Bringing snacks

[hmatt]

It’s been a few years since we have been to Australia, can’t 

remember if Australia allows snacks from America to be 

with us in our luggage. Snacks such as crackers, nuts and

candy all in their wrappers from the store. 
Hoping Covid isn’t giving everyone problems!

thank you

Debbie

 

 

[arxcards]

4 minutes ago, hmatt said:

It’s been a few years since we have been to Australia, can’t 

remember if Australia allows snacks from America to be 

with us in our luggage. Snacks such as crackers, nuts and

candy all in their wrappers from the store. 
Hoping Covid isn’t giving everyone problems!

thank you

Debbie

 

 

Sealed packs, no problems. Declare them on your arrivals card.

[Aus Traveller]

20 minutes ago, hmatt said:

It’s been a few years since we have been to Australia, can’t 

remember if Australia allows snacks from America to be 

with us in our luggage. Snacks such as crackers, nuts and

candy all in their wrappers from the store. 
Hoping Covid isn’t giving everyone problems!

thank you

Debbie

 

 

As Geoff said - sealed packs, but you must declare on your incoming passenger card that you are carrying food. You probably know that you cannot bring any meat products.

 

I suggest that you have these snacks in your hand luggage (if you have space) in case the quarantine officer wants to look at them. If they are in your checked luggage, the food might be detected by a 'sniffer dog'. Then you will have a delay while the issue is sorted out.

 

If you don't declare the food on your incoming passenger card, you can be fined and also have the items confiscated. Declare it and you will be treated courteously and it will all be sweetness and light. 🙂

[NSWP]

Nuts used to be banned, but these days sealed packs are usually fine.  We have good nuts here, buy them locally before you embark.

[chubbypiggy]

A friend told me he thinks anything that has "egg" as ingredient is not allowed into Australia.  For example, dried pasta, cookies, etc.  Is that true?  He said many years ago he went to Australia and brought Italian dried pasta, and it got confiscated.  I always keep 2 packages of individual wrapped lemon cookies in my purse in case of hunger.  So, do I need to throw them away before I get off my flight?

[arxcards]

7 minutes ago, chubbypiggy said:

A friend told me he thinks anything that has "egg" as ingredient is not allowed into Australia.  For example, dried pasta, cookies, etc.  Is that true?  He said many years ago he went to Australia and brought Italian dried pasta, and it got confiscated.  I always keep 2 packages of individual wrapped lemon cookies in my purse in case of hunger.  So, do I need to throw them away before I get off my flight?

Eggs or raw egg products would be a definite no. Processed snacks where the egg has been cured/cooked would normally be OK. Just declare it on the card,

 

Italian pasta is hardly a travel snack and could be prohibited if it had raw ingredients. 

[boeckli]

For more info: https://www.abf.gov.au/entering-and-leaving-australia/can-you-bring-it-in/categories/food

[buchhalm]

I suggest you stay well clear of bringing anything containing meat/fish/poultry. And HONEY!

Most commercially packed snack foods will be OK.

DECLARE ANYTHING you stick in your mouth. Simple as that.

If it is on the declaration they will not fine you in case the items are not allowed.

Dont declare it, and they CAN issue steep fines.

[chubbypiggy]

Thank you for the link and everyone's information.  To be safe, I will throw away my snacks before getting off the plane.  I have one day in Sydney before getting on my cruise, I will go to the supermarket in Sydney to buy the individual package snacks (to bring onshore to snack during my cruise excursions).

[Ozwoody]

I believe anything with viable seeds included would be prohibited import, such as health bars with seeds etc.

 

As far as taking cookies (We call them biscuits) on a flight, just make sure you eat them before you get off.

 

 

 

[cruiser3775]

Be very wary of any food you bring into Australia, and always declare it. The fine used to be about $A450, but it was increased in 2020 up to $A2664, plus they can also cancel your visa and send you back home, if it is a serious breach, like large amounts of a high risk food.

[mark213]

No meat - ie jerky or biltong - even if professionally packed, sterilized or vacuum sealed. 

Just declare it and if they dont like it they confiscate it, but you dont get fined no matter what you have. 

Crackers, chocolate, candy and potato chips are all ok, but with nuts need to be in a sealed commercial packet and cant be raw.

[buchhalm]

I find it very good that the fines were increased from a few hundred $ to several THOUSANDS.

Only so will people learn.

And it should be PER ITEM, and not in total!

A good friend of mine works at Sydney airport, and he says that the amount of illegal food and other forbidden items that come into the country EVERY.SINGLE.DAY is mindboggling.

And the main offenders are Australians and permanent residents. These people just take the piss. They pretend not to speak English. 

No excuse. The customs and quarantine forms come in many languages and are loaded on incoming flights accordingly. 

And yes, officers DO have the power to issue fines or just warnings as they deem appropriate. 

[MicCanberra]

Declare that you have food, if it is commercially packaged, usually no issues unless on ythe banned list, if they take it, then so be it.

[Aus Traveller]

58 minutes ago, arxcards said:

Eggs or raw egg products would be a definite no. Processed snacks where the egg has been cured/cooked would normally be OK. Just declare it on the card,

I agree that products such as cookies (with eggs in the mix) would be OK. I have brought this type of cookie into Australia when it was given as a gift just before we came home.

[chubbypiggy]

The only "food" item I bring with me on every cruise is the individual packaged Vietnamese 3-in-1 coffee; one pack per day.  I don't like the coffee being served on the ship, not even their specialty coffee.  I don't know if I should bring it this time.  If I don't bring it, then I am stuck with the ship's coffee.  But bringing it, for just one package (20ct) coffee, I would have to declare it.  I read on other thread that the "declare" line is very long.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Vinacafe-Instant-Coffee-2-Pack-sachets/dp/B00Q7DKXKQ/ref=sr_1_45?crid=1TJETSV0MPJTQ&keywords=3-in-1+coffee+packets&qid=1673228277&sprefix=3-in-1+coff%2Caps%2C143&sr=8-45

[cruiser3775]

They sell very good coffee in Australia. We even grow coffee here, in north Queensland. Go to a speciality coffee shop and buy some when you arrive.

Or you could try this company:

https://www.viet-coffee.com.au/xcart/home.php

Edited January 9, 2023 by cruiser3775

[chubbypiggy]

9 minutes ago, cruiser3775 said:

They sell very good coffee in Australia. We even grow coffee here, in north Queensland. Go to a speciality coffee shop and buy some when you arrive.

Or you could try this company:

https://www.viet-coffee.com.au/xcart/home.php

Thank you for the site.  I have only one day in Sydney, and don't know if markets by my hotel (Four Seasons) sell coffee similar to the kind I want (Vietnamese coffee, creamer, sugar all already mixed in the package).   

[GUT2407]

2 hours ago, NSWP said:

Nuts used to be banned, but these days sealed packs are usually fine.  We have good nuts here, buy them locally before you embark.

I’ve met a few of them 😳

[Aus Traveller]

45 minutes ago, chubbypiggy said:

The only "food" item I bring with me on every cruise is the individual packaged Vietnamese 3-in-1 coffee; one pack per day.  I don't like the coffee being served on the ship, not even their specialty coffee.  I don't know if I should bring it this time.  If I don't bring it, then I am stuck with the ship's coffee.  But bringing it, for just one package (20ct) coffee, I would have to declare it.  I read on other thread that the "declare" line is very long.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Vinacafe-Instant-Coffee-2-Pack-sachets/dp/B00Q7DKXKQ/ref=sr_1_45?crid=1TJETSV0MPJTQ&keywords=3-in-1+coffee+packets&qid=1673228277&sprefix=3-in-1+coff%2Caps%2C143&sr=8-45

We haven't found the 'quarantine' long - it is different from the 'something to declare' line. Often we have found we get through faster if we have an item for the quarantine officers to check out. BTW, you also have to declare any wooden items. They will be checked by Quarantine to see if they carry wood borers.

[hmatt]

Thanks everyone for responding! I will be

sure to declare everything including gum

if we decide to carry on anything .

Everyone have happy sailings!

 

[SilvertoGold]

Could someone comment on how similar New Zealand is to Australia about bring in food, medications, etc.?

[Wombat706]

2 hours ago, chubbypiggy said:

Thank you for the site.  I have only one day in Sydney, and don't know if markets by my hotel (Four Seasons) sell coffee similar to the kind I want (Vietnamese coffee, creamer, sugar all already mixed in the package).   

Aussie supermarkets (I think the closest to your hotel would be the Coles Wynyard and the Woolworths Metcentre ones at Wynyard Railway Station) sell pre-mixed coffee selections by Jarrah.  Another option is the Asian supermarkets in/near Chinatown (near Central Railway Station) - they may have what you currently use.

[MicCanberra]

The declare lines are not always long, we have gone through relatively non stop in the past

[Hogbay]

5 hours ago, hmatt said:

It’s been a few years since we have been to Australia, can’t 

remember if Australia allows snacks from America to be 

with us in our luggage. Snacks such as crackers, nuts and

candy all in their wrappers from the store. 
Hoping Covid isn’t giving everyone problems!

thank you

Debbie

 

 

Why ? I travel to sample the local food, snacks and candy ..."When in rome " .