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Can I bring any meat, poultry or pork products into the U.S.?
There are very strict restrictions on the animal products that travelers may bring into the U.S. All decisions about the admissibility of animal products are dependent on disease conditions in their country of origin or the country where the products were processed and/or packaged. Because disease conditions can change at a moment's notice, travelers who purchase such goods must be prepared for the fact that the goods may be confiscated during customs clearance. Other reasons that such products might be confiscated is if you fail to declare them - in which case they are automatically seized, or the inability of the CBP officer to determine the country of origin or the nature of the product being presented for inspection. Labels on goods purchased overseas are rarely in English, and if the officer can't tell what the ingredients are through pictures or similar names (i.e. porc, poullet, etc.) then they won't be allowed entry. For this same reason, food items without any labels are also inadmissible. As a general rule - if goods are cooked and in shelf-stable (does not require refrigeration) packaging such as cans or other hermetically sealed containers AND they are not from a country affected with various diseases such as Avian influenza, Mad Cow disease, swine fever, etc., they may be admissible. The link below is to the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service that provides a listing of diseases and the countries that are affected by them. APHIS Matrix* The short and sweet answer for many popular products (from countries other than those mentioned above) is as follows: Cured Bacon - unless it is from Canada or two specifically approved (see link) producers allowed to sell certified pork products in duty free shops in Dublin and Shannon Airports , no. Sausage - No Salami and other cured deli products - No Prosciutto - No Pate - If cooked and in a hermetically sealed container, maybe - see Matrix. Otherwise - no. Fois Gras - If cooked and in a hermetically sealed container, maybe- see Matrix. Otherwise, no. Parma, Iberian or Serrano hams - call 301 734- 7633 or 301-734-3277. Only certain plants are certified exporters, and the hams must be accompanied by certificates and seals. Bouillon Cubes and Dry Soup Mixes - Beef or other ruminent-based (goat, sheep, etc.) bouillon products are not admissible if from a BSE (Mad Cow) country - (Basically, none from Europe or European territories such as Martinique or British Virgin Islands). No poultry-based bouillon from Asia, which has Highly Pathogenic Avian influenza. See Matrix for other diseases which would make bouillon, etc. inadmissible. Many people complain that they see these products on the shelves in their grocery stores in the U.S. so they don't know why they can't bring them back in their luggage. The reason is that commercial imports (what ends up on the grocery shelves) go through very extensive permitting and inspection procedures that are not available to the traveler who is buying something for their own use. One final word of caution. Many duty free shops in foreign counties offer animal food products for sale. Be aware that just because they are offered for sale in a duty free shop, that does not mean the goods are admissible into the U.S. If you buy them, be prepared to lose your investment. *This matrix is updated fairly regularly, however, there may be some lag time before disease outbreaks and updates of the manual. Therefore, it should not be used as the official determination of admissibility. It is for general information only.
Customs & Border Protection (CBP), Department of Homeland Security
http://www.cbp.gov/
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