Originally Posted by
ESpen36
The bottom line is: ALWAYS DECLARE ANYTHING that could be consumed as food! Yes, even a package of chips or a candy bar that you bought at the airport!* As long as you declare fully, the worst thing that could happen is that the officers will confiscate prohibited food items.
However, if you do not declare, and then are found to be carrying prohibited items, you could be looking at HUGE fines. And potential flags in your record that could result in physical searches during all subsequent entries to the country for a period of time.
(The above applies to the USA. The linked thread about the $300 apple would seem to suggest that Canada is even more strict--that even if you declare, you could be fined for transporting prohibited foodstuffs. I've also heard that Australia and New Zealand are extremely, extremely strict about agricultural products, and will levy very heavy fines.)
*Note that GlobalEntry members using the kiosks are exempt from declaring items that normally are allowed entry (chocolates, candies, baked goods, cured hard cheeses, etc). Instead, GE members must follow the (more specific) guidelines on the kiosk declaration screen for declaring the types of food that are likely to be restricted/prohibited. It is a GREAT benefit for GE members!
This doesn't really apply to Canadian entry - Canada is specific on the form about those items which need to be declared and might be prohibited.
It does apply to the US as their form currently still lists 'food' as a general term - although if you're not a Nexus member and you don't declare food items which are not prohibited, it's unlikely anything will happen if those items are discovered - however fruit, meat, vegetables, seeds, animals, soil, etc, would result in confiscation and fines. A bag of chips or a candy bar is not going to trip up a non-Nexus member.
The $300 apple fiasco was specific to a Nexus member - Nexus is a zero-tolerance program and the person affected in the thread wasn't even trying to conceal the apple. If they were a non-Nexus member, the more likely outcome would have resulted in being directed to the nearest trashcan to toss the apple.
The odd thing that irks me is the amount of food taken by vendors into the US pre-clearance area, either to serve in the restaurants or as take-away items. I'm going to take a position that these ingredients, especially as they are likely delivered in bulk, are not inspected by US Customs/Agriculture before delivery - and there is nothing stopping you from buying a salad from an airside restaurant and taking it on board with you. So why the dramatics over someone accidentally bringing an apple, while a wholesale restaurant supplier can truck through 300 heads of lettuce without a problem.