Originally Posted by
tev9999
Minimum the food would be confiscated if it is on the banned list. You could also be fined, possibly arrested/jailed/deported if you were trying to smuggle goods (which it kind of sounds like you are) vs. just forgetting or being ignorant of the rules.
If you declare it and it is not restricted (some meats, agriculture, etc.), you will be on your way with a bag inspection at the worst.
Lying to customs in any country is a very stupid thing to do. There is also a very good chance that a
friendly beagle will find your food long before you even talk to customs.
Yes, don't fear the CBP, but you will never get past the Beagles if they're in use. I was coming through Detroit once and they had a couple of Beagle at the bag pickup area outside customs. One of the Beagles started howling at a bag that was over 10 feet away. When he finally was allowed loose he started pouncing all over this woman's pull-along. The CBP agent asked her to open it up, it was full of cookies and pastries. I think she had some explaining to do.
This is still a perfect example of the stupidity of the TSA and their pat downs/NOS. I doubt anyone would object to a dog walking past them, and I would put good money on it that the dog is a 1000% more reliable then even the most advanced scanner and the brightest, highly qualified TSO. Still, as others have said, trained dogs cost only a few thousand dollars and will not enrich the bank accounts of certain former government officials, so I guess they're not a viable solution.