Sep 6, 2018, 11:23 am
Last edit by: seawolf
Global Entry kiosks typically ask a yes/no question about whether you are bringing "food" into the country. The question is broader than on the deprecated blue form that asked about fruits, vegetables, meats, etc.
CBP answers the question of whether you must declare all "food" on its website:
CBP expects declaration to be made even if not asked by kiosk or explicitly asked by CBP officer
Yes, all food items and products must be declared when entering the U.S.
You may be able to bring in food such as fruits, meats or other agricultural products depending on the region or country from which you are traveling.
General consensus is that the best practice is to declare any "food", include candies, cookies, snacks, etc. and then inform the CBP agent about your food. Experience has been that in nearly all cases the agent will wave you through with extremely minimal delay. As explained elsewhere, the primary focus of the question is to prevent importation of fruits, vegetable, and meats that could cause harm to the American food supply, but it is safest to allow the CBP agent to make the determination.
There is some debate as to whether items one can ingest for non-nutritive reasons (e.g., gum, toothpaste, medicine) should qualify as food. There does not appear to be an answer from CBP or experience showing the proper categorization of such items.
CBP answers the question of whether you must declare all "food" on its website:
CBP expects declaration to be made even if not asked by kiosk or explicitly asked by CBP officer
Link to TTP Interview guidance letter - Thanks hourglass
Must I declare food items or products when using the Global entry kiosk?
Yes, all food items and products must be declared when entering the U.S.You may be able to bring in food such as fruits, meats or other agricultural products depending on the region or country from which you are traveling.
There is some debate as to whether items one can ingest for non-nutritive reasons (e.g., gum, toothpaste, medicine) should qualify as food. There does not appear to be an answer from CBP or experience showing the proper categorization of such items.
Global Entry Kiosks Declarations and Food Questions
Sep 16, 2016, 1:35 am
#481
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Most airports there's an officer right after the GE machines. He looks at all GE receipts. If all is good or you got an O he waves you on. You then pickup bags and goto the officer for Customs. He then ... the questions and determines if you need 2ndry.
If you have an X the officer at the GE machines sends you to the front of the line to be processed by immigration. Then once done there you go pickup bags and shoe your receipt (which has been stamped to show you got cleared) customs. Having an X doesn't mean that you get any extra attention at Customs. Just as always they either wave you on or refer you to 2ndry.
Some airports the officer right after the GE machines does the actual customs questioning. As long as they don't think you need 2ndry, you pickup bags and leave with them keeping the receipt before you get bags.
If you have an X the officer at the GE machines sends you to the front of the line to be processed by immigration. Then once done there you go pickup bags and shoe your receipt (which has been stamped to show you got cleared) customs. Having an X doesn't mean that you get any extra attention at Customs. Just as always they either wave you on or refer you to 2ndry.
Some airports the officer right after the GE machines does the actual customs questioning. As long as they don't think you need 2ndry, you pickup bags and leave with them keeping the receipt before you get bags.
Sep 16, 2016, 8:51 am
#482
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This is the preferred setup because you can easily address an X if you get one. Answering yes to the food question - and I believe any of the other questions on the same screen - will get the O and direct you to customs. The difficulty is the airport setup when you get an X and there's no CBP officer after the kiosks. It happened to me once a few years ago at EWR due to a bad fingerprint read, and I had to swim upstream a bit to find an available lane at passport control.
Sep 24, 2016, 2:12 am
#483
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Curious as to whether anyone has been told to declare liquor as "food" 
. Because until I hear otherwise I'm not planning to declare the occasional bottle of single malt that falls within the normal limits...
+1
Agree. But it's just stupid as every CBP agent has made it crystal clear to me that they don't care about foods that don't fall into the more specifically listed foods (though a few contrary reports earlier on this thread).
As noted above, this change was not implemented until 2015 and it is probably the worst thing I've seen for the GE program because many of us bring back food (packaged or just leftovers) and have to retrain ourselves to answer "yes" when we used to check all the "no" boxes. It's definitely disincentive to bring back food as I've found it to be about 50/50 on whether I get sent to the CBP x-ray machine (which often has a line) or just waived through when they find out I only have chocolates or prepackaged cookies.
. Because until I hear otherwise I'm not planning to declare the occasional bottle of single malt that falls within the normal limits...As noted above, this change was not implemented until 2015 and it is probably the worst thing I've seen for the GE program because many of us bring back food (packaged or just leftovers) and have to retrain ourselves to answer "yes" when we used to check all the "no" boxes. It's definitely disincentive to bring back food as I've found it to be about 50/50 on whether I get sent to the CBP x-ray machine (which often has a line) or just waived through when they find out I only have chocolates or prepackaged cookies.
Last edited by Boraxo; Sep 24, 2016 at 2:24 am
Sep 24, 2016, 8:41 pm
#484
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Agreed. I've gotten so I just don't bother bringing in food anymore. Not worth the hassle, and there are very few foreign food products that are so unique that I cannot find (either the real thing or a suitable alternative) at Whole Foods.
I carefully go through my bags and remove absolutely anything that possibly could be considered food....even tea bags and breath mints.
I carefully go through my bags and remove absolutely anything that possibly could be considered food....even tea bags and breath mints.
Sep 25, 2016, 12:01 am
#485
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While I wish the question would revert to the specific wording, I don't mind bringing back some food/snacks even if it means having to check yes to the question. Most CBP officers have asked exactly what I'm declaring and waive the ag inspection based on a verbal declaration. I've only been sent to the x-ray a couple of times, and it was pretty speedy for my experiences, even at a place like LAX. (Faster than the Precheck TSA line! )
)
Sep 25, 2016, 12:18 pm
#487
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I haven't been to ag inspection in a long time for declaring food. In fact, it might have been when they still used the Nexus kiosk's at YYZ, before the GE ones were even in there.
It doesn't bother me to delcare food, especially now that I typically travel with an infant with GE who is too young for fingerprints, so we need to see an agent regardless. Even if I do get the O, sometimes the agent asks what I have, then just stamps us through, other times, they basically ignore the O, ask for documentation and on we go. Once, at SFO, coming back from India, the officer was pretty on, and started asking, without referencing any docs, about any specific spices we might have had. Again, waved right through after answering.
It doesn't bother me to delcare food, especially now that I typically travel with an infant with GE who is too young for fingerprints, so we need to see an agent regardless. Even if I do get the O, sometimes the agent asks what I have, then just stamps us through, other times, they basically ignore the O, ask for documentation and on we go. Once, at SFO, coming back from India, the officer was pretty on, and started asking, without referencing any docs, about any specific spices we might have had. Again, waved right through after answering.
Sep 29, 2016, 4:39 pm
#488
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This morning in Los Angeles, the Global Entry kiosk specifically queried about food in addition to fruits, vegetables, plants, seeds and insects. It's the first time that I recall seeing "food" itemized in that particular question. I had none with me, so there was no need to interact with a CBP officer.
Oct 13, 2016, 11:10 am
#489
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This is why:
Unfortunately as OP learned it is hit or miss when you declare the excess goods, as we happily learned on a recent trip where CBP just waved us through.
- I always declare food items even though it sometimes requires a baggage detour through the CBP x-ray machine (have been told by several agents that they only care about meat, produce, etc. but they still send me to secondary)
- I never bring back cuban cigars, fake rolexes, etc.
- I never bring >1 liter of spirits
- If >$800 I declare everything on the form (or rather, check the correct box on GE
Unfortunately as OP learned it is hit or miss when you declare the excess goods, as we happily learned on a recent trip where CBP just waved us through.
Oct 13, 2016, 11:15 am
#490
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Me too. And I always have all food together and easy to show to CPB/customs officers when I enter the USA. Never meat, fish, fruit or vegetables. To me, the definitional question is whether coffee and tea are food. I don't believe that water is food, despite some statements to the contrary.
Oct 14, 2016, 8:45 pm
#491
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Me too. And I always have all food together and easy to show to CPB/customs officers when I enter the USA. Never meat, fish, fruit or vegetables. To me, the definitional question is whether coffee and tea are food. I don't believe that water is food, despite some statements to the contrary.
I believe that plain bottled water does not count as food; nor do alcoholic beverages (although you must declare alcohol if you are bringing in more than your allowable duty-free exemption).
However, flavored water, vitamin water, gatorade powder (whether dissolved into water or not) and similar products DO count as food in my book.
I always discard my tea bags before landing in the USA so that I don't have to declare them.
Oct 15, 2016, 8:56 am
#492
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There ARE types of chocolate that are banned: specifically, old-style KinderEggs and chocolate-covered fruit.
Oct 15, 2016, 11:04 pm
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Oct 16, 2016, 6:13 pm
#494
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