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What's the rule on bringing cheeses to the U.S.?


sjde
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We will be in Switzerland and France--in the Alsace region near Strasbourg. Will we be able to bring cheese back with us or not, since they don't pasteurize? I think I once heard as long as it is a hard cheese it's okay because that means it's aged , and aging a certain amount of time (6 months?) is basically the same as pasteurizing?

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We will be in Switzerland and France--in the Alsace region near Strasbourg. Will we be able to bring cheese back with us or not, since they don't pasteurize? I think I once heard as long as it is a hard cheese it's okay because that means it's aged , and aging a certain amount of time (6 months?) is basically the same as pasteurizing?

 

I believe you can bring up to 10lbs back at least from Holland and France so I assume it is the same for other places. You want to have it vacuumned pack(helps with the smell too),but you can check on the Regs on the State Dept website. A good chesse shop will be able to tell you as well.

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I have no idea how much cheese you can to the US, but we have no restriction in the UK as it is in the EU. We frequently go to France and bring back a selection of cheeses. The suggestion of buying vacuum packed is a good one. We sometimes buy the chees from the cheese counter and it isn't vacuum packed. We end up with an extremely smelly car and say that on our next visit we won't buy any, but we always do.

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I always bring cheese back with me from France. No problem with customs. I know for sure because I was waiting a long time for one of my student's suitcases and the sniffy dog in the official coat recognized the smell of food in my bag. I had to send it through the scanner and when I said it was cheese, they said, cheese? No problem, that's fine. They were small packages, clearly just for personal consumption, not for sale. I always bring ziplock bags and an airtight Tupperware/Rubbermaid box to use on my return home to minimize the stinkiness.

 

 

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U.S. Customs-

 

Cheese- Solid cheese (hard or semi-soft, that does not contain meat); butter, butter oil, and cultured milk products such as yogurt and sour cream are not restricted. Feta cheese, Brie, Camembert, cheese in brine, Mozzarella and Buffalo Mozzarella are permissible (USDA Animal Product Manual, Table 3-14-6). Cheese in liquid (such as cottage cheese or ricotta cheese) and cheese that pours like heavy cream are not admissible from countries affected by foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). Cheese containing meat is not admissible depending on the country of origin.

 

 

CHOWHOUND-

 

The soft cheeses, nope. Hard cheeses, even those that use raw milk ... as long as it is for personal consumption ... USUALLY yes.

 

So 99.9% of the time that hard cheese will go through. However, be prepared for the exception and factor that in the decision about whether to buy or not. Don't get too attached to your cheese.

 

***********

 

I've always declared the cheeses (mostly raw milk) imported from abroad and never had a problem at Customs

 

 

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I've brought cheese from England into the U.S. Even though declared on the customs card, the cheese was inspected and officials looked through my luggage. It was not a problem, except for the extra time going through customs. I have ceased bringing food items into the U.S. from abroad - just too much delay at the airport impacting my travels and those of my companion travelers.

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I have brought back vacuum sealed parmesan from Italy with no problem. I think vacuum sealed is a key factor. I think hard cheeses are the key. I don't think I would want to bring back some of the soft cheeses to the US since some probably need temperature control. There are some that would work but not all. And who would want to put the ones in liquid in your checked bag? You can't take it through security! Would never go there!

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Excellent advice by sjde!

 

I used to work in hotels in Amsterdam where many American tourists asked that same question. United Airlines crews took certain cheeses home to Chicago and Washington all the time without any problem.

Soft cheeses have always been an absolute no no, hard cheeses used to be allowed on the condition it was in one piece, so not a slice but rather a whole cheese. To see what I mean, check here

It is seems they have relaxed the rules a bit in recent years, and dropped the requirement that it has to be a whole cheese. It is fairly practical though not to have to carry cuts of cheese around, and probably you will get it through customs quicker.

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