Indians are not Indians if they travel to USA without their familiar or favorite spices, snacks, sweets, and pickles. Essential items that they are fond of do fill half of their checked bags for India to USA flights. It’s absolutely natural to crave and carry some flavors of home, but not all food items are allowed to bring to USA from India. Save this guide to traveling with food from India to USA and pack your checked bags accordingly. Knowing the US CBP guidelines on food imports from India is equally important.
Indian Eagle, the most trusted source of budget airline tickets online and cheaper phone-only flight deals, presents this India-USA travel guide that comes handy for Indian students, H1B professionals, OCI cardholders, and B2 visa holders.
What food items from India are not allowed to USA
The United States has very strict rules when it comes to protecting its agriculture and health ecosystem from foreign food imports. That means the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) prohibits certain food items from India and other countries, like rice, soybeans, and chickpeas, no matter how fond of them you are. Indians cannot bring rice into USA even though rice is a daily staple in many Indian communities including Bengali, Odiya, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalee.
- Fresh fruits and vegetables are not allowed because of pest concerns.
- Meat, meat products, poultry items are mostly restricted in any form, cooked, dried, or canned.
- Plants and seeds are not allowed to USA from India as these are categorized as ‘agriculture’ products.
- Herbal powders are subject to CBP inspections and may get flagged without a certificate from Indian authorities.
Can you bring dairy products into USA from India?
Packing in most dairy food items for flights to USA from India is restricted. You are not allowed to carry raw milk, paneer, and homemade dairy products in general (liquid/semi-liquid and perishable) to USA.
However, what you can pack in for USA is commercially packaged and labelled dairy products in sealed containers from India, like cheese, milk powder, milk-based baby food. Carrying liquid milk and milk-based products with proper packaging and labelling is allowed in small quantities for infants or young children.
Are homemade sweets among the food items allowed to USA from India?
Packing in boxes of homemade sweets like laddu and other delicacies for NRI children and relatives is a tradition in India. It is a manifestation of Indian mothers and grandmothers’ immeasurable love. You can carry from India to USA dry/semi-solid homemade sweets like laddu, kaju katli, soan papdi and shakkarpara in your checked bags. It is advisable to carry any homemade food item in small quantities. Do note at the same time that CBP officers at US airports are more likely to inspect your homemade food than commercially packaged products.
What food items are allowed to USA from India
The list of food items that you are allowed to bring to USA from India is quite long. The key point to remember is that the permissible food items from India must be dry, non-perishable, commercially packaged, labeled and sealed in compliance with the CBP guidelines for foreign imports into the US.
Dried spices and herbs: It is totally fine carrying dried spices and herbs like turmeric powder, cumin seeds, coriander powder, garam masala, sambar powder, chole masala. Many Indians can’t help having the familiar smell of Indian masalas even in the US. You can take homemade spices on flights to USA; just make sure to carry them in airtight containers.
Pickles and ready mixes: Name a single Indian community that can survive without pickles in meals, irrespective of the country of residence. To be precise, commercially packed and sealed pickles and ready mixes can be part of your checked baggage, as those are allowed into the US.
Instant noodles and ramen: These ready-to-cook packaged food products are a lifeline for Indian students and bachelors on H1B visa in the US. You can pack in instant noodles and ramen without egg or meat for your initial days in America.
Fish and seafood: A daily staple especially for Bengalis and Keralites! They carry fish and seafood to USA from India in small quantities for personal consumption. Do note that you can pack in only canned, dried, frozen, or smoked fish and seafood for international flights.
Dried fruits and snacks: These are among the food items that US CBP allows travelers to bring from India. Ready-to-eat snacks like Haldiram’s bhujia and homemade namakpara or murukku can go through TSA security checkpoints at US airports. Packed dried fruits can make way into your checked bags for India to USA travel.
Tea leaves, roasted coffee beans, dried lentils, chocolates, cookies, and baked items (eggless) are among the other food items that you can bring from India to USA.
Important tips for carrying allowed food items to USA
Packaging: Always pack in commercially labeled, sealed food packets. This makes it easier for CBP officers to identify what’s inside and alleviates the chances of your food being questioned or rejected. For homemade food, use airtight containers or zip lock bags, and clearly label them with the contents.
Declaration: On arrival in the US, you must declare all food items from India through the CBP declaration form, irrespective of quantities. Failing to declare your food import can lead to heavy scrutiny, confiscation, even fines. The CBP penalty for not declaring food items can go up to $1,000, so it is always safer to be upfront and honest.
Quantity: The food you carry to USA from India must be for personal use. If you pack large amounts of any item, it may be seen as a commercial import, which is not allowed under personal baggage rules.
Regulations: Before you travel, it is a good idea to check the websites of US CBP and USDA for what food products are allowed and what’s not. This helps you avoid surprises at the entry airport in USA and ensures you are carrying only the food items compliant with the CBP guidelines.
