AIBU to take banned food into EU?

[Hatehairdressers]

We’re flying into Europe on Thursday staying in an AirBnB in an area where shops are going to be very shut for Easter (at least until Saturday).

My plan was to pack a bit of food to see us through a couple of meals - I’ve packed a picnic bag in our hold luggage full of long life stuff like pasta, tuna, and sweetcorn; brioche rolls and hot dogs. Chocolate bars, tea bags and some UHT milk. Applauded myself on my forward planning.

Then I realised we’re not in the EU any more and half this stuff is banned.

AIBU to take it anyway?

It's because there's a certain type of Mumsnetter who thinks everyone in Britain should be weeping with shame on a daily basis for Brexit and if anyone British goes to the EU, it would be quite reasonable for the locals to follow them waving a little bell and chanting "Shame! SHAME!"

And yes, I voted Remain.

Whaaaat

I always bring back food in my hand luggage

and 🌱 clippings

never been stopped
l

You can bring stuff in just fine. It’s taking stuff out that isn’t. And it’s not a lot you can’t take out. Ffs the hysteria here is ridiculous.

Where the F is this place? I want to go to see if I can bring tinned hot dogs and chocolate over without someone snapping on their latex gloves and making me bend over for an intimate search.

Where a you going? All this secrecy is ridiculous.

What about the liquid limits OP? You can’t take anything over 100ml through security! @Hatehairdressers

We were planning on driving to Belgium next year. DC is autistic with severe food issues. Does this mean we cant take turkey dinosaurs in the camping freezer? 😫

Technically no but they don't check.

Argggh OP I have been facing almost the exact same dilemma as you!
We have taken it to mean actual meat and dairy, rather than stuff that just contains dairy such as chocolate. That seems more in the spirit of the law as there is no chance of any dairy disease spreading via that type of food (chocolate, biscuits etc).
It's confusing though as different websites say different things.

That’s only for hand luggage. There is no liquid limit for checked baggage.

Urgh the thought of your milk in the hold compartment .... fingers crossed it doesn't burst with the air compression

@Hatehairdressers yes, I thought OP was talking through security!

I'm curious as to how it would be picked up. If you take food in hand luggage, no one at security checks your boarding card. So they don't know whether you are travelling with a lump of cheese or whatever within the uk or flying to Europe. (Tho tinned Hot Dogs might cause a problem because of the liquid content).

Hold baggage will be scanned but will they be looking for food items? I don't know but very much doubt it. We generally don't take food with us because as per my previous post, never been anywhere where there are no little shops open (even if the big chains are closed)

We almost always take food for the flight in our hand luggage (sandwiches, crisps, fruit) , never been pulled over for that. If we are going to an apartment for a city break, we take cereal only because cereal abroad is often very sugary. Have traveled with muesli & Weetabix in both hand luggage and hold luggage and never had a problem. I just don't think those checking the bags are that interested.

Maybe the child is a fussy eater?

Actually all the expats I know here do not bring these things back to the EU country im in. We really miss them but not worth the risk

It's only meat and fresh dairy products you can't bring into the EU. That means stuff like milk, cheese and yoghurt, not chocolate. Pretty sure tuna is fine but lose the hotdogs.

But you can buy all this stuff in the EU, I have no idea why you would want to carry it in your suitcase.

Definitely don't need to worry about chocolate, I flew back to the eu with a suitcase filled with chocolate and prawn cocktail crisps last time I visited the UK.
I also know some people that have travelled back with sausages in their suitcases but I wouldn't risk that myself.

Forget the milk and the hotdogs, the rest will be fine. Buy milk at the airport when you arrive.

But you can buy all this stuff in the EU, I have no idea why you would want to carry it in your suitcase.

Because we’re arriving on a bank holiday, into a tiny airport, when all major stores are closed and I didn’t want the stress of finding an open 7-11 as soon as we arrived, especially with one of the DC a very fussy eater.

I just wanted to check whether in practice people are actually getting checked for stuff like this. In reality a tin of hot dogs produced in Germany doesn’t suddenly become a risk to EU livestock welfare just because it’s been across the channel and back again, but it sounds like it’s not really worth the risk of carrying it and getting checked.

I’ll take the safe stuff like tuna and pasta so we’re not desperate to find a shop, and hopefully we’ll find a convenience store open on Thu/Fri before i’d planned to do a stock up for the week on Saturday when shops are open as normal.

I think you're worrying unnecessarily OP. There will always be convenience stores open.

What about supernoodles?

@OMGitsnotgood

I'm curious as to how it would be picked up.

At customs, on arrival - TBF not much routine checking done at our local airport (France) but they do very occasionally pull people for bag checks.

If you take food in hand luggage, no one at security checks your boarding card. So they don't know whether you are travelling with a lump of cheese or whatever within the uk or flying to Europe.

True, but airport security aren't customs. They don't care where you are going.

The only things that are restricted are meat and dairy (so cheese; milk etc) most fruit (bananas and durian fruit ok) and vegetables including plants as they need a special licence.

You can take fish; shellfish; chocolate; snacks; biscuits. You can take infant formula. You can take dog food if it's medically necessary - as long as the packet is new and sealed from the shop. You can take Easter eggs. You can take normal eggs.

We've come to France and had contraband in the car: cheese and dog food for example. The reality is no one really checks at Dover or Folkestone but luggage is scanned at the airport so more likely to be spotted.

www.douane.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/2021-03/10/travellers-what-kinds-of-food-and-plants-can-you-bring-with-you.pdf

I know, it's ridiculous 😂

Much ado about nothing.

But still don't understand HOW they pick up that someone has foods they shouldn't have? I wonder whether there are some sort of scanners or sensors as you go through customs? We fly many times a year from a major airport and have never once seen any customs checks. Doesn't overly bother me but am just intrigued as to how it all works. If it does !

It's not just dairy as in cheese and milk, its any foods containing dairy, at all. So milk chocolate is not allowed, easter eggs are not allowed. Highly unlikely to be a problem in practice but it is on the banned list.

This is simply not true.

I've taken the time to actually check the regulations.

It's under an exemption.