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The Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak in England last year demonstrates again the
devastation foreign pests and diseases could wreak in the United States should they get past our defenses.
For this reason, U.S. personnel stationed in Europe must observe strict customs rules that apply for carrying or sending food or plants to America.
For those who choose to ignore these laws, the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection issues fines of $300 or more. Officials say most military mail violations originate in Germany and Spain and mainly involve sausage and salami.
“Many food items are prohibited from going back to the States,” said Bill Johnson, director of the USEUCOM Customs Executive Agency. “Red meats, sausages, pâtés and salami can harbor germs or disease viruses – even if canned – and are therefore barred from import.”
Even pasta or soup mixes that contain dried meat are not allowed.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are forbidden to be carried or sent into the United States because they can contain the eggs of voracious pests. Soil can also harbor the eggs of pests; therefore, everything mailed or shipped to the United States must be cleaned thoroughly. It is also forbidden to transport foreign plants into the United States.
Certain processed vegetable or fruit products including canned fruit, olive oil or
mustard can be mailed stateside. Cured cheeses, bread, candies and cookies are also acceptable, Mr. Johnson added.
To find out more about importing food, plant and animal products into the United States, visit the USDA Web site at www.customs.ustreas.gov/xp/cgov/travel/clearing_goods/agri_prod_inus.xml.
