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Old 07-10-2017, 06:15 PM   #1
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Taking food to Canada

Looking to visit Canada this summer. Researching what we are and not allowed to bring food wise (personal consumption). I am having trouble finding a list of what is not allowed from the US.

Can anyone help me on where I would find a list?

Every time I follow a link, there isn't a good list and it seems to go to a database type thing that has codes, but I can never seem to find something that says whether something is allowed.

Please help!
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Old 07-10-2017, 06:44 PM   #2
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Looking to visit Canada this summer. Researching what we are and not allowed to bring food wise (personal consumption). I am having trouble finding a list of what is not allowed from the US.

Can anyone help me on where I would find a list?

Every time I follow a link, there isn't a good list and it seems to go to a database type thing that has codes, but I can never seem to find something that says whether something is allowed.

Please help!
We recently had the same need as you. Spent two weeks in Manitoba, originating in Missouri. There are a number of food restrictions, both into Canada and back into the U.S. To comply, and be on the safe side, we threw a lot of food away before crossing. We found comprehensive, authoritative lists on the internet, but had no reason to save the links. Keep searching and you will find them.
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Old 07-10-2017, 06:46 PM   #3
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Until you know differently, don't plan to take anything fresh - meat, produce, dairy, whatever. All that can be purchased in Canada.

When we lived in Michigan, we traveled to Canada somewhat frequently. We took cans and jars of stuff without a problem, but our first stop in Canada was to buy groceries.

That was more than a few years ago. Maybe what worked for us then won't work today. Please let us know what you find out.
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Old 07-10-2017, 06:49 PM   #4
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Here is a list from the CFIA, What Can I Bring Into Canada in Terms Of Food, Plant, Animal and Related Products? - Food - Canadian Food Inspection Agency
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Old 07-10-2017, 06:50 PM   #5
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This link will give you all the info you might need.

Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) - Home
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Old 07-10-2017, 06:55 PM   #6
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Actually, the restrictions on what you can bring BACK into the U.S. are equally noteworthy, and different.
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Old 07-10-2017, 07:11 PM   #7
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Actually, the restrictions on what you can bring BACK into the U.S. are equally noteworthy, and different.
Quite true. Before we tow our trailer toward the USA, we check the info on this page;

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/internati...cultural-items

We check this each time, because sometimes there are a few changes to be aware of.
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Old 07-10-2017, 07:35 PM   #8
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Got to ask, WHY?? A couple pounds of hamburger, a gallon of milk, maybe a stick of butter etc. Whats the deal with a US citizen bringing that kind of stuff in those small quanities. Same for Canadians coming south. I've heard about dog food and other normal main stream stuff being banned. Don't understand?
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Old 07-10-2017, 07:48 PM   #9
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Got to ask, WHY?? A couple pounds of hamburger, a gallon of milk, maybe a stick of butter etc. Whats the deal with a US citizen bringing that kind of stuff in those small quanities. Same for Canadians coming south. I've heard about dog food and other normal main stream stuff being banned. Don't understand?
We didn't inspect your meat and you didn't inspect ours. Pretty much that simple. If the two countries could agree on a universal standard of food safety then, and maybe then, could there be a border crossing agreement. Until then....

I remember back in 1978 a buddy and myself went south to Colorado from Saskatchewan to visit our girlfriends who were in university in Denver. We crossed at North Portal North Dakota. We had made a cooler full of ham sandwiches so we could drive non stop. US border crossing wouldn't let us take our sandwiches across. We either had to eat them or toss them. I was 18 years old then and learned just how many ham sandwiches I could stuff into my digestive tract. 🤢

Wyoming hated me 6 hours later....
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Old 07-11-2017, 08:35 AM   #10
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We didn't inspect your meat and you didn't inspect ours. Pretty much that simple. If the two countries could agree on a universal standard of food safety then, and maybe then, could there be a border crossing agreement. Until then....

I remember back in 1978 a buddy and myself went south to Colorado from Saskatchewan to visit our girlfriends who were in university in Denver. We crossed at North Portal North Dakota. We had made a cooler full of ham sandwiches so we could drive non stop. US border crossing wouldn't let us take our sandwiches across. We either had to eat them or toss them. I was 18 years old then and learned just how many ham sandwiches I could stuff into my digestive tract. 🤢

Wyoming hated me 6 hours later....
That is the boilerplate answer and if I was carrying 250 lbs of hamburger or you had 26 hams it might make sense, but a cooler full of ham sandwiches and a pound of hamburger patties don't. How about a half full 15 lb of dry dog food or a gallon of milk. Testing???? Come on, I can have a certain amount of cash in my possession but not $10,000. Easy enough to evaluate and intended to make it harder to launder cash. A bag of oranges - No because they might carry a pest that could spread and endanger the crops [do they grow oranges in Canada] north of the border. Makes sense. If I opened the window of my truck and dropped a marble sized ball of hamburger and a kibble of dog food every 30 seconds until my supply ran out, I wouldn't be endangering anything other than the birds that picked them up off the road.

Border crossings could be made a whole lot faster and easier by revising C/USA border crossing regulations without treating law abiding citizens like smugglers and terrorists.
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Old 07-11-2017, 08:46 AM   #11
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At customs crossings: "Your a criminal unless you can prove you are innocent".
NO other rules will apply. So keep on smiling and never argue at border crossings.
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Old 07-11-2017, 08:55 AM   #12
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We cross the border a lot for camping and it is impossible to make sense of what can be brought across the border or not and it changes from week to week and the answer can be different depending on whether it is a package of boneless chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken breasts or whether it is beef or pork sausage. There are lengthy lists of precisely what is allowed and what is not and the border guard may or may not be able to read and understand the lists.

Dry foods are usually okay. Fruits and vegetables are what the border guards really get excited about so we do not even try. Crossing with banned fresh food almost always results in an inspection which causes a delay of an hour or more in crossing.

Some of the more ridiculous things we have learned:

You can bring 1 50 lb bag of dogfood across the border but not 2 X 5lb bags and you can only bring dogfood with you if the dog is in the car because otherwise the dogfood can cause the spread of mad cow disease but no if the dog is travelling with the dog food.

If you buy USDA beef in Canada, you cannot bring it back into the US. Fruits and vegetables that are clearly marked product of the USA cannot be brought back into the USA.

Got hassled about having 1/4 sliced lime in a bottle of carbonated water because it was fresh citrus fruit.
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Old 07-11-2017, 08:57 AM   #13
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Oops. I just made a trip through Canada a few weeks ago. We crossed in at Buffalo and back into the US in Sarnia. I didn't even think about this beforehand. I was thinking about weapons and documentation for the kids before the trip. Not the fresh fruit and vegetables in the refrigerator. I was asked about alcohol and firearms, but never got asked about food.
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Old 07-11-2017, 09:00 AM   #14
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At customs crossings: "Your a criminal unless you can prove you are innocent".
NO other rules will apply. So keep on smiling and never argue at border crossings.
Not acceptable and the principle reason we and many of my fellow US travelers will not be spending our $$ in Canada. Plenty of places all across our lower 48 and the other 2 to visit. We considered driving a new MH from the Jayco factory to Anchorage to deliver a new model to the rental agency. They have a deal with pretty favorable timeframes and rates to do just that. We decided that the hassles at the border including the inability to transport a firearm even locked in a vault in the back of the MH, weren't worth the effort.
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Old 07-11-2017, 10:36 AM   #15
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Not acceptable and the principle reason we and many of my fellow US travelers will not be spending our $$ in Canada. Plenty of places all across our lower 48 and the other 2 to visit. We considered driving a new MH from the Jayco factory to Anchorage to deliver a new model to the rental agency. They have a deal with pretty favorable timeframes and rates to do just that. We decided that the hassles at the border including the inability to transport a firearm even locked in a vault in the back of the MH, weren't worth the effort.
Works both ways....my story was crossing into the US.

As for firearms, I think you need to look into it a little deeper. Long guns are allowed with the right paperwork and declarations. Hundreds, possibly thousands of Americans come up here hunting every year and unless there chasing Bambi around with a stick, I'm pretty sure they are bringing their guns.
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Old 07-11-2017, 06:13 PM   #16
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Works both ways....my story was crossing into the US.

As for firearms, I think you need to look into it a little deeper. Long guns are allowed with the right paperwork and declarations. Hundreds, possibly thousands of Americans come up here hunting every year and unless there chasing Bambi around with a stick, I'm pretty sure they are bringing their guns.
No argument there, both ways. It is a real piss*ing contest. If you ban this we will ban that. Down south the world thinks we are neadrathals if we want to screen who comes into our country. If they get in we educate them and birth their babies. Sorry not trying to get political, just irks me if a ham sandwich or what ever can lead to a complete vehicle search.

As for the guns issue, yes there are a lot of US citizens coming north to hunt. But I can attest that quite a few ended what was a long multigeneration tradition to head up to Canada to hunt because it just got too complimented and expensive. In addition two of my friends who still head north to hunt leave their rifles at home and rent from the outfitter. Again its just to much of a hassle to cross with any firearm even long guns.

Its time that 2 countries that proport to be friends get friendly with their borders. The crap going on at the borders now only inconviences honest people. The bad guys just head down the way, miles from a guarded border crossing and walk across.
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Old 07-12-2017, 09:29 AM   #17
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No argument there, both ways. It is a real piss*ing contest. If you ban this we will ban that. Down south the world thinks we are neadrathals if we want to screen who comes into our country. If they get in we educate them and birth their babies. Sorry not trying to get political, just irks me if a ham sandwich or what ever can lead to a complete vehicle search.

As for the guns issue, yes there are a lot of US citizens coming north to hunt. But I can attest that quite a few ended what was a long multigeneration tradition to head up to Canada to hunt because it just got too complimented and expensive. In addition two of my friends who still head north to hunt leave their rifles at home and rent from the outfitter. Again its just to much of a hassle to cross with any firearm even long guns.

Its time that 2 countries that proport to be friends get friendly with their borders. The crap going on at the borders now only inconviences honest people. The bad guys just head down the way, miles from a guarded border crossing and walk across.

Products allowed into Canada from the United States
This is a list of commonly imported food, animal and plant products and the guidelines for importing them from the United States. Because pest and disease situations are constantly changing, these requirements may be adjusted at any time.
Even though these items are allowed into Canada, you still must declare them on your declaration form.

Bringing Food into the U.S.

Many agriculture products are prohibited entry into the United States from certain countries because they may carry plant pests and foreign animal diseases.* All agriculture items must be declared and are subject to inspection by a CBP Agriculture Specialist at ports of entry to ensure they are free of plant pests and foreign animal diseases. Prohibited or restricted items may include meats, fresh fruits and vegetables, plants, seeds, soil and products made from animal or plant materials.* For generally allowed food items please visit USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
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Old 07-12-2017, 11:15 AM   #18
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Pragmatically speaking it is not really a problem. We camp all the time in the US which involves border crossings in both directions with food (4-6 crossings per year). The US in general seems more concerned as they ask about food almost every time we cross. Really they seem most interested in banning citrus fruits; if we say we have an apple or banana we have always been allowed to cross. I have never been pulled over for secondary inspection because of food however (we have been through US secondary on random checks).

On crossing to Canada, we don't really seem to care. The list linked above for import to Canada is very open and broad; restrictions are generally designed to prevent importation of commercial quantities. And we almost never ask about food. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms? Asked every time. When asked what we bought in the US we always say groceries, and never get asked additional questions aside from how much "junk food" (which is taxable if you are over the applicable declaration limit).

So, yes, if a Border Agent is having a bad day, you can always get hassled. But as a generalisation, there are almost no food restrictions on entering Canada, but a bit more when reentering the US, especially for citrus fruit.
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Old 07-12-2017, 11:46 AM   #19
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snip... Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms? Asked every time. When asked what we bought in the US we always say groceries, and never get asked additional questions aside from how much "junk food" (which is taxable if you are over the applicable declaration limit).

So, yes, if a Border Agent is having a bad day, you can always get hassled. But as a generalisation, there are almost no food restrictions on entering Canada, but a bit more when reentering the US, especially for citrus fruit.
Since you broached the subject... 'Alcohol'.
Years ago when DW and I crossing back into the US, they asked about 'alcohol'. IIRC, I said yes, 4 bottles. They said 'Park over there and go inside and declare it.' I parked where told and went inside and waited in line. When they got to me, they asked why was I in there. I said I was told to go in because I'm bringing in 4 bottles of alcohol.

They started filling out the form and asked what kind. I said, 'Red Wine'. They looked at me, threw away the form and said, 'You don't have declare that. Next.'
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Old 07-12-2017, 09:22 PM   #20
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DW and I cross-border shop about once a year; prices on general groceries are so much cheaper in the US, but we know to avoid fresh food. But at the border, a lot of it is up to the discretion of the border guard. A number of years ago I bought a laptop in the US, and I declared it at the Canadian border on the way home. It was bought at a big box store, still in the original packaging, and I had the receipt. I was told there was no duty on it, so I asked them for the declaration form because I wanted to bring it back and forth with me whenever we go south. The guard told me that they don't even bother with those anymore, because it's up to them to prove that it's not mine, and if it has my photos and email and everything on it, then it's not even worth their time.

But it just kills me that I can buy Canadian beer in the US where it's considered "imported", and still get it cheaper than at the liquor store that's a 5 minute drive from home.

And yes, we declare everything. It's just easier to pay the duties on what we bring across than it is to deal with the hassle that arises if we're caught not declaring something.
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