Will be visiting Italy for the first time in the Spring 2019 and have gotten request from family members to bring back a block of cheese (will be properly sealed) and some olive oil. I’m trying to determine if I will be allowed to bring back cheese and olive oil in my checked baggage.
Thank for any input you can share
Most cheese can be brougt back. I think soft cheeses may be more of a question. Just declare what you bring back.
If you're flying into ATL, be sure your olive oil is in your checked baggage, or you'll be gifting it to TSA when you go through security.
You can take back olive oil and hard/semi hard cheeses from Europe in your checked baggage.
I brought some olive oil back to the UK a few years ago and despite being well packed in an inflatable sleeve etc the bottle broke and all the clothes in the case were covered in oil and many were shredded from glass shards. Never again.
The following are generally admissible:
Olive oil and other vegetable oils
Cheese - Solid cheese (hard or semi-soft, that does not contain meat); butter, butter oil, and cultured milk products such as yogurt
and sour cream are not restricted. Feta cheese, Brie, Camembert,
cheese in brine, Mozzarella and Buffalo Mozzarella are permissible
(USDA Animal Product Manual, Table 3-14-6). Cheese in liquid (cottage
cheese or ricotta cheese) and cheese that pours like heavy cream are
not admissible from countries affected by foot-and-mouth disease
(FMD). Cheese containing meat is not admissible** depending on the
country of origin.
When we visit Italy or Greece, we always bring back four 1-liter tins of olive oil in our checked luggage. Never bottles. And we have never had an issue. (Although we've never gone through Atlanta.) We haven't tried cheese.
However, last winter -- in a TJ Maxx/Home Goods store -- we found the exact same olive oil, in the identical 1-liter tins, that we had purchased in Sicily. The price was pretty close to what we paid. Being TJ Maxx, they don't always have it, but I have seen it several times since. So if you don't want to chance it, that could be an option.
If you go this route, do be careful with those glass containers - if (when?) one breaks in your checked bag, consider the consequences.
There's lots of very good cheese and olive oil down at the local supermarket...
My experience same as Jennifer's. Olive oil bottles are thin glass, so get it in tins and you won't have to deal with any dry cleaning bills.
To add to the discussion of Olive Oil, we have transported in our luggage. We wrap well and place in zip lock bag in back of luggage. Never have had breakage. Last month we brought 2 small bottles of Pumpkin Seed Oil from Ljubljana. I call it "liquid gold!" WONDERFUL!
Ask them what they would like instead. The era of bringing exotic food stuffs back from Europe is over. Pretty much everything you can buy there you can buy here without the hassle of carrying it back. This especially for olive oil and cheese. European olive oil from every country that produces it is readily available in the US. If you can’t find it in a store, look on Amazon. The best olive oil available for the price is Kirkland Organic extra virgin. Yes, Costco. When we were on the RS Spain tour we visited an olive farm that made small quantities of good olive oil. I checked while we were there and it was available on Amazon. Many fellow tour members elected to place an order with the producer, but, the price was the same through Amazon and no shipping (Amazon prime). And, as far as quality and taste are concerned there are increasingly great olive oils being produced here in N. California. Maybe not as romantic as olive oils from Italy, but, it will dress your salad well. As for cheese just check out Whole Foods. If you don’t see it they’ll probably get it for you. Any edible souvenirs will be quickly forgotten. But, that little carving, the lace table runner, things such as that, that you bring back and have a story will hold their meaning for a long time.
Not sure if this is still an issue, but who knows?
I am an olive oil freak (not Olive Oyl, but the glorious green gold) and have been absolutely swept away by some of the California varieties. My favorites come from McEvoy Ranch. https://www.mcevoyranch.com/olive-oil
Definitely not cheap, but worth a try.
I brought back a wedge of aged (2years?) Asiago cheese. I wish I bought a bigger piece. The only "Asiago" cheese I can find here in the West Coast is made in Wisconson. And I've checked Trader Joes and boutique Berkeley chees shops to no avail.
We brought back a little wedge of Pecorino and some olive oil from duty free. We were direct to EWR so did not have to deal with TSA. I must agree with Alan though.. At least in the NJ/NY area we can get any kind of good Italian cheese, oils, wines etc.. Unless it is some local artisan thing they don't export... But I told my wife, "I am not a pack mule". If family wants something from Italy, let them plan a trip and bring it back themselves. I am there to have fun!!! So unless they are taking care of our cats, I'm not bringing anything back for them. Maybe we'll send a postcard that arrives 2 months after we get home!!!
I'm just saying, enjoy the wonderfulness of Italy. It is special and spectacular. Don't worry about shopping for everyone.....
Just about any semi-firm cheese that has been aged for a bit is OK, Olive Oil in a checked bag (liquid) is OK. Do be aware that you need to declare the cheese if asked about dairy product, and despite "regulations" posted, the USDA people have the final say and anything is allowed at their discretion.
Yes, you can get most anything in the US, but if you have room in your luggage, you can get Pecorino especially for a fraction of the price in the US plus many other cheese options that you will not see in the US. For Olive Oil, as others said, look at tins, otherwise heavier bottles. I would go for top end, extra virgin, small batch stuff. Yeah, you can get lots in the US, but not as fresh, unfiltered, and I suppose unpasteurized as what you will get in the there.
Other good food options are high quality dried pasta, canned or jarred anchovies or other seafood options, then shop canned, dried, or packaged items that catch your interest.
The question you are asked at entry points, either kiosk or on paper, is "are you bringing back any food". The answer is yes. They'll see it on the form and ask you what you're bringing back. Your answer is "oil and cheese" (and anything else, whether you know its allowed or not). Unless they have a specific alert about certain cheeses from Italy being a health threat, they'll let you through, or ask to see it, then let you through. No big deal.
FYI, Prosciutto and many other pork products are not allowed. Even if they are vacuum packed.
Remember that those bottles or tins add weight to your checked bags - check your airline weight restrictions and be sure you don't get in trouble for overweight luggage. You can also pack a couple of these to ensure the bottles are more protected (but as has been mentioned, no amount of packaging can offset aggressive baggage handlers).
I share the sentiments of others re: bringing back specific things for people. I stopped honoring requests after an acquaintance asked me to track down a Hard Rock Cafe pin at every city I went to in Eastern Europe. Not a venue I was planning to go and definitely out of my way - I spent far too much time tracking down what she wanted at the expense of my own time. I now politely tell people I am not going on a shopping holiday, but will let them know where to look when they take their own trip. I bring back gifts if I feel like it and they're something people cannot get here (local handiwork, mostly, rarely food). Another example - I have a friend who was asked to bring back an enormous cuckoo clock, "since she was going to Germany anyway." She declined.
asked me to track down a Hard Rock Cafe pin at every city I went to in Eastern Europe.
To me that would get her a meaningless souvenir, my first time to Octoberfest I bought a pin for my beer hat(they have one every year), coming home my son thought I should have got him one....told him he would have to earn one himself...he did, several years later.
Shopping for others ; I'm totally done with that . Niece wanted an authentic antique hand-grinding coffee mill from the Netherlands because I was there anyway . Could not find them , was told by store owners that the coffee mills in the Netherlands got ruined by the Dutch people grinding corn and wheat in them during WW 2 when food was scarce . They had some corn or wheat growing in their yards and ground it for flour . Other foreign mills were available but it had to be Dutch . Two days shopping , store in , store out , but finally found one made in the Netherlands . Paid almost $ 75- for it . Gave it to her mom ( my s-i-l ) who was visiting us and lives in the same town as niece . Never received a thank-you , let alone a polite offer of paying for the thing although I considered it a gift to her . Same with a co-worker who just had to have a sterling silver " wooden shoe " charm for her sterling charm bracelet . At least she said Thank You . All that shopping took too much time out of MY vacation . Never again.
My advice- buy in the airport shops they will bag it up and you can bring on the plane-
Happy Travels💫✨
Demi, duty-free shops can and do sell things that are not allowed to be imported in some countries. Plus you may have to move liquids to a checked bag after customs if you're on a connecting flight and have to go through security again.
In past trips to Italy I have checked olive oil and balsamic vinegar plus hard cheese . Hard cheese like parmesan can be in hand baggage. But since I compared the quality and selection of the above food items I discovered I could order from the Eat Italy stores in the US no more the hassle ,charge for checking bags for me. Eat Italy stores in the U.S. carry the same items as in Bologna, Rome, Milan etc. Since I subscribe to the Eat Italy newsletter I will get offers for sales and discounts...just stocked up on Balsamic vinegar at 20% off.
@Edgar in Medford
Have you tried the Pasta Shop ? They carry lots of Italian cheeses. I’d be surprised if they didn’t have Asiago.
On the general question of bringing back edibles or potables from Italy, I have to say that I’d be surprised if you cannot get wonderful products, imported or domestic, from American retailers. Amazon and Whole Foods (I think they’re now the same co.) have been mentioned. Also Williams Sonoma and BevMo.
I admit that we occasionally bring back small items, that can only be acquired locally, for gifts. However, glass jars are very heavy, as are liquids so we confine our purchases to about a one cup size.
Rosalyn,
Where is the "Pasta Shop"? I checked the Market Hall cheese shop next to Rockridge Bart and Berkeley Bowl West but couldn't find real Asiago cheese.
I have brought bottles of olive oil back in my checked luggage with no problems. I also brought parmaggiano reggiano that was vacuum packed also in checked luggage.
In 2014 I brought vacuum packed cheese back from France in carry on bag.
