[Anonymous]

[DanielRawson]

I wonder if anyone has any advice on taking baby food in the USA. We are going with our 1 year to Florida next week and my wife wants to take some of his preferred baby food even though I have assured her that they do have supermarkets there! Are you allowed to take vacuum sealed product containinh meat and veg through customs or will it get destroyed? Any help would be appreciated

[toonfan62]

If you’re heading to Orlando and decide to buy here let me know what you regularly use and I’ll check out Target W*M and Publix to check they have what you’re used to.
Been a while since I came into the US but I would guess if it’s vac packed any sniffer dogs wouldn’t pick up on it so it would be luck of the draw if you get stopped. My son had my Bisto Best confiscated last year because “we don’t want any of your mad cow over here”……..!

[MartynSinclair]

toonfan62, do you have any ideas for car hire in Orlando area. Currently use airport offerings but wanted to see if there was anything more competative. We are around the Hunters Creek / Dr Phillips / Sea World area.

[LuganoPirate]

The import of all foods into the US is strictly forbidden. Even airlines have to dispose of all their fruit, cheese and other food then take on board US FDA cleared European foods.

The dogs will smell through even vacuum packs and hiding it in smelly socks does not help either. The penalties are very severe so I really don’t recommend trying to beat the system.

[NTarrant]

I would agree with LuganoPirate its not worth the hassle if you get caught. It is a while since I have been to the Orlando area, but certainly when last there the supermarkets usually contain a “British” section to cater for the number of people travelling from the UK and that included baby food.

[RichHI1]

You are allowed to bring certain foodstuffs into the United States for personal consumption. Baby formula is exempted but once you get into real food it gets more complicated. The rules are quite complex and arcane (like the DEFRA rules in UK). For details https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/82/session/L3NpZC92LTZxS01Daw%3D%3D/search/1.
My advice would be to travel with a limited supply to cover your day of arrival + 1 or 2 and then shop locally. My advice would be to declare it as travelling with a baby they will be expecting it.

[DanielRawson]

Many thanks for your replies and efforts. Toonfan your offer is very generous but I won’t trouble you with going round the supermarkets instead we will make do with what is on the shelf. We will go with the advice of the majority and sort ourselves when we arrive as I don’t fancy any unnecessary aggravation at the airport.

[CarlaDevis]

There is nothing that cannot buy there. You should find your usual brand an most supermarkets, general stores and pharmacies. Do take your baby’s formula milk.

[PeterCoultas]

luganopirate

how recent is this – working in the us I regularly brought smelly unpasturized (i.e. decent) cheese back from europe….

[lloydah]

Brought several English cheeses through US customs this year on different trips- as that found in the US is generally dire. Just put it on the declaration form and they don’t generally bother even to look.

[LuganoPirate]

Gosh, can’t believe that post is over two years old, so clearly my info predates this. I don’t know about personal imports, though the warnings are pretty clear, but I remember Swiss Maître de Cabine telling me that as all food is destroyed on arrival into the US, all their cheese has to be imported by airfreight then delivered to the aircraft. Crazy situation I think though the situation may have changed in the meantime?

[lloydah]

Well, LP, this was on UA but there was no problem taking it in. The guy just stamped our customs form and we waltzed in. Mind you, I did have an apple confiscated once by the sniffer dog! Forgot it was in my hand luggage doh!

[LuganoPirate]

Just curious Lloydah, but did you specify “cheese” or the type, such as “Brie”. If the latter he may not have known what it was!

[lloydah]

LP – I listed it as far as I remember as Cornish Brie, plus some other staples like Wensleydale and cheddar. Was a couple of pounds of each. It was my first UA flight TATOL and was impressed that all the paper work was done at LHR so no fiddling with the green forms and customs on the plane which I’ve always had to do on BA. She logged it all on the laptop in the Global First area and that was the end of it. Immigration had it all on his screen when he swiped the passport on entry. The cheese wasn’t questioned.

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