Buying cheese and butter to bring home in Paris

Yes, declare it. Generally butter is allowed, as is cheese, but the cheese should be firm or aged, not the runny cheeses common in France.

I have brought cheese home from France on a few occasions. The first time I was in a cheese store on the Rue Cler. I asked the merchant for cheese that would be good in a suitcase for the day. He gave me a few suggestions. It worked. I buy Comte and Gruyere. You're supposed to declare it when you get home, but it's okay to bring in most cheeses.

On another thread, there was a comment about asking the seller to vacuum seal it for transport.

If you are asked what food you are bringing in, an answer that works is "hard cheese in plastic wrap". That indicates you know soft cheese is not allowed. Last time I brought cheese in, the passport control person asked me what food I had and I told her and then waived me through. Anything suspect gets you sent to the USDA inspectors station.

You are always supposed to declare all food items you're bringing in, including chocolate, coffee, cookies, candy, olive oil, etc. They just won't ask to see it if it's not on their list of items that are prohibited. I know most people blow this off and get away with it, but it's really not as much of a hassle as people think.

Tip: find out what the French term is for "vacuum-packed" and ask for that when making your cheese purchase. It helps to not stink up the aircraft and your luggage.

Coffee?? You are supposed to declare coffee? Being a coffee snob, last Dec I brought a duffel bag with 20kg of beans and did not see where I was supposed to declare it. I walked right through. That could have been embarrassing.

You're supposed to declare ALL food. Period. I declare even chocolate.

Go to the USDA APHIS site for traveler information. The actual language is "all agricultural products". And yes, digging down, you'll see coffee, tea, & honey listed as allowed, but must be declared. Unless the USDA is aware of a specific disease or insect threat with certain products, those would all be waived through.

I always bring back coffee, tea, honey and jam from overseas, and I always declare it. Never been questioned about it or had it taken.

Coffee is a plant product or a food product and you are supposed to declare these.

Better to declare then to get your items seized and have a large fine.

Hi Jerry,
You probably already know that one can find cheese for sale at virtually every Farmers Market in Paris, so many to choose from. Our faves include the Bastille market and also Place Monge. But really, cheese will be easy to find at any number of dedicated fromageries (cheese shops). For that answer je propose posting your same question over on the Reddit for Paris, that way you can get responses directly from folks who live there or have done so.

As already mentioned, Comte is a constant but one could also try Cantal. What was the De Gaulle quote about 300 cheeses? LOL!
I am done. the cheesy

Below is the complete list of cheese shops and cremeries (butter-cream shops) in Paris, sorted by arrondissement Cheese shops usually also sell high-quality butter.

https://www.leguidedufromage.com/ile-de-france-paris-atoidf75.html

Avoid small neighborhood supermarkets that only sell industrial products (like Carrefour, Franprix, Monop).

Butter and cheese have their seasons. The taste changes depending on the time of year and, for cheeses, the aging process. Professional cheesemongers store and age their cheeses in their cellars. They will be able to advise you, let you taste, and will often have the necessary packaging to ensure it survives a long journey.

Note, however, that cheese shops usually sell unpasteurized cheeses. I don't know if US customs will accept them.

I don't know if US customs will accept them.

The hard-rind cheeses are allowed because they've aged long enough to satisfy the FDA. It's the chevre/goat cheeses, in fact any soft cheese, that can't be taken into the US.

Virtually all French cheese may be taken into the US.

As specified by the USDA:

Certain items may enter from any country. These include:

Butter
Butter oil
Solid hard or soft cheeses (as long as the cheese does not contain meat or pour like a liquid such as ricotta or cottage cheese)

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/traveling-with-ag-products/milk-dairy-eggs

Soft cheese or goat cheese are fine as long as they do not pour or are not liquid.

They still must be declared, and the inspectors will decide if what you have is OK. A lot of people take the wording of "allowed" to mean they dont have to declare it.