I'm flying home from CDG on Christmas Day, and would like to bring a couple of mini buches de noel (cakes shaped like Yule logs). What are my chances of having/not having them confiscated as a "security risk" (because of that dangerous buttercream icing/filling)? I saw the recent thread of frustration about CDG...

In addition to the stupidity at CDG, your pastries will have to pass a customs check.

Spiff is right. Since it's fresh food, the Agriculture inspection will probably get you. Plan on a huge sugar-high somewhere over Greenland!

I'm less worried about the Agriculture inspection than about them getting that far. I can imagine a hungry French security inspector deciding that icing is a gel or paste...

I have brought French pastries through Ag before with no problems. I would worry more about the CDG aspect. As such, can you check them? Short of that send me PM and I will share my recipe.

Can you hide them in your pockets or some other spot that won't go through the x-ray?

You won't have a problem with Customs provided you declare the pastries (if you were able to resist eating them during the flight). The only things Customs won't allow are meat products (although small amounts for personal consumption can sometimes get through), fruits and vegetables, soil, etc.

Packaged, prepared (non-meat/veggie) foods, candies, cookies, chocolates, cereals, pastries, etc., have no problem - I regularly bring them through myself.

Don’t you mean a custard check?

After all, we would not want Fornebufox to get into a jam with those crusty security personnel at the checkpoint...

That would be a sticky situation.

As bocastephen points out, pre-packaged items are generally waved through/not required to be declared as food for inspection (still declared on back of form though), but pastries from the bakery should be declared for inspection.

I didn't think we need to declare for inspection - if it's on the form, it's good enough. The Customs inspector collecting the form would make a decision to check further.

I did have one incident coming off a flight from South America a number of years ago. I brought back a few packages of frozen empanadas, foil wrapped to keep them cold. Of course our flight was met by drug sniffing dogs. Of course these drug sniffing dogs were hungry...and smelled my thawing empanadas...and when the bag was opened and they saw the foil wrapping...well you get the idea Good thing I had them on my Customs form.

One of the tick boxes on the front of the blue Customs form is for declaring food. If you have store-bought, manufacturer-wrapped candy, for example, I've been told by multiple Customs agents that you do not have to tick 'yes' but should declare the candy on the back. However, if you have non-pre-packaged, eg perishable food, then you should tick yes on the front and detail it on the back. This usually results in being sent to the secondary agricultural inspection (all they care about is the food, unlike a general secondary inspection).

I was told the opposite - that all food items are to be declared on the front, and detailed on the back. My situation is more critical since I'm a Nexus holder - and if I mis-declare something, I'm in big trouble. Any positive answer to a question on the form results in an auto-secondary.

What do you mean by 'opposite'?

Under what conditions would you check the Yes box on the front for food?

I was told 'any' food items...if it's edible, you check the box on the front and write the details on the back.

Don�t you mean eclaired for inspection?

I cannot help myself � Spiff keeps feeding me sweet material...

I had a conversation with a Customs agent after I had ticked No, but had written 'chocolates' on the back. He said I was ok, as I had declared it on the back and the chocolates were pre-packaged.

In my early days of international travel, I used to ask a lot of questions as I didn't want to unwittingly do anything wrong. After a couple of Customs agents told me I didn't have to check Yes for pre-packaged candy (but still had to declare it on the back), I stopped doing so and have not had any problems.

I've even been asked: "Do you have any food?" (box was checked No)

I answered: "Just the candy I declared on the back."

"Ok, thank you." was the response.

I don't work for Customs, so I can't definitively say this is the proper course of action, but it's been my experience.