Packing snacks - will these be allowed through customs?
 

Having gone way over budget on the hotels, I figure we can save a bit by packing some granola bars and those pouches of tuna to nibble on the trains or when we're busy and don't want to stop for a longer meal. If we tuck these into our suitcase, will we be allowed to take them through customs into Switzerland? I don't want to take them and then have to throw them out.

I have taken all kinds of food with me. You are not checked at customs unless you have something to declare. I haven't flown into Switzerland in a couple of years, but they didn't check it then. I will be arriving in Zurich Monday morning so I'll know soon!

Go for it. Packaged foods should be fine. You might run into a problem if you pack something dense like a jar of peanut butter. TSA would probably open you suitcase. But other than that I wouldn't worry about it.

Hi drchris,

You may want to know that you can, of course, buy those things in Switzerland! It's a fun way to get into the life of a little town by shopping there. Just take enough for one day or so, then buy the rest there.

Cereal bars are in the cereal aisle.

s

TSA doesn't apply since they are talking bus or train. No worries there, none at all.

Granola bars etc should be fine. We have never had a problem. Countries tend to be fussy on things that can spread pests/weeds like salami, honey, seeds,raw products etc. If it is commercially packed and you have not tampered with the packaging it should be fine.

Just make sure that anything you take will not burst with change in altitude or having something dropped on you case. You don't want tuna all through your luggage. Strudy plasticcontainer should do the trick.

Those things and many more are available in Switzerland and won't cost much more than bringing them from home.

You may get them cheaper and they may take up spacebut there are advantages of bringing them yourself. Such as:-
They then go on your normal shopping bill.
You get your favourite brand.
You don't have to go shopping in a strange place.
You have them if you get caught without food somewhere.

Do you mean your carryon suitcase? Anything vaguely liquid or gel-like in a container over 100 ml will likely be confiscated at the security check pre-boarding.

"You don't have to go shopping in a strange place."

Grocery stores in Europe are my favorite places to shop , along with outdoormarkets!

Shopping is a necessary evil NOT a form of recreation!

The swiss customs site says

<<Food from E.U. member states is permitted, provided for personal comsumption;
Food from non-E.U. member states: it is forbidden to bring in any meat, eggs, milk, honey or other products of animal origin.>>

Shopping in European supermarkets is definitely NOT a necessarily evil and definitely a form of recreation for me!

I would never bother bringing snack foods from the USA to Europe, since the same things are widely available in any European country. Plus, any train station has very cheap sandwiches and other goodies - like things from 3-6 euros - available fresh and ready to take on the train with you. I can't see lugging stuff overseas just for that purpose. Makes no sense to me.

You can bring the things you mention. It's "fresh" foods like sashh mentions that might be taken from you. But I agree with others if it's granola bars, tuna, etc. you want, that's easily bought at a Migros or other once you arrive, and (unless you want to eat stuff in transit) safe the weight in your lugggage.

Oh, and specifically to train food & Switerland... it's easy to find bakeries (often right in the train stations) that have delicious pre-made sandwiches ready-to-go.

I think your packaged snacks would be fine, but I must tell you that the absolute best breads I have ever had anywhere were in Switzerland. Also, their fresh cheeses are wonderful. I would not plan on taking and eating any pre-packaged stuff there. I would buy bread and cheese and make sandwiches. As Suze said, bakeries are easy to find, and there are usually good sandwich places in larger stations.

I don't agree that things would be cheaper in Switzerland. Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in Europe. I can buy 6 Granola bars for around $2.50 US. I can get pouches of tuna for around $1 each. I would be shocked if you could get the equivalent in Switzerland for that price.

Thanks for all he comments! We do plan to eat in restaurants and to buy bread and cheese to nibble on. I've just read so many posts about how very expensive food is and have checked lots of menus, and find the prices shocking compared to the US. And I remember going to grocery stores in England, Paris, and Athens and being amazed at how much more expensive things were. So I just thought that for those longish train rides and times when we are walking around a town and might get a bit hungry but don't want a full meal, we would take a few granola bars. I hate having to suddenly "hunt" for food in the midst of sightseeing. We are only taking a carryon and daypack, so it will be safely packed, and I put everything "spillable" in layers of ziploc bags.

I'm curious whether the pastries in Switzerland are sweet. We bought several in Paris that looked wonderful only to discover that they weren't sweet and were a major disappointment. (That was many years ago, so perhaps things have changed) But everything else we ate in Paris was amazing!

http://www.aldi-suisse.ch

If you want cheap, go visit Germany.

I'm sorry - and I HONESTLY don't want to sound mean. But thinking of going to almost anywhere in Europe and eating cello wrapped granola bars for either budget or convenience reasons would absolutely kill me.

They aren't 'food' -- they are snacks and even the best ones are 10000 times worse than local snacks/pastries/street food.

take a couple in case you wake up on the plane in the middle of the night w/ the munchies -- OK. But otherwise -- save the luggage space.

Can you survive on melons, peaches and grapes?
Pastries are sweet, but it depends entirely on what you consider to be sweet.

http://www.aldi-suisse.ch/ch/html/pr...?WT.z_src=main

Totally agree with janisj, and totally disagree that equivalent food (or better) is more expensive anywhere in Europe. I do think there is some American obsession about always having some "snack" food available. I guess if that's what you're used to, it would make sense when you're traveling, but I never "snack" in the USA, and I never, ever worry about finding some cheap, healthy thing to eat in Europe, be it at a train station or anywhere else. In hundreds of trips to Europe, I can't ever remember having the feeling of having to "hunt" for food. If anything, in Europe there are always more food options immediately available to you than in most places in the USA except major cities.

I mentioned previously that you can always find a good sandwich or equivalent snack at any train station in Europe for 3-6 euros - is that a SHOCKING price for you?

I'm also trying to imagine how you got duped into buying pastries that weren't sweet in Paris - pastries by definition are sweet. Were you in a patisserie? Pretty much everything in a patisserie is sweet. If you were in a boulangerie, you might have bought something that wasn't sweet, but eyesight alone should tell you what's sweet and what isn't.

The OP wanted to take "snacks" to nibble on the train and you guys are hammering her for it? How condescending.

The OP didn't say she wasn't going to eat anything else. Let her bring what she wants for goodness sakes. She didn't ask your PERMISSION, she just asked if she'd get into trouble.

I have flown into Europe with the tuna packs, nuts, and granola bars that we nibbled on when we were hungry but not ready to stop for a meal. Actually, it is pleasant to take a break from 'vacation eating' to have simple familiar (and lower calorie) tastes from home. Packed such for convenience reasons more than budget reasons. Don't feel bad about it and there is no worry at airport or train station for having these kinds of snacks with you.

bettyk: "<i>The OP wanted to take "snacks" to nibble on the train and you guys are hammering her for it?</i>"

That really isn't what she said -- or not totally anyway.

>><i>Having gone <u>way over budget</u> on the hotels, I figure we can save a bit by packing some granola bars and those pouches of tuna to nibble on the trains <u>or when we're busy and don't want to stop for a longer meal</u></i>.<<

You may read that to mean "We only want to eat them on trains." (which I personally still wouldn't do since cheap food is available most anywhere)

I read it as "We want to economize and take tuna and granola bars to eat on trains and when we want to skip some meals."

My feeling is -- Why go to Europe and eat American convenience foods?

Yes, janisj, that is your feeling and you are entitled to it, but again the OP just wanted to make sure she wouldn't get into trouble. She didn't ask if it would bother YOU.

Just my opinion.

Thrifty not frugal is the key. Save money where you can, so you can spend it on the important things for you.

Wow! I didn't mean to start such a controversy! Thanks to those who realized that I was not seeking permission or opinion regarding my choice - just asking, "Is it allowed?" I would hate to take it along only to have to throw it out at the airport.

I hope that in this community there is room for a diversity of travel styles. Just because someone has a different way of doing things, it doesn't make them wrong :)

I am bemused by concerns about using space in my suitcase. How much do you take on a trip? I did a "test packing" last weekend using Rick Steves 21" rollaboard and was pleased to find that after I had packed everything, I still had quite a bit of room left - and I hadn't even packed my "personal item" (a daypack). (After making the mistake of lugging heavy suitcases and having to check bags on earlier trips, I have finally gotten this packing down to a science!) I don't think that tucking in a few high fiber bars (perhaps I should have said that instead of granola bars!) to keep this old body "moving" will take up any "needed" space. I would rather have them and not need them than need them and not have them (or have to go looking for them).

I understand that for some, eating is a critical part of the travel experience, and it will be for me when we go to Italy, as I love Italian food. I do look forward to sampling the regional specialities in Switzerland but doubt that I will have missed out on a great culinary experience if I don't buy a sandwich at the airport or on the train. I have enjoyed discovering some wonderful foods while traveling that were new to me, such as Greek yogurt - so glad it's widely available in the US now, though it's still not as heavenly as it was in Athens.

StCirq- What I remember was flaky pastry filled with whipped cream, neither of which were sweetened. This was almost 30 years ago, so perhaps they have caught the American obsession with sugar and sweetened things up! It was simply disappointing to expect one thing and end up with something different that wasn't very good.

drchris, you're right that everybody has their own travel style. Sounds like you have everything under control!

FYI, I agree with you about many of the pastries not being as sweet as we are use to. I found the same thing when I lived in Vienna years ago.

Enjoy your trip.

We're back from our trip and it was wonderful! We bought food at restaurants, the COOP, and takeaways, sometimes had bread and cheese for lunch (both so good), but we did take several fiber/snack bars, and we were so glad we did as they came in handy, especially on the trains. Food was very expensive in Switzerland, and it was nice to be able to save a little on food so we could splurge on "experiences" - which is what we actually take away from a trip like this one. We also took our own water refillable bottle, which we were constantly filling up at the many public water fountains as the weather was warmer than predicted. I'll be posting a trip report soon!

Good for you! Sounds like us!

A Thermos is very handy as well.

Because we spend a lot of time away from cities we take a small metholatedspirit stove with us sometimes as well.

Stick to those supermarkets, etc., IN Switzerland...food there is NOT cheap IMO..especially when in a cafe they want about $19.00 for a hamburger.

But, shopping in the markets can be a lot of fun and you may very well find some things you want to try that you haven't had before.

Well I totally understand the OP, I too am taking 'snacks' on my upcoming trip to Germany at Christmas. As long as the food you take is packaged properly and not raw or animal products I think you will be fine. I'm landing in Germany on the evening of Christmas Eve, I have no idea of what will be open in the way of food shops (if anything) and after such a long flight from NZ, will have no desire whatsoever to think about shopping for food when I arrive. I'm taking some snacks such as the 'granola' bars, which I think we call 'muesli' bars, and am thinking about even taking coffe (my hotel room has a kitchenette in it) and even possibly things such as packet soup (just add hot water) - just to keep me going. Of course I intend to buy from bakeries, and spend time in restaurants, however I am also on a budget and am trying to keep my costs down.
When I arrived in Vienna four years (also Christmas Eve) we waited to have our bags checked etc, but the customs officer just smiled and said "no customs today" and we went straight through.
I've read on some website for German customs that you are allowed to take in up to 5 kilos of food.
So I say, go ahead, take it, just make sure you declare it on the customs form, and pack sensible foods and you will be okay.
PS I'm glad to hear that there are other people out there who think the same as I do.

You mention you have booked hotels. Some bad people take a bag into the breakfast buffet....free & fresh!

drchris,

Glad your trip went well! Any chance of a trip report?

We regularly use the buffet to supplement our lunch.We also fill up a thermos or two of hot water as well.

We are not "bad people" as we have paid for it! (Matthew 7:1"Do not judge, or you too will be judged.)

In Iceland it was the only way we could have lunch as we were in the low season with many shops/cafes closed or too far away from where we were. We did find one supermarket open and had our evening meal from there, as no restaurants were open in the town were were in.

Sorry, peterSale. I do not agree with you. You paid for breakfast, not lunch. "Thou shall not steal" but you stole a lunch.

May God forgive you.

sassy_cat

The trip report will be coming soon! I am just finishing up organizing and editing the over 1000 photos we took and hope to be able to figure out how to include links to those. Stay tuned!

<i>"Thrifty not frugal is the key. Save money where you can, so you can spend it on the important things for you."</i>

peterSale, you perhaps should look up the definition of frugal....frugal does not equal cheap.

Well, I have sat next to an old lady in Iceland who had a dried fish snack, but I have never shared a train compartment with somebody slurping tuna from a sachet.

That thing about nicking food from the breakfast buffet has arisen here before. I wonder if hoteliers have got wise to it and have managed to put a stop to it.