I wondered if anyone had worked our precisely what foodstuffs can be imported when travelling to France. Some things are obvious but others less so on government websites.
I’d like to bring things that are harder to source like spices, bottled sauces, nuts -always expensive in my experience.
I think you would be unlikely to even come across a Customs official going from UK/France and if you did, they’d be fairly unlikely to be interested in Lea & Perrins sauces etc. They’re (rightly) more interested in arms, explosives etc. We arrived with a large Crassula cactus occupying most of our back seat, that we’d spent hours obtaining a special import license, and it was completely ignored as they checked our car for explosives residues. A friend who crosses several times a year regularly arrives carrying boxes of food in prominently marked Sainsbury’s bags and has never had the slightest interest shown on the way into France. Outbound from France, they’re mostly interested in illegal immigrants.
Finally when we arrived, shortly after Brexit in 2021, our nationally known removers suggested from their experience that there was an unofficial tolerance of modest quantities of almost any foods, as long as it’s not for resale. So we brought in a tea chest of things apparently on the naughty lists in the removals manifest.
You may also be pleasantly surprised that many of the things considered expensive or difficult to find on France are very easily found online from elsewhere in Europe (nuts from the Netherlands for example) and brought here perfectly legally and economically.
4 Likes
It depends how you are travelling. I have had cheese taken off me at the airport as apparently same profile as semtex, and eurostar can randomly (it seems) reject things. I lost a nice pack of sausages on one trip, which were left in peace on others. But neither bothered about jars of rose harissa, yuzu, or any other non-fresh foodstuff. The worst are actually tools. I have lost a small electric screwdriver and some pliers - which I hadn’t meant to pack as knew they were dodgy but somehow ended up in a bag.
Ferrys however seem highly uninterested in everything food in reasonable quantities.
That is a bit harsh calling the staff Tools - but it can be frustrating!
1 Like
In general, dairy and meat items are prohibited when traveling from the UK to France, but unless you’re bringing in large quantities it is likely to be ignored- especially if you’re on a sea/tunnel crossing rather than air.
As others have said, the customs people are much more interested in firearms, explosives etc.
However, in the early days of Brexit there were plenty of stories of cheese sandwiches etc being confiscated…
1 Like
You might encounter exit checks while still in the UK of course. I don’t know what they would do about food but I do know it is likely they would confiscate “leatherman” type multi-tools with locking blades.
Getting pulled in for a check and not having a bag I intended to take on the boat the officer selected my “small tools” bag. She got very excited when that was x-rayed, stuffed as it was with screwdrivers, pliers and sundry sharp items but the thing she honed in on was actually a bike “multi tool”, no blade, just tyre levers, a couple of spanners a lot of hex keys but she said had it been a leatherman it would have been confiscated.
Now I’d question the legality of that based on “reasonable excuse”. It is a tool, it was in my tool bag not on my person and I was travelling to a property I owned with the intention of committing premeditated DIY.
Meanwhile:
Taking animal products, food or plants with you in the EU - Your Europe
2 Likes
I recently (last week) travelled to England and back, BF Caen - Portsmouth. I was stopped by security both ways and in Portsmouth on the way gack had my bag scanned. I was stopped by customs in Caen for the first time ever (I was 2nd off the boat), they weren’t interested in the contents of my shopping bag, just the packed up new M&S winter duvet on the back seat.
3 Likes
When we travel to or from the UK, we almost always take the tunnel. So far, we’ve never ever been checked for any foodstuffs, just the usual explosives/firearms “random” spot check. Obviously, never impossible that one day we’ll encounter a more zealous member of the customs force, but as we now also travel from/to Ireland instead, and you can get pretty much the same things, it isn’t really an existential problem for us.
14 years ago I had to offer to drink some of my baby’s bottle milk to show it was nothing nefarious - this was at a UK airport heading for France. It felt pretty ludicrous.
1 Like
This will be our move to France and from what I’ve read I’ll need to present a manifest of everything including the car and items to follow later on the truck.
Good job your baby was on the bottle and not still errr, well you get the picture. 
2 Likes
I’m glad you posted this,! I’m off to the UK for Christmas and I’m going to smuggle one of my butternuts over and some walnuts and maybe some brie de Melun for MIL! On the way back though I want to bring sausages, from what you are all saying it should be OK!
Should I risk wrapping Christmas presents or not??
Technically illegal - but it’s unlikely you’ll be searched thoroughly enough to reveal them.
Probably best to leave them at the top of the shopping though so it doesn’t look as if you’re deliberately trying to conceal them - just in case!
2 Likes
Can someone please throw some light on the Banned List for those bringing stuff to France.
What is banned???
and Why is it banned ???
Brexit
Is it truly as simple as that, I thought there were health implications in some cases.
Must confess we seem to hear a lot about foodstuffs being contaminated and recalled, both here and abroad.
Wouldn’t want to bring anything contaminated into my chosen homeland.
Plants, and wood are banned because of diseases. Food is more about duty and taxes.
I put my “banned” stuff (sausages, cheddar, pork pie) in a cold box in the boot. Quite legit to keep it cooled😉.
Banned stuff is fresh meat and dairy. Plants too, probably fresh veg (I did bring some Maris Piper spuds too)
1 Like
My theory is that FR Customs are not intersted in FR reg cars. This year I’ve been back and forth like a yo-yo in a car and the wretched diesel-gusher van. Never stopped at either end except once for the random check at P/mth
Coming back to FR last time I had a large jar of my pal’s green tomato chutney, 1/2 doz Lidl deluxe chorizo [not available in the FR Lidls], bacon and Cooper’s Fine cut.
Another trip back, in the van this summer, included a new A3+ colour printer, two new side windows for the van, two roof hatches for same … “Bon voyage! Bonne journée… !”
I was asked, at the randon explosives check, whether I had any knives - penknife for example. “Yes. Here, on my key ring” “That’s OK then”
I wouldn’t want my Victorinox multi-tool impounded. Far superior to the Leatherman [have had both]. I paid €60 in Malaga 6-7 years ago. Well over x2 that now. Victorinox must have bowed to feedback becase I don’t see a model without scissors now. Mine doesn’t have them.
1 Like
If you’re heading to Blighty via Dieppe (which from memory is what you’ve done in the past?) it’s going to be a French Customs thing, as you’ll recall they do look at seemingly every car. They really are not looking for Christmas presents (unless there is a loud ticking noise, or a barrel sticking out!) but are basically checking how many illegal immigrants you have stashed away in your boot…they found several Albanians in a car boot last week in Dieppe, which probably made Customs day. I’d say wrap your presents…
1 Like