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 simply not true that nobody is checking for these things. There are random checks, and there are targeted checks, where on a particular day everyone is getting searched, sniffer dogs etc.
Small chance but certainly not no chance.

Ahhh Mumsnet for the win.

FFS she's not talking about taking items that cause a problem over the boarder. Clearly none of you have ever smuggled food across a boarder. lol

OP, I flew into France for years with a hold case stuffed with English Sausages and bacon. Never once had it checked. I realise that was under the old rules, but frankly from my POV very little in terms of checks has changed for Europe. So I see no reason it wouldn't all sail through fine.

@IAmInMeHoop

It's simply not true that nobody is checking for these things. There are random checks, and there are targeted checks, where on a particular day everyone is getting searched, sniffer dogs etc.
Small chance but certainly not no chance.

I transit fairly frequently through a French regional airport and from what I've seen there's no doubt the incidence of random checks on travellers from the UK has gone up but it's still at a very very low level.

From the local media reports it would appear the intelligence led stuff is targeted at those smuggling tobacco products or counterfeit goods, ham sandwiches not so much.........................................

Is this still rumbling on? 🤣 someone posted the actual legislation further up and what would you know, you can take most of it.

Well did you vote remain or leave?

Best not to chance it, darling. British chocolate is a risk to the EU and they may call the gendarme. Stay safe.

Kind of missing the point here.

Under the old rules it was completely legal to bring a suitcase full of bacon and sausages into France. Now it's completely illegal.

I still bring bacon and sausages into France when I drive through the Eurotunnel but it is illegal and if our car was searched these things would be confiscated. I wouldn't even try if I was travelling by plane or Eurostar.

By coincidence, yesterday in the office a colleague was telling the tale oh how a friend of his had been stopped entering the Netherlands with a cheese sandwich

The whole thing is perverted

Maybe but the potential for these type of restrictions/checks are what happens when you end up outside a customs union/area/block - the decision to do that was made in Westminster.

We're probably lucky that so far at least travellers from the UK are not facing the sort of restrictions/checks so far at least that you get going into the US or Aus....

The whole thing is a real PITA for those trying to trade UK>EU or EU>UK and even individuals trying to do simple stuff like post presents UK> EU or vice versa are finding it more complex now.

Frankly ATM passengers are generally sailing through the process, hopefully that will continue.

Except under Annex III in the very document that you've linked to where under "7. Exempted products" it literally lists "chocolate with less than 50% milk or egg" as an exemption..... (and I've just checked, the milk chocolate we're taking to Spain this weekend is 14% milk solids so well within the limits)

Well that's only slightly embarrassing I guess, because that used to be the case about supermarkets, I would say that it hasn't been for about 20 years though.

The only time all supermarkets close in France for a bank holiday is 1st May.

Everybody in France would know that. I could post loads of links to open supermarkets, my local one was open Christmas morning, if you know about France you know that the meal may well have been done the night before and people are out and about going to the next meal, Ascension is just another day these days, and as for Easter Sunday, it's not even a holiday in any sense, it's just a Sunday. Here's just one example that shows just that.
https://www.carrefour.fr/magasin/antibes

Update! We’ve arrived in NORWAY…yes I KNOW it’s not in the EU, I forgot! But the same rules apply in so far as Brexit means that the UK is subject to the same customs restrictions as the rest of the world whereas EU countries are exempt.

There’s a few places open but nowhere we could buy food for self catering I’ve seen - e.g the airport only had confectionary and drinks.

Sailed through customs with zero checks…which is just as well as despite clearing our hold luggage of contraband I forgot I still had some bits from our UK picnic lunch in my hand luggage and I’ve inadvertently smuggled in a piece of Gorgonzola.

Anyway I’m off to make a tuna pasta bake.

😂

Phew! Well try not to murder anyone with your gorgonzola OP and enjoy your holiday

Last year we were pulled over for a random check when driving into France. I had a large bag in the front seat with pasties, sausage rolls, bacon. They asked us to open the boot probably to check for hidden people, and they sent a sniffer dog around the car. Nobody mentioned the bacon, not even the dog.