By Larry Crowe/AP
When people travel outside of the US, they like to bring back their favorite foods. This can cause big problems when they go through US Customs. Many foods are not allowed into the US from travel trips. On the average day, 1.3 million people travel into the US. Border officials take about 4,300 plant and animal foods away from these travelers. Customs officials look even harder during heavy travel months.
Rules for bringing food into the US are very hard to understand. Truffles, basil and Kangaroo jerky from Australia are OK. Beef from Europe? Not OK. Baked goods, candy, chocolate, oil, vinegar, mustard, pickles, syrup, honey and jelly are all OK. Fruits and vegetables are not OK except potatoes (unless they are from Canada). Some cheeses like Parmesan and cheddar are OK but soft cheeses like brie or ricotta are not OK.
Why do Customs officials care about food you bring home? They are trying to protect the US food supply. Beef may contain ‘mad cow’ disease. Ham may have have swine disease. Plants may have diseases that could spread across the US.
As a rule of thumb it’s best not to bring it in or to at least declare it at the port of entry. Fines start around $300 and can climb to $10,000. To find out what items are restricted or forbidden, go to www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel. Then find the ‘Top 20 travel questions and answers’).
Your Opinion, Please!
Vocabulary Words
around: to go in a circle
basil: an herb
brie: a kind of cheese
candy: sweet
cheddar: a kind of cheese
favorite: best
forbidden: not allowed
items: things
jelly: fruit
jerky: dried meat
mustard: a spice
pickles: food item
restricted: not allowed
ricotta: a kind of cheese
swine: pigs
syrup: liquid sugar
thumb: the fattest finger on your hand
travelers: people who travel
vinegar: a spicy liquid
Tags: customs
