I will be in Belfast in three weeks. I have found a cheese monger with some interesting cheeses. In order to bring blue cheese into the US, it must be vacuum sealed. The cheese monger has no sealer,
Any idea on where I might be able to get some cheese vacuum sealed in Belfast?
What & where is telling you it must be vacuum packed?
I was of the belief that any softer cheese must be vacuum sealed to be brought through custooms.
@Stan, here is one reference. https://thepointsguy.com/guide/how-to-travel-with-cheese/
And it needs to be declared through customs.
M&S, I expect that it would be a fun, and special outing to get this cheese from the mo ger, but have you checked your departure airport duty free to see if they sell it appropriately packaged? Or asl about the vacuum sealed option on Belfast TripAdvisor. I find those forums have locals with more on the ground no-how.
Exemptions
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 i.e. ricotta or cottage cheese)
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/resources/traveler/intl-travel/milk-dairy-eggs/milk-dairy-eggs
USDA/CBP doesn't care if it's vacuum sealed. Now, the airline may for their purposes, and security may as well, but that's different than USDA/CBP.
I think your primary concern would be keeping it cold. Soft cheeses need to be kept cold.
@MariaF, I checked the link but it seems to recommend packaging in order to protect the cheese (and perhaps because of the smell), it doesnt say Customs requires it. From the US Dept of Agriculture website (via US Customs & Border Protection) dairy products) No mention of packaging there. While anecdotal, I bring back some kind of cheese almost every trip, always declared, and never asked about packaging. Maybe Canada has different requirements?
I cant think of how scientifically vacuum packing versus wrapped in plastic would make a difference, understanding what they are trying to protect things from.
I'm not seeing anything stating that it isn't allowed "as is" unless it contains meat or is in near-liquid form. The reason for sealing is likely because it might otherwise spoil before making it home. There might be an issue it's made with raw milk but can't confirm.
We were only able to bring vacuum-sealed, pasteurized cheese home from the Netherlands, and I see that requirement still listed on the US Embassy and Consulate site for that country (https://nl.usembassy.gov/visas/travel-tourism/travel-faq/) but can't find similar for cheese from the U.K.
Put it in your checked bag if checking one.
So, this cheese monger has some interesting cheeses? Nice. Now, how much are you actually going to buy and seal up to bring home? Is it worth it for, what, a pound? I am sure you can get great blue cheese here in the US.
I know I can.
@ Stan, I have no idea what Canada requires. As this is a primarily American forum, I research relevance to the majority. If I reply with a Canadian answer, I'll say so.
I buy my vacuum packed cheese from Schipol Duty Free, thus no issues; though when carrying a diplomatic passport and living in California, I did lie about the 15 inch wheel of waxed cheese I was bringing home in 1986.
Part of my brain is trying to figure out whether spores and fungus that can become airborne would have any concern to the USDA, but it seems not.
TSA has a whole other set of rules for carrying cheese on board, or checked.
I plan on buying "baskets" of assorted cheeses for my four daughters and blue cheese for my wife.
In Bologna, Italy last fall, we were able to have wedges of Parmigiano Reggiano custom cut, and vacuum sealed at the shop. They happened to have the equipment. The packaging was helpful - I grated some of the aged 24-month cheese for pasta last night.
If your cheesemonger doesn’t have vacuum equipment, and if a supermarket might carry a suitable variety and quality to allow you to assemble the “baskets,” then maybe packaged grocery cheese will do. Or bring extra Ziploc bags from home, and seal your own cheese.
Three years ago in London, we got several cheeses from the Neal’s Yard Borough Market shop, and brought them home to the USA. Thinking back, I can’t swear whether they were vacuum-sealed, or just in plastic. That Stilton was marvelous; I hope your Belfast Blue is also good!
I think you are being overly cautious for unnecessary reasons. Just bring in the blue cheese.
