Can we clear customs with homemade dehydrated food packets?

August 11, 2007 12:06 PM

My lovely wife is planning a hiking trip in New Zealand. This will be her first hiking adventure out of North America. Recently she has started to dehydrate her own food for her multi-day hikes. No preservatives, more tasty, less expensive, and all that. Can she pack this in her luggage and expect to clear customs? Thanks in advance for all your help!
posted by HappyHippo to travel & transportation (27 comments total)

New Zealand regulations on importing food.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 12:26 PM on August 11, 2007

There's always the option of FedEx'ing the items to her hotel. I've done that with things that are no longer allowed in carry-on luggage.

Of course, if they aren't allowed to imported at all they might get confiscated.
posted by 26.2 at 12:49 PM on August 11, 2007

They will probably get confiscated.
posted by gaspode at 1:02 PM on August 11, 2007

I know in the wine business, for example, they treat these things quite seriously, since diseases can be brought in that could seriously damage the industry.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 1:12 PM on August 11, 2007

Read the NZ regulations carefully; they're quite strict since the island is relatively isolated. And they're enforced very rigorously, don't even think of trying to cheat.
posted by Nelson at 1:21 PM on August 11, 2007

Doubt it. They encouraged us to toss anything organic into the designated trash bins outside the customs screening area.

And since she'll be hiking - we had to turn out our bags to show that our boots and tents were brand new and didn't contain mud or grass or anything from previous camping trips. I understand that if they do find dirty equipment, they will sterilize it there at customs (I think it might be a UV system, but not sure since we didn't have to go through it).

New Zealand is very very serious about keeping non-native flora and fauna out of the country.
posted by mbd1mbd1 at 2:01 PM on August 11, 2007

You can bring dried fruit but you must declare it at customs, and they have absolute discretion to take it off you. Fresh fruit and veg are not allowed at all, ever. Fed-ex? Apart from the economic imbecility of couriering dried food, that will not make it either.

"In general, fresh, perishable food should not be brought into New Zealand. See New Zealand Food Safety Authority information on Gifts and Food for personal consumption(offsite link to www.nzfsa.govt.nz). We suggest that travellers contact MAF Biosecurity New Zealand Clearance Services before importing any animal or plant product. Some items, such as canned baby foods, are readily allowed, but items such as meat, eggs, fruit and vegetables, and some other food products, pose a threat to our environment, and should be declared.

Dried edible plant products require inspection on arrival to determine risk status. Generally an inspection for insects is required. In the case of some seeds (especially popping corn) certain conditions of importation apply. All nuts for eating, particularly those in shells, require inspection. In the case of whole macadamia and walnuts, treatment may be necessary." (from here)

There will be sniffer dogs at customs. The maximum penalty is 100,000 New Zealand dollars or five years in prison, so don't even think about it. Just take a few extra dollars and go to the supermarket once you get here.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 2:57 PM on August 11, 2007

Hey, guess what.

Dehydrated vegetables and fruit are permitted entry.

Given the risk that some zealous person might take them off you, I still wouldn't bother.

From that same page:

"All tents should be cleaned before entry into New Zealand. The interiors should be free of all materials as should the underside of built-in floors. Care should be taken to ensure pegs and poles are free of soil and organic material.

All hiking footwear should be properly cleaned prior to arrival. As this is likely to be inspected, footwear should be packed in an easily accessible place."
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 3:00 PM on August 11, 2007

I've brought dried preserved fruit to Australia once - it got checked by the Customs but they let it through. My mum had similar success. They're strict but not zealous, I'd assume.
posted by divabat at 3:21 PM on August 11, 2007

Noting i_am_joe's_spleen's post, I would strongly encourage your wife to declare absolutely everything at Customs. Err on the side of caution. Carry an apple through without declaring it? They *will* hit you with an instant fine of several hundred dollars.

Much better to declare everything, and maybe have to disinfect your hiking boots. I had to do this, it isn't really much of a hassle and it's a lot better than a fine.
posted by Infinite Jest at 3:23 PM on August 11, 2007

I should clarify something ... I worked for FedEx for several years, including some time internationally. Shipping stuff overseas, particularly if you have some time for it to arrive seems pretty normal to me. Sending an express package internationally is expensive, a standard shipment is more reasonable. I've shipped gear all over the place.

I wasn't suggesting that you lie on the shipping label regarding its contents. You need to declare what you're bringing in to the country. On the basis of that label it can be confiscated. Ideally, if it's illegal the courier (FedEx or UPS or Post Office) won't accept it. However, they make mistakes and sometimes customs is more zealous than others. The courier could accept it and it could still get confiscated.

In that instance, you'd be likely have minimal trouble. You shipped it, declared it, they took it. That's the customs process. If you lie and get caught, then you're in big trouble.
posted by 26.2 at 3:54 PM on August 11, 2007

Infinite Jest: oh yes, I didn't mean to imply that there was no need to declare it. You are absolutely right.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 4:01 PM on August 11, 2007

"I've brought dried preserved fruit to Australia"

New Zealand and Australia are different countries with different laws.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 4:02 PM on August 11, 2007

I believe NZ has (or had) a weekly TV show entirely about the border patrol and how they intercept people's attempts to bring in agricultural items illegally. They take this stuff very seriously over there.

I wasn't able to get a clear answer in advance when I emailed the customs people to ask about some instant soups I wanted to bring, though perhaps dried fruit is a simpler issue.
posted by needs more cowbell at 4:12 PM on August 11, 2007

"I've brought dried preserved fruit to Australia"

You didn't really just say that, did you?

Aside from the fact that NZ and Australia are completely different countries, NZ has really strict laws in bringing in organic goods.

Besides, we have a large outdoor industry here, surely it would be simpler to just purchase food here?
posted by girlgeeknz at 4:24 PM on August 11, 2007

New Zealand takes the outside food and equipment thing real seriously. I was told to dump my food which was processed. Now granted, it was not great chocolate but still it was tasty. Same thing with my dried fruit mix. The dried fruit in New Zealand is real tasty so there is no lost if you do not bring your own and besides why take up so much space in consumables?

I would save yourself the hassle and just not bring it and buy your gorp there.
posted by jadepearl at 4:38 PM on August 11, 2007

NZ is a small country which places great importance on its clean and green image. We welcome most visitors but not the kind that can destroy our environment or our economy.

Bugs and the like can come in through foodstuffs and so there are strict border regulations.

As geekgirlnz says, why not support our local industry and buy supplies here. Our food is great!
posted by chairish at 9:03 PM on August 11, 2007

Ends of Invention gave you the link. The first sublink is food for personal consumption. Apart from meat, their concern seems to be fresh food, which yours is not. But there is an email contact on the personal consumption subpage. You can confirm with them at [e-mail]
posted by Listener at 12:17 AM on August 12, 2007

If you are going to bring this stuff in with you - yes absolutely declare it.

And I'd suggest packing all the different foods separately, in case any are confiscated, that way you can hand over just the stuff they want, not the whole lot.

Be very wary with any seeds. Honey, even treated, can be problematic too.

If you have the time, it wouldn't be a bad idea to actually dehydrate the stuff in country anyway, at lot less likelyhood of trouble.

As for the TV show about this - it's called 'Border Patrol' and had the witty advertising slogan "They'll get you in the end" accompanied by a picture of a hand in a latex glove. I haven't seen it on for a while, and the company that made it has more or less stopped producing, so you're unlikely to end up on TV at least :)
posted by sycophant at 3:19 AM on August 12, 2007

While industrial processing may kill pretty much everything, home-dehydration seems unlikely to be able to kill cysts, some seeds, and some eggs, let alone guarantee that they're all killed, and for this reason I would expect biosecurity to confiscate it.

As for my border-smuggling-anecdotes, I had some sandwiches on the plane for lunch, and didn't finish them. The bread had raisins in it...

As I watched the sniffer-dog red-flag my bag, I thought "Thank God this isn't a sniffer-dog in the USA!" :-)
They were extremely nice and polite about it all, and the remaining bread went in the amnesty bin.

Another time, I had a souvenir dream-catcher. Since it contained feathers, which I could not show to be parasite free, they couldn't let it past, so I used their fumigation service - it was about US$10 to leave them my address and they fumigate it and mail it to me. She seemed surprised that I would bother to fumigate such a trinket rather than ditch it, but hey, it wasn't for me :)
posted by -harlequin- at 6:41 AM on August 12, 2007

Geez, I know New Zealand and Australia are two different countries. I'm not that dumb. I just figured that since Australia is also really strict (but not zealous) about quarantine and bringing food in, NZ would have similar policies.
posted by divabat at 7:38 AM on August 12, 2007

When I flew to New Zealand (many years ago), they sprayed the inside of our airplane with pesticide before we were allowed off.
posted by oaf at 9:59 AM on August 12, 2007

(They mean business.)
posted by oaf at 9:59 AM on August 12, 2007

if i were you, i would not bother lugging a lot of pre-dehydrated food around new zealand. you might save some money, but you are not supposed to bring food into the country. also, i cannot see how lugging extra pounds of food is going to make your travel experience better.

the supermarkets are equipped to handle hikers and the hiking food is more than decent. you need not worry about it.

the supermarkets in the south island of new zealand cater very well for hikers. you can find a great selection of dry-freeze meals for reasonable prices - ie - just as expensive as the rest of new zealand.

In the north island you will have to check out outdoor shops to compliment the supermarket for dry-freeze meals, but there's a lot less hiking to do up there, the towns and outdoor shops are bigger and have better selection. they're cheaper, too.

on both islands - they have a huge variety of trail mix, nuts and dried fruit in every supermarket in towns with a population bigger than 100 people. you can also find dehydrated peas, carrots and corn packets without nasty chemicals or taste enhancing products. i had no problem finding dehydrated tomatoes as well, and they had some dried mushrooms around too.

one warning - if you are into beef jerky, look into the custom regulation and try to bring some from the US because it is extremely expensive there.

and one extra recommendation - One Square Meal, available at every supermarket. relatively high protein granola bar, natural stuff only. no high fructose corn syrup, sugar and that kind of stuff. you have to be hungry to like them at first, but they grow on you until you're addicted.
posted by yeara at 11:42 AM on August 12, 2007

divabat: well, first, we're a bit sensitive about being confused with Australia all the time - it happens a lot. And second, when you are talking about laws with quite serious penalties, it pays to investigate the details. In general we're even stricter than the Aussies are when it comes to biosecurity.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 12:51 PM on August 12, 2007

I would bet that the provision for allowing some dried food is for commercially prepared foods, and I would be astounded if customs didn't confiscate *all* home prepared foodstuffs on your arrival.
posted by bystander at 11:26 PM on August 12, 2007

The bf and I were able to bring a couple of organic snack bars into NZ, but we declared them at customs and the gentleman who checked us was very skeptical at first. It seemed to matter that we'd just bought them in LA, and that they were commercially packaged. I wouldn't risk it with anything home cooked. I really just don't think it would be worth the hassle. They really are very strict, with good reason.

All of the food and produce in NZ really is excellent, and it seemed to us that even prepared foods had tons less chemically preservatives than anything you'd get here in the states. I'm sure they'll have something equally healthy and tasty there.

(And have a great trip!)
posted by sarahmelah at 7:53 AM on August 16, 2007