Approved Items:
Bringing Food, Plants, and Animals into the USA
» General List of Approved Products
This list covers products from all areas except Canada, Mexico, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Bamboo, dried poles only, no green at all
Beads made of seeds (but not jequirity beans)
Breads, cakes, cookies, and other bakery goods
Candies
Cheeses, hard, fully cured (but not cottage cheeses)
Coconuts (but husks or milk must be removed)
Coffee, roasted beans only
Dried foods, including milled rice, beans, and tea
Fish
Flower bulbs (but not crocosomia, gladiolus, and watsonia bulbs from Africa, Argentina, Brazil, France, Italy, Malta, Mauritius, Portugal, or Uruguay)
Flowers, most fresh or dried kinds (but not with roots), except eucalyptus
Fruits, canned or dried products only
Herbarium plants (but not witchweed)
Herbs, dried, for medicinal use
Mushrooms
Nuts (but not chestnuts or acorns or nuts with outer husks)
Sauces, canned or processed
Seaweed
Seeds (Seeds of flowers and vegetables are generally enterable. Seeds of woody trees and shrubs require a nursery stock permit from PPQ.)
Shamrocks, without roots or soil
Soup and soup mixes (but not those containing meat)
Spices, dried (but not curry leaves)
Straw animals, hats, baskets, and other souvenirs (but not items stuffed with straw)
Vegetables, canned or processed
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Bringing Food, Plants, and Animals into the USA
» Approved Items From Canada
Guide Sections ...
• Introduction
• One Piece Can Spell Danger
• Declarations & Fines
• Fruits, Veggies, & Plants
• Meat & Animal Products
• Live Animals and Birds
• Other Bio Materials
• Soil, Sand, Shells ...
• What You Can Bring Back
Approved Items:
• General List
• From Canada
• From Mexico
• From Hawaii
• From Puerto Rico
• From Virgin Islands
• Appendix 1 - Information Contacts
Most products grown or produced in Canada can be entered into the United States. This includes vegetables, fruits other than black currants, and meat and dressed poultry (if accompanied by proof of origin).
Food Products
Bakery items and all cured cheeses are admissible. The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) publishes a pamphlet called Travelers Tips, which offers detailed information on bringing food, plant, and animal products into this country. Imported foods are also subject to requirements of the Food and Drug Administration.
Fruits, Vegetables, Plants
Many fruits, vegetables, plants, cuttings, seeds, unprocessed plant products, and certain endangered plant species are either prohibited from entering the country or require an import permit. Endangered or threatened species of plants and plant products, if not prohibited from importation, will require an export permit from the country of origin. Every single plant, plant product, fruit, or vegetable must be declared to the Customs officer and must be presented for inspection no matter how free of pests it appears to be. Most canned or processed items are admissible.
Applications for import permits or requests for information may be addressed to: Permit Unit, USDA-APHIS-PPQ, 4700 River Rd., Unit 136, Riverdale, MD 20737-1236, USA.
Meats, Livestock, Poultry
Meats, livestock, poultry and their by-products (e.g., sausage, pâté) are either prohibited or restricted from entering the United States, depending upon the animal disease condition in the country of origin. Fresh meat is generally prohibited from most countries. Canned meat is permitted if the inspector can determine that it is commercially canned, cooked in the container, hermetically sealed, and can be kept without refrigeration. Other canned, cured, or dried meat is severely restricted.
For detailed requirements, you should contact the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Center for Import and Export, APHIS-VS, 4700 River Rd., Unit 40, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231, USA.
Food Products (Prepared)
You may bring bakery items and certain cheeses into the United States. The APHIS web site features a Travelers Tips section and Game and Hunting Trophies section that offers extensive information about bringing food and other products into the country. Many prepared foods are admissible. However, almost anything containing meat products, such as bouillon, soup mixes, etc., is not admissible. As a general rule, condiments, vinegars, oils, packaged spices, honey, coffee and tea are admissible. Because rice can often harbor insects, it is best to avoid bringing it into the United States.
Some imported foods are also subject to requirements of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Prior Notice for Food Importation
The Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 (Bioterrorism Act or BTA), Public Law 107-188, established the requirement that food items, imported (or offered for import) for commercial use, including hand-carried quantities, be properly reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) prior to arrival of those items in the United States. The FDA prior notification timeframes (by transport mode) are two hours by land, four hours by rail or air, eight hours by vessel and prior to the “time of mailing” for international mail.
Food that was made by an individual in his/her personal residence, or food purchased by an individual from a vendor that is sent by that individual as a personal gift (for non-business reasons) to someone in the United States is not subject to BTA requirements. However, food that is sent to an individual in the U.S. by a business is subject to special requirements of the Food and Drug Administration. For instance, if you go to a food shop in England and buy a gift basket, then take it to the post office or a courier service to send to a friend, the shipment is not subject to BTA requirements. But if you go to that same shop and ask them to send the gift basket for you, the shipment is subject to BTA requirements, and the vendor will have to file Prior Notice. Many travelers are finding that vendors will not ship food directly to U.S. residents because the reporting requirements can be time-consuming to complete.
In general, failure to provide complete, timely and accurate prior notice for BTA regulated items, can result in refusal of admission of the merchandise, movement of the goods to an FDA registered facility (at importer expense) and/or civil monetary penalty liabilities for any party that was involved in the import transaction.
For full details regarding the latest FDA BTA requirements, including those food items exempt from these requirements, access the FDA Website at
www.fda.gov/oc/bioterrorism/bioact.html ( The Bioterrorism Act of 2002 ) .
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Fruits and Vegetables
Bringing fruits and vegetables can be complicated. For instance, consider the apple you bought in the foreign airport just before boarding and then did not eat? Whether or not CBP will allow the apple into the United States depends on where you got it and where you are going after you arrive in the United States. The same would be true for those magnificent Mediterranean tomatoes. Fresh fruits and vegetables can carry plant pests or diseases into the United States.
One good example of problems imported fruits and vegetables can cause is the Mediterranean fruit fly outbreak during the 1980s, The outbreak cost the state of California and the Federal Government approximately $100 million to get rid of this pest. The cause of the outbreak was one traveler who brought home one contaminated piece of fruit. It is best not to bring fresh fruits or vegetables into the United States. However, if you plan to, contact either CBP or check the Travelers Information section on the USDA-APHIS web site for a general approved list on items that need a permit.