Food items allowed into the USA at POE

[anthokad 3]

Hi friends,

Please where can i find a guide on food items allowed/prohibited from entering the USA?? I am considering taking some locust beans(irun), but not sure if it is allowed or not. I can't imagine cooking without this native seasoning!

Already, i am told that the following items are not allowed:

1)Maggi

2)'Bush Meat'

Thanks.......

[midge and isi 8]

maggi should be fine. I took it with me. But you can find it at most african markets here for not too bad of a price (and I live in Maine where there arn't a lot of options). You do however need to declare it when asked.

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/arriving_travelers.xml'>http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/arriving_travelers.xml

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/

Hope that helps.

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

Short version. If it can grow it is generally forbidden or must be taken through agricultural quarantine , If it isn't processed it is forbidden, if it has medical properties it is forbidden unless prescribed .

[LeslienScott 6]

I brought my Maggi, didn't declare a single food item at all. They only cared about my houseplants. They confiscated them.

[patient2010 93]

Ur going to Dallas im sure they have nigerian stores there. We have several nigerian food stores in my state and we have everything there even the items u mentioned like bush meat and the locoust beans

[DebbyNSeyi 15]

I brought back ground nuts from my last trip to Nigeria and had no problems.

[katie & sifa 25]

Dallas has several African stores scattered around - I'm usually looking for Kenyan stuff (mostly Ketepa tea!) but most of them I have found are owned by Nigerians and have a lot of Nigerian items. I bet you can find most of what you might want to bring there...

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

I brought back ground nuts from my last trip to Nigeria and had no problems.

Ground nuts ( aka peanuts) are baked so they fall under the catagory of processed items.

[Tero 105]

Short version. If it can grow it is generally forbidden or must be taken through agricultural quarantine , If it isn't processed it is forbidden, if it has medical properties it is forbidden unless prescribed .

This is very correct as I learnt the hard way. I brought a tuber of yam (over 2 feet long)and it was thrown away ...I felt like crying after that. Also, you need to be prepared to pay the custom guys at the Lagos airport some money so they can allow you to carry your food. They'll allow you to travel with anything but at the POE in the US, nothing you can grow is allowed. You can carry already cooked stuff though.

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

The food restrictions are to prevent noxious items from entering the US eco system.

Florida has issues with non native plants running amok and non native fish have ruined many lakes and streams.

[NigeriaorBust 4,087]

Locust beans are the seeds of the carob tree. They are actually common in southern areas, planted in a lot of cities because they are low care. In the US the seeds are used as animal feed while the seed pods are processed as a chocolate substitute.