ghanima22

Am I wrong in assuming that you can take food with you from the US to France as long as it's packaged? Since I'm pregnant (and always hungry) I thought it would be wise for my budget to have snacky-foods with me to hold me over until proper eating times (like granola bars, dried fruit, peanut butter and crackers). I know there's wonderful things to eat in Paris too, but if I bought something every time I was hungry, I would spend all my money on food. I thought I would just bring this stuff in my carry-on, that way I wouldn't have to waste time looking for a supermarket when I get there. I was also planning to pack a couple bottles of water too. Can I do this?

Rachel

Robespierre

You mean if you bring it with you it doesn't cost anything? Just where do you shop, anyway?

Seriously - I don't see the point. Carry enough to stave off starvation until you arrive, then hit the Monoprix.

WillTravel

I think this is a very good idea, especially when pregnant, but I do this anyways. It will tide you over when the airplane food isn't good, when you want something right away when you wake up, when you feel weak, etc.

Supermarkets in Paris are fine, and Ed's Epicerie is a fairly cheap one, but you'll want something for the first couple days or if you can't get exactly what you want.

Scarlett

If there is something you especially crave and would like to take with you, why not! You really don't need to stock up before you get there though, the shops have fantastic things that you will like. The same with water, it will not be too expensive in a market, you don't want to be lugging bottles of water around with you.

ghanima22

Now Robespierre- does the Monoprix have the deals I'm used to at Wal-mart? I'm a die-hard bargain shopper - If I can save a couple bucks bringing over 97 cent granola bars, that means a nicer glass of wine later!

Rachel

suze

I think the snacks are a good idea, but I wouldn't bother with more than the one bottle of water you need on the plane. It's just too darn heavy and takes up way too much room in your bag for saving a few cents IMO.

Patrick

I don't want to lecture, but you're pregnant and you want to save money so you can drink better wine?
And to each his own, but packing a bunch of bottles of water (which are heavy in case you haven't noticed) to save a few pennies here and there is not my idea of a fun way to travel.

ghanima22

Not taking offense, but I was simply kidding. And I do intend to sample some wine in Paris - I'm not getting drunk. However, I never said I'm taking a case of water with me. I was just planning on packing some things in my purse to tide me over in hungry periods without having to worry about finding a grocery store when I get there. I just wanted to know if that was allowed to tranfer between countries. I'm not packing my cabinet!

Robespierre

I don't know what the French rules are, but I imagine they are congruent with our own. So your surmise that packaged foods are ok is probably accurate. It's the stowaways on fresh produce and meats they're leery of.

But when I contemplate importing food to La Belle France, the first phrase that springs to mind contains the word "Newcastle."

Patrick

Sorry, I guess I'm just not up to date. I didn't know that women who are 7 months pregnant drink wine these days!

elaine

You want to bring water for the plane, great idea.
You want snacks for the plane, great idea.
You have particular cravings for ritz crackers with marmite and gumdrops, bring them.
If you must have peanut butter, bring it, it's hard to find in Paris.
Dried fruit might be a great idea for
gastro-intestinal reasons known to pregnant ladies.

But for general snacking, you can do very well in many discount shops in Paris and if you saved 10 euros over the cost of the entire trip I would be surprised, unless you're accumulating food supplies for weeks and weeks.


But yes, you can bring packaged or processed food.

Scarlett

Patrick, I think it depends on the pregnant woman. I know quite a few who won't even drink caffeine.

seetheworld

Patrick, I'm with you. Call me old fashion or maybe I'm just tired of reading disturbing statistics on learning disabilities, but pregnant women should stay away from soft cheeses and alcohol - I've never heard of drinking in moderation when pregnant. That's just my opinion.

flanneruk

Civilised countries don't make rules preventing people from doing things no-one in their right mind would dream of doing. So France has no rules about importing bottles of water from 5,000 miles away to save a couple of eurocents.

It does, however, have a national competition for the first person to walk 15 yards down any street in the country and fail to pass a shop selling nice, small, cold bottles of Evian. The prize has yet to be claimed.

France's laws on food imports from outside the EU are virtually identical with the other member states'. So check the UK rules (at http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/ille...w/whatfood.htm).

In any case, France's customs officials are there to keep dangerous products out of France. They really do have better things to do than waste visitors' time interrogating them about where they bought their chocolate from.

elaine

just to offer another viewpoint, ghanima22 has posted several questions relating to what I believe is her first trip to Paris, upcoming soon, and like many of us she's getting caught up in the details--I honestly think she wasn't sure if she could legally bring in food products.
I believe she now has the answer.

Patrick

"It does, however, have a national competition for the first person to walk 15 yards down any street in the country and fail to pass a shop selling nice, small, cold bottles of Evian. The prize has yet to be claimed."

Damn, where do I claim my prize? Meanwhile, the real prize should go to the person who finds such a shop where the "nice, small" bottles of Evian are actually cold!

Robespierre

The problem with the 50 cl. bottles of Evain is that they cost the same as the 3 l. size in grocery stores. We (5 of us) take our sport bottles with us and recharge them from a big jug we acquire along the way.

clevelandbrown

I would definitely take enough water to get you through the flight. There have been concerns about the water supply on aircraft, to the extent that people query the flight attendant as to whether they are using bottled water. If one bottle will serve, take no more; you can reload once you arrive. My wife and I carry one bottle of water everywhere; it fits easily into my shoulder bag.

As to snacks, I recall that my wife was very particular about her diet in each of our pregnancies, and I think that would be a valid reason to take something you are comfortable with. Its always a good idea to have something of your own on a long flight.

As far as bringing snacks to save money, I would suggest that one of the reasons people travel is to learn and enjoy exotic foods, including snacks, so I think buying some French snacks in a local store would be the way to go. We often stay in apartments, so we do shop for food, and while some things cost more than at home, others cost less, and I have never felt that the cost of groceries was out of line with back home.

suze

Asked and answered! Yes, you can bring packaged foods into France. Besides being off topic about virtues of wine or weight of bottled water - my comment is to this part of the original post:

<if I bought something every time I was hungry, I would spend all my money on food> ...snack foods similar to what you describe are available and not enough more expensive in Paris to bother hauling along more than your pocketbook full for the flight and first few hours in the city IMO.

ANY place i visit, a trip to the monoprix, grocery store, supermercado, whatever, is my first local "chore" after i check into my hotel room. Ask the front desk clerk the nearest convenient location.

hopscotch

I'll never be pregnant (wrong sex) but I always bring enough food with me to the airport to last till at least hotel check-in. Airport food is terrible and overpriced and not always convenient. My favorite "travel food" is egg/tuna salad or corned beef and cheese bun sandwiches. High protein intake wards off hunger for many hours.