Can I bring in food products (cheese) to UK from another country?
May 21, 2005, 7:49 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: madison, wi usa
Programs: Delta, UAL, AA
Posts: 35
Can I bring in food products (cheese) to UK from another country?
I want to bring some tasty cheese(3 pounds or so) from the USA to a friend in London for her birthday. Is it allowed to bring a food product like that into the country?? Will I have to declare it??? Will they just toss it in the trash? I'll be coming in in June, have been to London twice but never declared any agricultural products or anything. Not sure how this all works.
My friend loves cheese, she told me to bring her some from here where we are known for our dairy products. She's also pretty broke. Weird request, I know.
My friend loves cheese, she told me to bring her some from here where we are known for our dairy products. She's also pretty broke. Weird request, I know.
Last edited by tlmtlm59; May 21, 2005 at 7:52 am
May 21, 2005, 11:37 am
#2
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: In the skies of the world
Programs: SAS Gold, FB Gold, BA Gold, EY Silver
Posts: 3,167
As far as I know you are not allowed to bring dairy products into the UK, the same goes for meat.
If you bring it and a customer officer stops you at the airport and finds it, they will take it and there might be a penalty as well.
If you bring it and a customer officer stops you at the airport and finds it, they will take it and there might be a penalty as well.
May 21, 2005, 12:10 pm
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: London and Zurich
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Posts: 13,609
First, customs restrictions are nowhere near as draconian as when entering the US, so please don't worry! Second, customs regulations are generally EU-wide as we have free movement within most EU countries.
I understand that informally, if cheese or meat products are in hermetically sealed packages, they are tolerated. However, read this notice for the official view:
http://www.food.gov.uk/enforcement/i...dairy_products
I guess it's probably not worth the bother, just in case you suffer a rare spot check. Good luck anyway.
I understand that informally, if cheese or meat products are in hermetically sealed packages, they are tolerated. However, read this notice for the official view:
http://www.food.gov.uk/enforcement/i...dairy_products
I guess it's probably not worth the bother, just in case you suffer a rare spot check. Good luck anyway.
May 21, 2005, 2:56 pm
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: madison, wi usa
Programs: Delta, UAL, AA
Posts: 35
Yes, it would be sealed, in little half pound packages. Doesn't look too promising, I'll look closer at that link. I was going to do this thru a retail outfit over Christmas, but it was exorbitantly expensive. Like 25GBP to send a pound or two of cheese from here.
May 22, 2005, 11:38 am
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 1999
Programs: FB Silver going for Gold
Posts: 21,835
Originally Posted by Roger
First, customs restrictions are nowhere near as draconian as when entering the US, so please don't worry!
May 26, 2005, 5:44 am
#6
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: LON
Programs: Miles and More
Posts: 486
I've generally had no trouble with getting cheese into the US, even the stuff that isn't hermetically sealed. At ORD I had one customs agent scribble in marker over my customs card that I'd marked to indicate I had dairy goods and told me "Tell them Dave says the cheese is okay" and told me to go. SEA only really gets hardcore about fruit and I've seen the sniffer dogs all over some guys handluggage because he had an apple in his bag to eat during the flight that he'd forgotten.
