Bringing back foie gras & cassoulet
 

I found this on the web site of APHIS, but the link to the "Matrix" with more specific info isn't working. Does anyone know the lastest regs?
"As a general rule - if goods are cooked and in shelf-stable (does not require refrigeration) packaging such as cans or other hermetically sealed containers AND they are not from a country affected with various diseases such as Avian influenza, Mad Cow disease, swine fever, etc., they may be
admissible...

Pate - If cooked and in a hermetically sealed container, maybe - see Matrix. Otherwise - no.

Fois Gras - If cooked and in a hermetically sealed container, maybe- see Matrix. Otherwise, no."

Into which country do you want to bring these things? I always bring cans and jars, including pate and bloc fois gras, into the US with no problem.

To the U.S. And I would really like to know the law, since I've heard recently of folks spending quite a bit of $$$ only to have their stuff confiscated, specifically glass jars rather than cans of foie gras. Supposedly there's a big variation among the customs/USDA staff who decide these things.

Boy is that APHIS web site confusing! Who could ever deduce the rules from that?? Terrible!

You got it - that's why I started this thread, hoping that someone would be able to provide some answers.

You can bring preserved/tinned foie gras back. You can bring any cheeses. Yo cannot bring in meats/sausages.

Either the rules have changed or there is a difference between paté and pure foie gras because paté always contains pork fat. Pork fat was not allowed two years ago, I had stuffed goose neck confiscated because of it. Glass jars are usually not acceptable because they lack certifying stamps from the E.U.

It's been a long time since we returned to the U,S. with foie gras, but when we did, we purchased at Fauchon in Paris and told them we needed processing-packaging that conformed to U.S. customs requirements. They know which did and provided it. No problem. However, I imagine there's always some risk that the customs officer may not understand the regulations, since they're complicated.

At what airports have these goods been confiscated, do you know? Are there some US airports that are more likely to subject a passenger to a search than others? Just curious.

Gretchen is that true that any cheese is ok to bring back? I always thought it had to be aged cheese but who can figure out these rules anyway?

Hi alo,

The rules and regs are at
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/vacation/kbyg/

((I))

Ira, that site is pretty useless; where does it have info there on different preparations of fois gras?

You can bring back any cheese you want for your personal use. Cheese has to be aged in the US, if made from raw milk. I have never tried to bring back the processed foie gras in glass jars but have been told by someone who spends many months in France that that is OK too. You can bring back any meat that is tinned--pork, goose, duck, foie gras. A couple of years ago there was a temporary ban but it has been lifted.

I am so happy to learn that, Gretchen. I have always brought these things home with me and just hoped I would not be searched so it is nice to know I won't have to feel so sneaky next time! There is so much misinformation on these issues being passed around (including on Fodor's) and I can understand why after I took a look at those customs and USDA web sites. From what you say, these things do not even have to be vacuum packed, right? (As in proscuitto, for example). I always take zip lock bags and foil with me to wrap my purchases before bringing them home.

It IS my understanding that they must be vacuum packed... and some cheeses are NOT allowed in - epoisse for example.
So? You do it, get tagged (fined heavily), pay the fines, lose the meat, cheese, whatever.
Just buy the tinned meats. Eat cheese while there.
Cassoulet? Canned?

You can't bring in prosciutto--it is like sausage.. Why couldn't you bring in epoisse? I always claim ALL my foods and have never had any confiscated even at the height of the hoof and mouth epidemic. Cheese does not have to be vacuum packed, but if it is a smelly one, you might enjoy it more. You only get fined IF you didn't declare it and it is not allowed. The fines are very hefty now and not worth the risk.

I had a sausage - hermetically sealed in plastic and processed within an inch of its life, so I have no doubt it was safe - purchased in Germany confiscated at the Philadelphia airport. I'm sure the customs fellows ate well that day!

On another trip, I purchased tinned fois gras in Paris and simply failed to mention it to customs upon my return. They didn't find it, so I have no idea whether it was legal or not.

It's no wonder there is so much confusion - which is why I'm trying to find the answer. Here's what Customs says: "Meats, Livestock, and Poultry: The regulations governing meat and meat products are very strict. You may not import fresh, dried, or canned meats or meat products from most foreign countries into the United States. Also, you may not import food products that have been prepared with meat." So there is a basis for foie gras and cassoulet being confiscated, it seems. I found an article about this subject in the L.A. Times, and the author concluded that "it’s mostly a matter of luck and timing — of the knowledge, judgment and even the mood of individual inspectors." The author also said that the USDA publishes — and posts online — an Animal Products Manual and a set of agricultural products guidelines listing foodstuffs that are prohibited, permitted or restricted at any given time. Maybe that's the "Matrix" I can't find.

One more warning on this subject. Coming back through Chicago in late October, we passed through Immigration and then Customs as usual. THEN the USDA had large screening devices set up, through which ALL luggage had to pass. So don't try to hide those small cans of foie gras or whatever - as Gretchen says, the fines are hefty, and your stuff in confiscated to boot.

Sadly, there really is no absolute answer to your question. Because the regulations - as you can see - are so confusing and always in flux - the custom agents themselves often don't know the law. So, regardless of what the law may actually say, you are at the mercy of what your particular agent thinks is the law at the moment you pass through. Believe me I know, because I've been through this a number of times the past few years. I've had tinned foie gras passed through and I've had it confiscated. Same with cheese. Your best hope is to declare, tell them that everything you've heard and read says it's legal, and hope for the best.