I'm hoping to bring fois gras, pate and truffles (the non-chocolate kind)home to Canada but I'm confused about whether or not they are restricted food items. I heard these items are restricted but customs may not notice or will not take them away as long as they are jarred or canned. Any advice?

Thanks!

Just make sure they are "commercially" packaged and they are not a problem. You "should" declare them so that they can collect duty on them if you go over your limit. As long as the they are packaged up the Customs wonks won't take them and enjoy them. I have a friend that brought black truffles back from France, wrapped in tissue paper. The drug sniffer dog at Pearson got so excited he peed himself on the floor.

Thanks for the prompt reply! Are there any brands you recommend?

Does anyone know about bringing back cheese to Canada? At CDG duty free there are all kinds and I would love to bring some.

Last time I entered at Toronto the sniffer dog identified my bag and security made a big deal about it. I had a picnic several days earlier and used that bag. We had eaten chese then.

Anyone know?

The last foie I brought back I purchased in Gallerie Lafayette (in the food hall) - it was quite good. Truffles I buy loose and I pack in ziplocks and put them in the carry on bag. I have only ever purchased truffles in the Sarlat area in the markets from the collector.

Jazzyred: I have never tried bringing cheese. Most of the cheeses I would want to bring back would not handle the 8 hour flight too well. I think Canada Customs is quite tight about bringing in fresh milk cheeses because someone in Ottawa once had a bad dream about some cheese born disease from France decimating the cattle population of Canada. I think you are allowed to bring in pasteurized cheeses but not sure. I am sure there is a Gov. website somewhere that will tell you about that. I must say, I love the little declaration cards they make you fill in when you land and that one question: Do you plan on visiting a farm in the next two weeks? I have been tempted to answer "Yes, even though I have this weird flu-like condition that I picked up on a farm in Europe."

We brought a round of Manchego cheese back to Canada from Spain a couple of years ago. The customs agent wanted to know if it was a hard cheese or a soft cheese. I said "hard" and we were waved through. At the exit from the luggage claim the bags were sniffed by a dog and we asked about the cheese again as we turned in the landing card. Obvioulsy some types of cheese (soft presumably) are not permitted.

Planning to wrap same in my unwashed personal laundry, on our immiment trip Montreal/ Toulouse/ Montreal -- 72 hours to departure and counting.

I defy any dog to tell the difference.

I've brought in various canned foie gras products with no problems.

Regarding cheeses, I can't say for sure: I brought in some Dutch cheese once years ago, and the official didn't bat an eyelid. Then again, that was as I said years ago. I do know that unpasteurized cheeses have been known to cause outbreaks of illnesses (in humans) such as brucellosis, listeria, etc. To quote the spokesperson for the (American) national cheese institute, "the pathogen environment is not a static one... Listeria wasn't even discovered as a food-borne illness until a couple of decadees ago. Just because the traditional method of making raw-milk cheese has been in existence for centuries doesn't mean it can't cause problems." In short, perhaps you should try calling your local customs office, if you truly want to know customs policy on cheeses, since of course these won't be canned.

TorontoSteven, regarding the visiting of farms and the question on the card, I suspect there are several reasons for this seemingly silly question. One is to educate the public - disease can, and has, been spread by international travellers onto farms. During the outbreak of hoof-and-mouth disease in Great Britain (2001 I think), I recall having to have my shoes disinfected on arrival back in Canada - this was done for every passenger, no matter what they declared on the card regarding any potential farm visits. The concern of officials was understandable, given the damage to the economy such diseases can cause. That outbreak caused a great deal of hardship to British farmers - and to the British tourist economy, since people were banned from hiking around farms for some time. Once one realizes that millions of dollars of a country's economy could be at stake, going through the hassle of customs seems more bearable.

I have a complete understanding of the issue as I was born and raised in a farming community. I also understand the completely useless nature of the steps they took to stop the disease from entering Canada (ie. having you walk over the mat at Pearson even though most people would have other shoes, or clothing, that travelled in their luggage that would never be treated). In any case the vast majority of bacteria would be transferred in the bodies of travellers, for which nothing was done.

It is important to declare everyting food related from Europe. As a frequent travller and Food Science student, I can tell you only Cheese packed in Whey or with butter in the middle is not allowed, but must be declared. The agriculture people will fine you $400 if you don't declare and get caught. The cute little dogs that sniff bags aren't so cute when you get caught. Cheese is OK for now, but disease staus of a country can change that. As far as Foi Gras, or however you spell it, it has to be in a can.
I strongly suggest reading about food laws and Customs on
www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca or the food site at www.inspection.gc.ca
Canada takes thier laws pretty seriously about food and imports.

TorontoSteven:

You are advising people to bring back only things which are "commercially packaged" and then YOU bring in truffles stuffed into ziplock bags...what is wrong with that picture????

Thanks for the advice about checking the Canada Customs website. I've read it and it basically says no meat, but I know people have brought fois gras back before. So is it safe to assume that as long as fois gras is in a can and I claim it at customs they won't take it away?

I just came home from France yesterday and arrived at Pearson Airport in Toronto. I brought back one jar of fois gras with no problems at all. Now I wish I brought back a couple more! All the customs guy asked me was what I did in France. That's it. I'm glad I got a lazy customs agent.

Glad to hear it. Where did you end up buying the foie?

It was a gift from my uncle in Paris, a small jar. It's now July, 9 months after my amazing trip to France, and I've become a little bit obsessed with buying French cookbooks and eating at French restaurants. Actually, my brother and I are having lunch at Le Select on Wellington St. in Toronto this weekend. We were told it's amazing.

Regarding foie gras, yes it is meat, and yes it is allowed - but you should declare it or you may end up in trouble.

Friends of ours, whose house in Sarlat we manage, always take foie gras home, and have never declared it. In fact, they never really considered it an agricultural product, because it was in a tin, and so indicated on their form that they werent bringing in food items. Well, when they were stopped by customs - a rare occurrence, but it does happen - they were given quite a hard time for 'lying' on their customs declaration.

So now they admit it up front, and havent had a problem.

Some of these posts relate to bringing in cheese several years ago - what about now?
Has anyone declared and brought in any type of cheese in the last year?

I declared some cat snacks 18 months or so ago (don't ask) and they were confiscated. Relative declared some cheddar cheese two years ago - confiscated.

Hi Genny,

Glad you had a good time. Try Thuet on King West, probably the best French restaurant in Toronto now. They also have super bakery upstairs.

HI,

Le Select was nice. Pricey, but worth it. I will for sure try Thuet next time I'm visiting my bro.

Any other suggestions for French restaurants?