As a diabetic, I like to travel with special sugar-free candy and sugar-free cookies. I am travelling to Oz for 3 weeks over the holidays. Will these treats be confiscated upon arrival in Melbourne?

Hi, Diane!<BR>Who can say for sure? It's not as if the Customs people in Australia were consistent, or anything as mundane as that! However, I can tell you how to maximise your chances of the cookies being &quot;passed&quot; -- DECLARE THEM, very conspicuously. Go straight to the &quot;red&quot; windows(the lines are shorter there, anyway, so we always make it a point to find something to declare), and say that you've come there because of these cookies, which you're worried about. If they know that (i) you are being open about it , and (ii) that you have a legitimate reason for bringing them in, then they will probably just wish you a happy holiday! The only time I ever had anything &quot;confiscated&quot; at the red window (it was also a packet of biscuits), the man said &quot;You can't bring these in,&quot; whereupon I said &quot;that's okay&quot;, and then, one minute later, he handed them back to my nine-year-old daughter, without so much as a word!

Diane,<BR><BR>I agree with Alan. Just declare it and I'm sure they will let it pass. It's better then them stopping you and you paying a hefty fine. I'm sure with your medical condition, they won't have any problems. Just be nice &amp; patient with the declaration process.<BR><BR>Christina

make sure its a closed pack and you wont have a prob.....we also sell sugar free candy and cookied here.<BR>regards

Usually packaged, unopened food like biscuits/chocolate etc is OK but I agree, definitely declare it and ask if it's OK to bring into the country. Customs are very strict but you should be OK.<BR>If you want to top up your supply of sugar free stuff while in Melbourne, try David Jones food hall or Myer, both in Bourke St, in the city. (The DJ food hall is on the opposite side of the street to the main DJ store.)<BR>Kay

The only thing taken from us was popcorn &amp; nuts. They let us have everything else and we had a bunch of stuff!

Customs seem to have got nicer, but they can still be tough. My wife'S cousin used to work at the airport and used to see the customs dividing up the spoils at the end of the day - do you reallya think the chocolates get thrown in the bin - no way, they go to somebody's home