Originally Posted by Sherab Sherab

I bring foods such as spices, flours, snacks like dry fruits and never been asked to throw away or seized at airport arrival by CBP except for those that has labels showing meat or seeds like a packaged noodle. And many Asians and south asians bring these when they return to the US after a visit to their home country.

This is why it baffled me when my my wife was not allowed to carry some cut pieces of apply in a small zip lock bag at pre clearance at YYZ. She replied she is from the States and was in Canada for few days to meet relatives. An apple from Canada is not safe?
Anyway we now know fruit is not allowed, strange yeah but it is good to know.

Originally Posted by Maxwell Smart

But the OP does raise an interesting question, how do food/agriculture restrictions apply at pre-clearance locations versus when you physically go through customs on US soil?

Since one can buy and eat food after pre-clearance and before boarding the flight, how exactly do they police what you take onboard the aircraft? Are there signs/announcements informing you of restrictions before boarding?
I've flown YUL and YYZ to the US, and remember buying food items before departure and taking them on board, but it's been 5+ years, don't know if anything's changed recently.

In the OP's case, what happens if they had simply purchased an apple after preclearance?