me

I know this is kinda strange... I also know that Hawaii has some restrictions on what can and cannot be brought into The Islands. My question: I have found a gourmet cheese that I want to bring back to Hawaii with me but am not sure if this is allowed...does anyone know of a resource I could check? I checked the USDA web site, but could only find info on bringing things from foreign countries. Are there any Hawaiian Locals out there who know this answer? The cheese is an imported Parmasean Cheese that I buy in a Southern California gourmet store (it's packaged).
Mahalo!

bj

I can't image why not. I have friends in Hawaii and whenever I go visit I always bring a box of real Wisconsin cheese and brats as a gift. I do have it frozen and packed in dry ice as I got delayed in LA 24 hours once.

Melissa

I bring cheese home to Hawaii with me all the time! Not that you cannot get gourmet cheese at R. Field Wine Co....

scigirl

I too have brought cheese all the way from the Netherlands to Hawaii without any problem. The restrictions on what you can bring in primarily relate to live animals (quarentine for some, others not allowed at all), plants, and fruits. I just flew home yesterday and filled out the 'customs' list and don't recall cheese being on the list of items.

Linda

Sorry, scigirl, but I believe meats and dairy products are on the "forbidden" list if brought in from other countries. As to whether this applies from mainland US to Hawaii, no, because it only applies when bringing things in from other countries. However, Hawaii may have its own rules, similar to the rule that you can't take fruit or vegetables into California. Does anybody know of a website with a definitive answer?

Janis

No restrictions but please don't cut the cheese on the airplane.

KT

Hawaii Dep't of Agriculture import restrictions:
http://www.hawaiiag.org/hdoa/doa_importing.htm

I did't follow all the links, but it looks like there's plenty about plants and animals but nothing about cheese. As Linda indicated, there are US Dep't of Agriculture rules that apply only when bringing things in from foreign countries and then there are state dep't of ag rules that apply when bringing things into the state, whether from abroad or from another state.

Melissa

Meat of certain kinds is forbidden to bring back from other countries--they have special beagles for that. As for cheese, as long as it has been aged for a specific amount of time, you can bring it back openly to the United States (which Hawaii is a part of, by the way!). Unpasteurized cheese is a no-no. So scigirl is right.