I'm over in the UK for a visit and have bought loads of yummy food (chocolate, packets of dried food - rice/pasta, bread). My concern is when filling in the customs form on the plane back to the US, do I tick YES or NO to 'are you bringing in food' as it's unclear if it means any food or meat products and fresh produce.

Hope someone can answer this for me as I fly back in 2 days and don't want to get in trouble for ticking the wrong thing. Many thanks.

Be honest. Don't assume that 'food' means fruit and meat, especially since the form states 'food' as separate from fruit and meat.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/va...ation_form.xml

They're not going to take your cadbury's fruit and nut bar away from you. But if you declare that you are not carrying food but you know that you are then you'd be lying.

You should declare all food...including chocolate. Put yes on the customs form and list the items... ie chocolate, tea, etc. Google....there is a list of food that you cannot bring into the US...soft cheese, fruit etc.

Beware the beagle

Seriously declare the food, the customs officers do take it seriously.

link of whats allowed or not in wiki

Food is anything edible. This includes non-perishable products as well as meat, cheese and produce.

I'm curious as to why you feel the need to bring back rice and pasta. That's a little bulky and heavy.

For bringing over sausage and/or bacon, first get it vacuum sealed by the butcher and then freeze them all solid. Wrap in fine bubble-wrap and jam into socks, jumpers, etc. Do not use alum foil as it gets picked up as metal and is more suspect.

They are on the lookout for sausage-bombs these days.

Put the meats in with lots of complicated junk in a suitcase (like tea cozy, touristy tat, gifts for friends/family), anything where there is a lot of stuff along with clothing. Make it look like you've packed the clothing to protect breakables.

Even with one or two changes, if you pack them nice and tight, they should remain pretty much frozen by the time you get home.

Good luck.

If you can possibly eat it, it's food. If it's allowed you can keep it. If it's not then you can abandon it. If you don't declare and get caught, have some money to pay the penalty. It can be in the hundreds of dollars for a first offense.

Thanks for all the info. As there are no meat products in there then I (hopefully) shouldn't get anything taken off me and I will be able to go home with a years supply of Cadburys . I shall tick yes and be prepared to answer questions about what I've got.

Thanks again.

I know you often write tongue in cheek, but considering that many people from this site are here on visas, it's probably not too good to encourage them to break Customs rules.
There's one person on here who is now subject to extra Customs searches at every entry after one bad border incident. I recall that he's now a US citizen and still can't get off 'the list'.

Shame about not being able to bring in good old British sausages. It's not as if we are going to give them to American cows, pigs or other animals. It's not as if we are even going to give them out to Americans (other than family). The sausages and other meat products are far to tasty and valuable to do that.

Strewth, have a cow.

I thought it was quite helpfull information actually.


Oh well, you can't please some people.

I know. I'm a killjoy now.

Would you like a bacon sarnie to cheer you up then?
Still have a couple of lbs left in the freezer.

You're trying to get me arrested now, aren't you? Or corrupt my morals. Or cholesterol. Or somethin'.