury's (not the jarred kind but the ones that look like they are in plastic cole slaw containers). Will any of these items get me in trouble?
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England:
Our big problem with England are the canned beans and franks from Heinz. The franks are the rub for us. I saw the canned beans in a grocer not too long ago here in the states. You can't find the franks variant though...I had a woman cry when I took them not too long ago. She said her husband craved them so badly. Yet, it was a sausage from Europe so in the bin it went.
Your list:
chocolates, okay.
cookies, you are fine.
booze, depends on the amount and proof. If they are high proof and you have liters of it, you may have to pay a duty. Now, two fifths are okay (generally). If you bring more, than the duty is nominal (not more than a couple of bucks a liter...if that)
bread, Good to go.
potato chips, bring all you want.
tea, good to go!
coffee, Oh yeah, can't get enough...bring it all (under a commercial amount that you will sell.)
butter, that is okay too!
containers of clotted cream from Sainsbury's, ugh, now cream, with foot and mouth in England...may be a problem in some ports. Does it have sugar in it? Is it in a can? That is the item that may cause a pause in the inspection. If it has sugar, it would probably be seized. If not, than it would be subject to being seized. If you give me more details, I will be better informed to give you a regulatory decision. Any knowledge of sugar content, animal origin (i presume cow). You said a plastic container...ugh, not hermetically sealed. That is a big thing with CBP. If it is in a shelf stable container, than it falls into a different category.
Hmm. that is a tough one. Something that will probably fall into the realm of "officer discretion." that means, if an officer thinks it could be a risk...up to 0.000001% risk, it is seized.
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Hi! Why is butter OK but cream not?
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I only enforce the rules, not make them. Somewhere, a USDA scientist determined that butter is okay, and cream not.
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I tried to provide a link but it didn't work. It is more like it is in a carton similar to Daisy sour cream. Definitely a dairy case product. Thanks for all your help!
Here is the on-line description greatly edited:
PASTEURISED.
Free From Genetically Modified Ingredients
Contains cow's milk.
Country of Origin
UNITED KINGDOM
Packaging
Tub
Storage
Keep refrigerated. May be frozen if whipped. To enjoy at its best consume within 3 days of opening. Do not exceed use by date.
Our products are constantly being improved. This may result in changes to the ingredient list and/or allergy advice from that stated on this site. For this reason, Sainsbury's is unable to accept liability for any incorrect information on this site.
You should always read the label before consuming the product and never rely solely on the information presented here.
If you require specific advice on any Sainsbury's own label product, please contact our Customer Careline on 0800 636262. For all other products please contact the manufacturer.
This data is supplied for your personal use only. It may not be reproduced in any way without the prior consent of Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd and due acknowledgement.
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That item would probably be seized because it is not shelf stable and is coming from a country with cattle diseases not extant in the USA. Again, we only enforce the rules, not make them.
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canned beans and franks would be allowed from England as long as it is pork only. If any beef (ruminant) is included it would not be allowed because of BSE
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Hi TheMan, just want to let you know that this is REALLY HELPFUL for people like me who travel a lot!
Well, I will go straight to my question:
How about ginseng (the dried ones), and tea leaves? Or the very expensive "bird nest"? Or dried plums? I always get mixed responses on these dried fruits or herbs or herbs or seasonings and I really want to know if I can bring them.
Thank you so much!
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Ginseng. That is a hard one for us. Does it have soil on it? Sometimes, folks bring it over with clumps of soil and it has to be seized cause of nematodes. Also, it depends on the origin...what country does it come from? Otherwise, generally, it can be entered unless from a few countries in Asia. tea leaves, if they are dried, are enterable. Bird Nest...ugh!
Bird nest is seized now because of avaian influenza.
I have a great bird nest story.
I found a bag of bird's nests in a passenger's bags from China. I knew it was bird's nests. I took it and put it in the bin. The passenger went nuts! I felt awful. The bag didn't have an English translation, so I went down the line and found a guy in the line who spoke English and asked him what the bag said. He said "mushrooms". I then went back and almost gave it back to the passenger. However, being a good customs guy, I called for a translator which sometimes takes many minutes. Sure enough, we got a CBP translator over who was from China and she said "It says mushrooms on the bag, but it is a bag of bird's nests." So, we seized it. The guy was sad, and I had to escort him out of the area.
Many foods from Asia are often labled something enterable in English...like seafood. But are actually pork or something else NOT enterable. We know this and are carefull with trusting english on the package.
So, hate to say it. No bird nest soup(from what I was told it is used for.)
The whole avian influenza thing has limited virtually all types of bird items coming from Asia.
I feel bad because I know bird nest soup is an important part of some cultures, but those are the regs. :-(
Dried plums...as with all dried fruits...except citrus...are fine also.
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Hi TheMan, Thank you so much for giving us all the useful information! The ginseng that I was referring to was from Korea and they are usually sliced and boxed. Definitely no soil. I actually did not know that people will bring the entire ginseng fresh from the ground (and I guess that's how soil may come with it). Very interesting!
You mentioned that "Many foods from Asia are often labled something enterable in English...like seafood" Do you mean we can bring seafood in? Now I have more questions (sorry...) can we bring fresh (vacuum-sealed but not alive) seafood? How about dried ones (like dried shrimp and scallops. In our culture there are some snacks that have seafood in it. Is that allowed?
Once again, thank you so much! I really appreciate your time and kindness.
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Yeah, any seafood is okay. Kim Chee is also enterable.
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You may find this helpful: http://www.inu.org/meiwah/index.htm
It's essentially an English-speaker's guide to what might be contained in things. If you look for the radicals (魚 means fish, for example, and is contained in pretty much every word pertaining to fish or seafood) you can parse Chinese without having to speak it... another good one to look for is 肉, which means "meat" and usually "pork" -- 羊肉 is lamb and 牛肉 is beef.
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I've also got a question about ginseng... on our last trip from USA to Canada, we wanted to bring gifts to friends/family we were planning to visit. My mother ended up purchasing some dried ginseng from a store in SF Chinatown. The store clerk claimed it is American ginseng, but since the store was pretty much a hole-in-the-wall Mom & Pop deal, there were no papers. We got stopped upon arrival in Canada, and Customs there scrutinized the packages very carefully... labels were in Chinese. We explained that we had been told it was American, and the officer told us if it is American there ought to be certificates. Unfortunately, we did not know about certificates and were never given any. I guess the officer must have decided it was not American and allowed us to keep it.
I understand that sometimes the origins of dried ginseng bought in this manner might be difficult to verify. If we ever plan on bringing ginseng along again, I'd like to find out more about the regulations and what we can and cannot bring in.
Thanks!
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I'm with kobetobiko; it's good of you to take the time. I'm wondering about bringing back wine from the Niagara area. Is the limit two bottles per person? What would be the duty for bottles over the allowed amount? Thanks again.
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Wine is duty free. Just pack it well so that the handlers don't destroy it!
You can bring back as much wine as you are willing to carry or pay for per the airline. US CBP doesn't charge for wine, as long as it is for personal use and not for sale. Just declare it and, make sure it is in your checked baggage because TSA has a no liquid rule. I've seen many a seized bottle of fine wine on the table of TSA on my way to get lunch through the TSA lines.
I should add that with any liquids, we are always on the look out for liquid heroin...so anytime we get any liquids, we are on the up and up. TSA may look for liquid explosives, but we are all over drugs and are good at detecting them so that is why we look at all liquids so closely.
Hope this helps.
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Wow, and here I thought the limit was 2 bottles. Great info!
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nah, wine falls under a different category. like i said though, as long as it isn't commercial (you will sell it in the states). personal use wine is fine. Now, I am not saying if you bring back 8 bottles that you won't get asked or referred for another inspection. But, I am saying that wine for personal consumption is not dutiable, as of now.
Oh, and if the person is 21 also. we had a few under 21 folks come through with wine. The rules of the federal govt still apply. If you are under 21 and bring it over to the states, go back and drink it with your buddies and end up in a car accident, that is awful. For us to find it, say "now now, be careful" and let it go down the road is irresponsible for us.
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TheMan, thank you for your concern re nematodes. We (as farmers when I was growing up in California) had major problems with certain nematodes; and I've worked on root-knot nematodes as a problem in upland rice in Asia. Your concern about "clumps of soil" are well warranted.
On the other hand, how many times do you see such clumps?
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Daily. We get people who bring back plants a lot to put in their backyards. A lot of times they don't declare them, but they are easy to see on the xray. Especially with a big clump of soil on the root system. Also, people bring back soil as a momento. We give them the option of letting us cook it for 2 hours at 400 degrees and then mailing it to an address of their choice. That kills all the nasties in the soil and lets them have it.
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I've heard conflicting rumors about absinthe--the real stuff, with wormwood. Can I legally bring that in?
(And I join the other folks in saying, thanks for taking the time to share the inside scoop on Customs regs with us!)
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Straight from the US Customs webpage:
The importation of Absinthe and any other liquors or liqueurs that contain Artemisia absinthium is prohibited.
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vac...
It wouldn't surprise me much if the prohibition on absinthe importation changed in the future; modern science has revealed that that the purported wild effects of absinthe were due less to the thujone-containing wormwood, and more to it being a 136 proof liquor that people were darn near quaffing like Kool-Aid. You'll pass out from all the alcohol before you hit the hallucinogenic effects of the thujone.
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The San Diego Union-Tribune had an article recently about the amount of Absinthe being confisgated at the Tijuana/San Diego port of entry (i.e. border crossing). There has been a substantial rise in the volume over the last year or so. It's widely available in liquor stores in Tijuana for prices ranging from a few dollars for the Mexican knock off to over $100 for the imported French stuff. A few of the liquor stores will tell customers it's illegal to cross with it, most don't. They must be confisgating a huge amount of it, tho, for a major metropolitan newspaper to devote a rather lengthy article to the subject........either that or it was a slow news day :-). In any event, it's not legal.
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Lots of the stuff is fake and just strong alcohol. However, it says it has the thurjone in it. Anytime you have a prohibited item, you will get a farm industry in another country that tries to make huge profits on the fact that a person is trying to get an "Exclusive" item. College kids love to bring back absinthe because they become king of the residence hall for having something "special" that cannot be found in the USA. It also has that mystique that it would create hallucinations. However, the amount of the wormwood isn't strong enough in many countries to cause it. Rather, it is the placebo effect and also very strong alcohol content that does it.
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Try this link to a French distiller for information on Absinthe with a great deal of background on wormwood, historical detail, etc. http://www.absintheonline.com/
They claim to ship the real thing to the US.
Except for just wanting The Green Fairy itself, acceptable substitutes are Pastis and Herbsaint. The appropriate glassware and other paraphernalia are not hard to find in antique stores and some modern shops.
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The ship it, but they can't guarantee that it will get through customs on the US side...
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You cannot mail alcohol as it is a postal regulation. All packages coming into the states are screened and the ones with bottles are opened and searched.
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Can you mail alcohol OUT of the U.S.? I know you can't necessarily speak to the customs regulations for other countries, but I was curious. My particular situation is just that I would really like to bring some particular wines and alcohol with me back to Switzerland, but if I can ship them instead of packing them in my luggage, that might be preferrable.
It may seem completely incomprehensible, but it is nearly impossible to find Frangelico and Midori here in Switzerland. The Frangelico is the most ridiculous -- it's hazelnuts, for crying out loud, and the Swiss have hazelnut everything... except as an alcohol, apparently.
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I've seen at least one company (see http://www.feeverte.net/guide/vendors/ ) that says they'll ship it to you in the U.S. (not via the post office, presumably), and if it gets confiscated, they'll refund your payment. If that's true, they must be able to get enough of it through to still be making money. Their prices are pretty high to begin with, however!
I brought some in from Europe a couple of years ago. I wasn't sure if it was legal or not, but I just wrote "liqueur" on the Customs declaration (hey, it wasn't a lie!) and they waved me through without a second look. It was lovely stuff--no hallucinations or other wild and weird effects, but the nicest, warmest buzz I've ever had from alcohol. I do wish it was easier to get here!
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I wouldn't trust those guys, i mean, what recourse do you have? Unless maybe your credit card company would support you in that purchase. However, buying something illegal is hard to defend for a credit rebate.
God, that would be a good gig. Just sit and open up checks and cash credit card numbers all day long. "Youre absinthe?" Must have been seized. Nothing I can do. Oh, yeah, I'll send a rebate to you soon.
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Absinthe is seized and poured down the drain. It is a Food and Drug regulation.
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It is great of you to do this--thanks so much.
A few questions...
I live in Spain and would like to bring some gardening stuff for my mom the next time I visit her in the US:
some plant seeds
some flower bulbs
I don't think the bulbs would have any dirt on them. If they did, would that change things? What are the policies about importing plants from Europe (Spain specifically)?
Thanks!
P.S. The last time I was in Philly picking my bags up by the carousel, one of the dogs went nuts over my bag... We had to empty the whole thing out. We had a little roll of cookies, but nothing else. I wonder what he was picking up (maybe some traces of jamón iberico from a long-eaten sandwich?).
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seeds and bulbs are seized. You can get some bulbs in amsterdam with a phytosanitary inspection certificate that allows them to enter the USA. The seal is distinctive with a hologram and they are widely available. For plants and seeds, you have to contact the spanish department of agriculture and arrange for a phytosanitary certificate to accompany the plants and seeds. This process is hard to get approved though and often time consuming.
As far as the dogs, we have dogs for all sorts of items. Drugs, bombs, fruits. They are trained for a lot of different smells so who knows. It could be as simple as a fruit that was in the bag awhile ago and just giving off residual smell.
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Thanks for the info. I didn't realize that seeds and bulbs fell under the same rules as plants. I'll keep my eye out for those that are sold with the phytosanitary certificate--I didn't even know they existed--for the next time that I go.
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Hey Man,
Why is ham such a no-no? On my way back from Barcelona recently, I bought delicious Iberico ham in the airport store and had them vacuum pack it for me. Bang! It was seized at JFK. The man just said it wasn't allowed.
Gracias
- Sean
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APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, a division of US Dept' of Ag) regulates the importation of swine meat products in general due to the risk of Swine Fever and Hoof-and-Mouth disease. In the case of Spain in particular, swine
products are prohibited because (as of Dec. 2005) there are no USDA-certified slaughterhouses in Spain.
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Usually swine fever or other diseases in Europe, but not in the states. They don't want the meat to enter the garbage stream and end up in a swine's mouth.