Is it possible to bring hermetically sealed USDA beef jerky to US
 

If you have been to Singapore/Malaysia/China, than you probably have seen local delicacy Bak Kwa - dried meat which is very popular locally.

So my question is - is it possible to bring vacuum sealed Bak Kwa to US considering that the product does not require refrigeration and origin of the meat is US itself - it is USDA beef. Obviously I am going to declare it at the border.

If anybody had any success in past, please share. This is not a cheap product and I really do not want to have $100s worth of gift confiscated and have potential complications in future when crossing the border again.

i asked cbp agri officials at jfk and iah about bringing in biltong. they said no. absolutely no beef of any kind can come in, and the iah agri officer listed out a bunch of beef products i've never heard of. doesn't matter if it's aged, sealed, raw, cooked, etc. both officers made it clear that no beef. but i also never asked about the usda variable. but i'd still assume no. but hey, if it's of no expense to you, try it. declare, be honest, and hope they overlook it at the exit.

It IS an expense. So, I got my answer.

As others have said, probably not a good idea. I wouldn't necessarily bring that over (although if possible, I try to buy some for the plane trip as it stands up pretty well). That said, depending on where you're located in the US, you should be able to purchase it in most chinese supermarkets (not as good).... up here in Canada, it'd be from SOO (logo is of the merlion). Depending on the mall, sometimes you can buy freshly made as well.

Good luck.

Just because the beef came form the Us doesn't mean it is allowed back in.

I used to fly a regular charter flight from Honolulu to Johnston Island. Johnston Island is a US territory but it is outside US customs. The flight originated in Honolulu and returned the same day. All catering was supplied in Honolulu. If I had an apple on the flight from JI to Honolulu, it was not allowed through customs even though the apple was put on the plane in Honolulu and never left the plane on JI. That's just how it goes.

The only foods I've been specifically asked about are biltong coming back from ZA and cured meats or cheeses coming back from Italy. I think your chances of having it allowed in are near zero.

Cheese too? I had no problem bringing 10lb of sharp cheddar from Switzerland.

I think soft cheeses are an especial no no. Anyway, they asked.

Customs has made it very clear to me that no beef can be brought into the U.S. from outside, ever. I tried to bring home a can of French cat food that included beef as about the fourth ingredient and got a long lecture on how even one can of cat food could introduce mad cow disease into the U.S. food supply.

It is even less likely that you would be allowed to bring beef meant for human consumption into the U.S.

Solid cheeses are definitely allowed, for soft-cheeses the rules are more variable, but it's best just to check the actual rules:

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/det...r-personal-use

Note that page also states:
"Meat, milk, egg, poultry, and their products, including products made with these materials, such as dried soup mix or bouillon, are either prohibited or restricted from entering the United States, depending on the types of animal diseases which occur in the country of origin. Fresh (chilled or frozen), dried, cured, and fully cooked meat is generally prohibited from most countries. Canned meat is allowed entry, except beef, veal, lamb, mutton, venison, elk, bison, etc., from countries affected by bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)."

i will try this sometime but i have my doubts as i have found--with the exception of corea and japan--that beef in asia is of very poor quality. especially in kl. but singapore is pretty good (because they import it from nz)

Check this:

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/det...s-into-the-u.s.

It depends on the source country and the packaging/labeling conditions.

I brought some ready to eat vacuum packed meals made in the USA but sold in the UK back into the USA. I declared them at Customs and they inspected the packaging in case they had 'become contaminated outside the USA' (their words ...). They approved them once they were happy that the packaging was indeed original, from a reputable source, and the vacuum was undamaged.

Oh, and by the way, the exercise was actually a complete waste of time as the 'meals' were quite revolting ... but that is a different story!

Unfortunately it depends even more on person you are going to encounter at Customs.

As with so many matters, policy and practice sometimes do indeed diverge.