Restricted food items travelling to Europe?

[EllF]

I Know and have read all the info. on what food products you can take on your travels from the U.K. to Europe.
We always try to eat the food of the countries we are visiting but being away for 90 days sometimes you yearn for a home made roast dinner.
We love our Bisto Gravy. Just noticed on the tin that is is produced in Dublin which is still part of the EU!
would we be allowed to take it with us.?

 

[Figaro]

Just take it, nobody will check or care.
I think it's mostly fresh meat and dairy products that are not permitted but as I said, nobody checks so gravy granules will not be a problem.

 

[EllF]

Just take it, nobody will check or care.

Unfortunately we were one of the unlucky ones last year, who had our fridge and cupboards checked at Santander.

 

[orridge]

They sell it in French hypermarkets so why not*

Our experience travelling 5 times this year and taking the usual food we always did is there are currently no checks on food entering Europe either via the Channel Tunnel or Dover port.

*All food carried at your own risk before the wholier than thou chime in ;-)

 

[VXman]

As above

1. They rarely check anything but if they do it will be for drugs or stowaways.
2. They are not interested in food for personal use. The law is there to stop commercial companies exporting products.

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[VXman]

Yes we had fridge and cupboards checked once in Calais. However, the fridge full of food and the kitchen cupboards full didn't bother them. They were looking for drugs and bodies.

 

[Figaro]

Unfortunately we were one of the unlucky ones last year, who had our fridge and cupboards checked at Santander.

Santander, apologies I'd assumed you were referring to UK to EU.
I'm not familiar with rules for EU to UK.
We always seem to return with a mostly empty fridge

 

[EllF]

As above

1. They rarely check anything but if they do it will be for drugs or stowaways.
2. They are not interested in food for personal use. The law is there to stop commercial companies exporting products.

I understand that, I was wondering is Bisto produced in a European country is exempt from any restriction?

 

[EllF]

Santander, apologies I'd assumed you were referring to UK to EU.
I'm not familiar with rules for EU to UK.
We always seem to return with a mostly empty fridge

I travelled from Portsmouth to Santander.

 

[hja]

I understand that, I was wondering is Bisto produced in a European country is exempt from any restriction?

It doesn’t make any difference where it’s been produced. If it’s a meat product then it’s banned, and if you import from uk to eu and customs don’t like it, they will confiscate it. So your choice, your risk.

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[EllF]

It doesn’t make any difference where it’s been produced. If it’s a meat product then it’s banned, and if you import from uk to eu and customs don’t like it, they will confiscate it. So your choice, your risk.

I’ll just be packing the tea bags then.

 

[SM0129]

I have a house in France and have travelled through Calais 12 times this year.

So far on 12 trips I have been stopped by the Douane once- they had a casual look in the boot (despite having the house for many years the boot is always full to the brim) and we were asked questions about how much currency we were carrying. We were on our way within 10 minutes.

I have always taken a bag of sausages, bacon and milk. On the trip I was stopped I was also carrying wood to make some gates (which is also not permitted) I am aware that if the Douane choose to have a forensic look and finds prohibited items then they could get confiscated. The bag of meat products and wood was on plain view in the boot- I would NOT recommend trying to hide stuff as if found you could find yourself in a tricky situation

 

[The Wino]

I have a house in France and have travelled through Calais 12 times this year.

So far on 12 trips I have been stopped by the Douane once- they had a casual look in the boot (despite having the house for many years the boot is always full to the brim) and we were asked questions about how much currency we were carrying. We were on our way within 10 minutes.

I have always taken a bag of sausages, bacon and milk. On the trip I was stopped I was also carrying wood to make some gates (which is also not permitted) I am aware that if the Douane choose to have a forensic look and finds prohibited items then they could get confiscated. The bag of meat products and wood was on plain view in the boot- I would NOT recommend trying to hide stuff as if found you could find yourself in a tricky situation

I think you're right if it's on view and if you're asked are honest I suspect that at worst they're going to confiscate the stuff and maybe a warning. If you hide it away or deny having stuff when stopped it's likely to be a different conversation.

 

[Minxy]

Unfortunately we were one of the unlucky ones last year, who had our fridge and cupboards checked at Santander.

Did they confiscate stuff, warn you, leave some stuff ... what were the items ... we need more info please.

 

[Imala615]

I understand that, I was wondering is Bisto produced in a European country is exempt from any restriction?

put it in a container along side the tea bags and tell them its coffee. I have always carried gravy granules ,milk ,cheese ,eggs ,bacon ,sausage (usually just a pack of each )and a few more items mainly tins and as said you will be very unlucky to have someone check , In the many trips i have done to europe i have never had anyone ask or look in the cupboards.

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[GMLS]

Unfortunately we were one of the unlucky ones last year, who had our fridge and cupboards checked at Santander.

That what garages are for lol

 

[daveinspain]

You can buy Bisto in Spain if you´re worried - there is very little UK stuff that you can´t buy, if you know where to look!

 

[bigtwin]

Unfortunately we were one of the unlucky ones last year, who had our fridge and cupboards checked at Santander.

And, …… what happened?

Ian

 

[Greasy Chap Butty]

Yes we had fridge and cupboards checked once in Calais. However, the fridge full of food and the kitchen cupboards full didn't bother them. They were looking for drugs and bodies.

Luckily they were in the chassis tanks

 

[VXman]

We 'accidentally' went 100% over the wine and spirits allowance when returning from EU last week. Fortunately no one checked!

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[Northernraider]

I’ll just be packing the tea bags then.

For the cost of a tub of Bisto its no big hardship if they did confiscate it...which is the worst they would do . You're not going to be shot or imprisoned for a tub of gravy. But as others have said its unlikely you will be checked for any food products

 

[Just smiffy]

I was gassed once for my bisto ….

 

[Tonks]

I think you're right if it's on view and if you're asked are honest I suspect that at worst they're going to confiscate the stuff and maybe a warning. If you hide it away or deny having stuff when stopped it's likely to be a different conversation.

You can be fined quite steeply as well as have your food confiscated. If you’re stopped, it’s probably best to be calm and polite. I saw a programme where a family tried to take quite a lot of dairy products across the border. They were obnoxious when stopped by customs, and ended up with a steep fine.

 

[Northernraider]

You can be fined quite steeply as well as have your food confiscated. If you’re stopped, it’s probably best to be calm and polite. I saw a programme where a family tried to take quite a lot of dairy products across the border. They were obnoxious when stopped by customs, and ended up with a steep fine.

With all the members on here going back and forth across the chanel I'd go more on their experience than on a TV programme created to show what might happen.

It's like the whole lorry drivers sandwich thing that was made a big deal out of , most of the port staff have more important things to be doing

 

[Stealaway]

Does anybody know exactly what is the penalty fine.
Ever since Brexit I have never stopped filling my fridge as normal with bacon, sausage butter, milk.
I'm pretty sure that French custom's wouldn't want the greif of binning a fridge freezer full of food no matter what the fine.
They know our food standard are every bit as good as theirs so poses no risk, especially any food for personal consumption.

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[15edward]

Same standard for the time being
til the Bonfire advocated by Mogg

 

[carolyn]

bisto classic gravy granules in the red box/tin are vegan so you don’t need to worry anyway if you are happy with those.

Someone on one thread on here has had their fresh food disposed of but lots of us have travelled with fresh stuff . We travelled fom Dover to Calais and back. Searched both ways, fridge door not opened, almost as if they don’t want the hassle of having to dispose of it. Very odd as drugs could have been in there, mind you they did have dogs. Steering wheel going out was swabbed for drugs though.

Poole to Cherbourg earlier in the year no search going out but cursory search coming back, not the fridge again.

 

[The Wino]

You've got to wonder how effective our border is at stopping drugs given how cursory the searches are maybe drug smugglers are looking at using motorhomes.

 

[Riverbankannie]

We were pulled put of the queue at Eurotunnel on the way out as well as on the way back, and taken into the customs shed. On the way out the very young chap looked along the side and saw no gas locker so he asked me to open the rear doors to show him the bottle turned off.
I offered him a small kneeler that we carry and said he was welcome to go underneath the van to see it, but opening the rear door would just show him the lounge. He declined and waved us on. No questions or checks on “banned” foods of which we had plenty after emptying home fridge into van fridge.
They had quite a few young people being trained that day.

 

[The Wino]

We were pulled put of the queue at Eurotunnel on the way out as well as on the way back, and taken into the customs shed. On the way out the very young chap looked along the side and saw no gas locker so he asked me to open the rear doors to show him the bottle turned off.
I offered him a small kneeler that we carry and said he was welcome to go underneath the van to see it, but opening the rear door would just show him the lounge. He declined and waved us on. No questions or checks on “banned” foods of which we had plenty after emptying home fridge into van fridge.
They had quite a few young people being trained that day.

I think the gas check people aren't customs officers but Eurotunnel staff. Last time we came through it was in the customs shed rather than the little hut they usually use it could be nearer the kettle and looks!. I wonder if UK customs are fully staffed it seems very lax at the moment.