Taking food into USA?

[LisaTatum]

41 days till my 6th visit to Orlando & can't wait!! http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums/images/icons/icon6.png
As money is a bit tighter this year I was thinking of taking some foody bits with me rather than buy over there - our first Walmart shop is usually massive!! I was thinking tea bags, coffee, biscuits etc. Does anyone/has anyone done this recently and is it allowed? Does it cause any problems at Customs? Thanks for any advice!

[christhear]

We always take our own Tbags and coffee. Just make sure you admit to having food on your customs card. Biscuits are also not a problem

[Rob Dawson]

We always take teabags (lots) and biscuits for the journey, as we usually go for Easter we also take mini easter eggs for our traditional egg hunt (son is 15 now but he humours me)

Jan

[SDJ]

I always take coffee, teabags, biscuits and cereal (too much sugar in the US type). I put it on the customs form and not had a problem so far touch wood!!

[steph_goodrum]

Lisa
As well as those recommended, if you are trying to cut down on the costs, before you go to Walmart, I'd recommend looking in Dollar Tree as well to see what you can get in there. Things like washing powder/liquid, ceral, ketchup etc. are often available in there and instead of $2/$3 in Walmart obviously only cost a Dollar. Some things you know you will end up throwing some away when you go home so it cuts down on waste.

As long as the things you take don't have meat products in them you should be ok. There is a list on the Customs website which says which foods are prohibited. We usually take baked beans and nearly always get asked if they have sausages in them.

[LisaTatum]

Thanks all for that - will def pack a few bits n pieces. Thanks for the Dollar Tree tip Steph - can you tell me where it is please?! Thanks.

[kerrigan]

I ALWAYS take tea bags as the American tea bags are just awful. Coffee, bars of chocolate, porridge oats, HP sauce & English hard cheese are also items we take, but as already said, we always declare them.
Hazel.

[steph_goodrum]

Lisa
I don't know where you are stying but the closest one to us is at Posner Park on Hway 277 which is about 5 mins from our place at Hampton Lakes. If you google their website you should find a list of locations so can see the closest.

[LisaTatum]

Thanks so much, that's great. One final question - when people say you declare the food on the customs form - is that the one they give you to complete on the plane? Thanks.

[Val]

Never had a problem with t-bags, biscuits and last year we took garlic as the garlic you buy in the States always seems very mild.
Just pop on your customs form. We have also taken Marmite and popped that in the suitcase as it is Meat extract but so far so good.
Val

[florida4sun]

Marmite is not made from meat, it is 100% vegetarian:) It is a by product of the brewing process. Love the stuff, stella as a hangover cure!



We have also taken Marmite and popped that in the suitcase as it is Meat extract but so far so good.
Val

[steph_goodrum]

And mossie repellant!

[Scorpio]

As there is always spare capacity in the suitcases on the outbound journey, we fill them with things we like, such as Yorkshire tea bags, Douwe Egberts coffee, Cadburys chocolate, Heinz beans, Shreddies, Fairy (non bio) washing tablets, etc.

[chrisflowers]

Why bring some of these items from home when Orlando Publix store have so many UK items, which we cannot buy in Tampa?
We regularly buy Tetley tea bags, just cannot get the Yorkshire water ;)

Publix stock Weetabix (a bit firmer that at home) and cornflakes, which are as good as identical. Heinz baked beans are available as well as tomato ketchup.

So far the only issue we have had is English style biscuits, which we get family to bring with them when they visit us, so we can get a taste of home

[Cruella DeVilla]

.

So far the only issue we have had is English style biscuits, which we get family to bring with them when they visit us, so we can get a taste of home

That made me smile Chris, I brought back a load of tins of biscuits on my last visit home, you know the type they produce for Christmas time Foxs/Cadburys etc..

I was worried they would be all broken as I had to put them in the hold, but most survived the journey as did most of the tins, just a couple dings!

[Lyn]

Yes it is the white form from on the plane wereyou tick that you are bringing in food, they will ask you whate foods you have and they will send you to have your bags xrayed. This only adds about 5 minutes onto the time it takes to get out of the airport and we have never had a problem.

I know this might sound a silly question but is hard cheese something like Chedder.

[Cruella DeVilla]

Yes Lyn, anything of that nature - blocks of Cheddar type cheeses rather than squidgy soft types.

[Lyn]

Cheese will then be another thing for us to take, we have never found any cheese in the US that had a good strong taste.

[Lizb]

The Canadian Cheddar is quite nice, tried it on our last trip.

[Lyn]

Thanks Lizb will give that a try next time.

[Cruella DeVilla]

I used to buy the Canadian Cheddar from the deli at Publix, dear though, about $14.99 a pound and it was OK, but nothing great and the last time I bought it I thought it isn't worth the price.

I still get a few different ones from Wholefoods whenever I can get up there these days which is about one a month, and I have great friends who bring me strong cheddar cheese over when they come out, so between that and my crisp deliveries I am all set up.

[ujpest doza]

we took a load of jars of baby food one year as little one was fussy about a particular brand which wasn't available in the US.
declared them, the customs officer had a look at them and said fine no problem.
it's fressh fruit and meat that they are really concerned about, not stuff that is prepacked.