Taking food between countries in EU post brexit

[ThinkAboutItTomorrow]

We're travelling to France and Italy by car and I'd normally take a few staples that the kids are specific about (marmite / veggie sausages).

I remember a spate of articles about customs taking stuff off people after brexit. Was that daily mail scaremongering or is it happening?

Anyone had any real life experiences please?

Thank you.

I haven’t got experience but I looked it up the other day as we are travelling next week. Not allowed to bring dairy, meat or plants… but you are allowed 20kg of fish (!) so marmite & veg sausages should be ok!

interested in this - DH going to Italy on Sat for 6 weeks and then will be driving back - normally we stock up pasta, olive oil etc and he gets given a vast quantity of home made salamis etc. which we normally bring back.

Will he get arrested for salami smuggling!

Oh, thank you!

@Eve

interested in this - DH going to Italy on Sat for 6 weeks and then will be driving back - normally we stock up pasta, olive oil etc and he gets given a vast quantity of home made salamis etc. which we normally bring back.

Will he get arrested for salami smuggling!

From my understanding, it's OK to bring things in but not out. My parents live in Belgium and are coming over soon and are bringing Belgian chocolates, salamis etc. They can't take any meat back though when they leave 🤷‍♀️ I've suggested building a secret compartment in the car 😆

Post-brexit concern: sausage smuggling!!

We came over to France last week (in a motorhome - so you’d have thought a prime target for searching!!). We got pulled over at the port and the van was searched, but they were only interested in machetes, explosives etc. They didn’t check the fridge or food cupboards.

It is only meat and dairy products that could be confiscated. Not veggie sausages or marmite!!

I wouldn't worry too much about having food confiscated, I would worry about the massive fines that are possible.

You need to be very very careful. There are lots of restrictions between different countries on plant material, specifically fruit

Sounds as though I'm safe sticking to packaged foods. It's really just the stuff fussy eaters don't like the Italian version of.

OP is crossing into Italy via a land border though which won’t have any checks and is part of the EU anyway. The only issue relevant to her is French customs when she is getting into France. If OP was planning on smuggling tonnes of meat and dairy products in then yeah, I’d be concerned about a fine/ prosecution. But taking stuff in for personal consumption, n’ah. If they eve checked (highly unlikely) it’d be confiscated! They’re more concerned about checking Covid related papers at the mo (eg sworn statement/ proof of vaccination etc).

Huh, after my worry and getting half a tree of paperwork (vaccine pass, negative tests, passenger locator forms), they didn't even check passports!

I could have smuggled a hog roast in, never mind a salami...😂

DH & DS were on a practically empty ferry this afternoon & now 1/2 way down France.

They to had a mountain of paperwork that was briefly looked at, and their ham sandwiches remain unconsficated! 😁

Interesting to note that green card not required for Europe after 1st Sept.