Frozen Smoothies in luggage to Italy allowed? coming from US.

Why did you post this question four times? Once would be enough. You can delete three others.

are these frozen drinks medically required?

You're going to one of the gastronomic capitals of the world and you're bringing frozen smoothies? 😱 What am I missing here?

yes medically required

I don't know why it posted four times, I only posted it once.

no - they are banned in Europe :)

If its medically required, with the right documentation from your doctor you should be able to take them in your carryon or checked luggage, and they should, with the right documentation, as long as they don't contain controlled substances, prove straightforward with the Italian authorities.

But not knowing their contents, and having no need to know their contents as it is none of my business, a definitive answer is difficult. What does your doctor say?

How are you keeping them frozen? Be prepared to have a note from TSA that they opened your luggage. If you are using some sort of re-usable gel pack, it likely will look suspicious.

Surely they will melt during the flight, that's if they don't explode because of the low air pressure, either way you end up with a horrible gooey mess inside your case.

The official rules are here: http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/carry/meat-dairy-animal/index_en.htm

If you are arriving in the EU, from a country not mentioned above, you may not bring with you any meat or dairy products without official veterinary documentation. This is to prevent serious animal diseases from being brought into the EU.
You are, however, allowed to bring in powdered infant milk, baby food and foods required for medical reasons - subject to some restrictions. You are also allowed to bring in limited quantities - for personal consumption - of other animal products including fish products, snails and honey.

So you may have to prove it is "foods required for medical reasons". But, if you just walk through the Green "nothing to declare" door, you have a 99% chance of not being stooped, and a 1% chance of having it confiscated and possibly a fine.

The other 3 identical posts are here: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/frozen-smoothies-in-luggage-to-italy-allowed-coming-from-us-339ea844-3f39-48f5-950a-dd35ed201c89
here: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/frozen-smoothies-in-luggage-to-italy-allowed-coming-from-us-fcaaf293-2e10-48ce-a3b2-2d1c5b394ce6
and here: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/frozen-smoothies-in-luggage-to-italy-allowed-coming-from-us

If you click on each you can delete them. But don't delete this one please.
It is easy to multiple post if your internet connect is slow and you click again.

Have you checked to see whether the same items -- or something that would be the nutritional equivalent -- are available in Italy? If it's a medical necessity, someone in Italy probably needs it too.

Good point, Laura. Also good to know in case the OP needs a backup plan.

Thank you for all your replies. I have deleted the multiple entries!
Yes, ingredients may be available in Italy, however taking these greens (no fruit, no dairy, no animal products) daily keeps High Blood Pressure down with Doc permission and no Rx. And don't want to skip a day! Plan B is to have them made in Italy if they get confiscated. Special gel ice packs keep them colder than 32 degrees, inside a soft ice chest in luggage. Breast milk is transported this way in checked luggage without thawing. If mine thaws no biggie.

Thank you for your thoughtful replies.

How long is your trip ? x days at y times per day might be a very big checked suitcase to haul around. Plus gel packs.
Might be best to get a list of the ingredients translated into Italian -- with your specifications (no fruit, no dairy) written out . Maybe you could Google "green smoothie" and city name to see what might be available near your hotel.

Thank you Laura B. Excellent Idea. I'm going to translate and write to hotel that has a restaurant. Would save me money, time and wondering....and travel much lighter. Thank you!

Is getting an Rx for use on the trip an alternative to bringing along you frozen smoothies, and resume your non-Rx regime when you return?

Also in case something happens to your "smoothies", would it not be wise to have an Rx available to control your BP?

Not sure that a prescription from a US or Canadian doctor would be honored, but if the OP goes to a farmacia with a doctor on staff, they can prescribe and fill the scrip on the spot. I have done this a few times, for BP, asthma, etc.

Make sure you have a list of allergies to medications, or take the RX from home but have it translated before you go.

Take two on the plane with you and a small Magic Bullet and make your own in your hotel room/apartment once you arrive?

Also, most hotel rooms I've encountered in Europe don't have refrigerators (with freezers) in the rooms. Our son has to travel with medication that needs refrigeration. This summer he had to contact the hotels where he was staying to see if they had a refrigerator he could use for his medication. None of the refrigerators were in his room but they let him use a little refrigerator space. He had no trouble bring his small bag of meds and ice packs through TSA.

The smoothies are greenies? There should be grocery stores and/or outdoor markets wherever you visit. I'd count on buying the greens in Italy and making your smoothies there. So all you'd need to pack in checked bag is the blender or processor used to make them. It'd be worth buying a machine to size if your current at-home machine is too bulky and heavy. LMK if this sounds feasible to you.

So all you'd need to pack in checked bag is the blender or processor
used to make them

The problem with that, other than the weight/bulk issue, is voltage. I doubt that most North American processors are dual voltage. So OP would also need a converter as well as an adapter. Probably better (although more expensive) to buy one in Italy.

but maybe not much more expensive. LIDL in the UK is doing one at the moment, I think it is about £16.

If the liquid you make the smoothie with is water of course that is simple. If you use milk, you might like to know that the cap colours are different to those in the UK and might be different to those you are used to at home.

Also, most milk in Italy is UHT ambient. If you use non-dairy like almond "milk" or soya "milk" or even coconut "milk", they are all available in many places.

Thank you for the suggestions to create my green drinks in Italy. I will see if I can get a Magic Bullet today. I leave tomorrow am. My concern is finding the ingredients that make it taste good, like avocados and mint. The greens I can go with what I find. Does anyone know if avocados and mint are common to find at a market in Spoleto Italy (secifically). Thank you all so much with specific ideas. All I use is water and greens and it has to taste good or I won't drink it!! thank you!

I've stayed in a respectable number of mid-luxury hotels in Europe, and I have never seen a room refrigerator with room in the freezer for more than a very thin ice tray. I've also never seen a room refrigerator that was capable of taking a Blue Ice much below exact "freezing" temperature. You need to make one of the alternate plans you are considering, and save the space, money, and agony of the original idea. It will not work.

Please tell us if you have been to Europe before. It is fair to say that healthy eating has greater penetration in most of Western Europe than it does in the U.S.. For example, additives and colors are much more restricted in Europe than they are here. Just because I'm fussy, I do worry about your sucessfully washing fresh greens in a hotel sink - but it's possible. If you take the trouble to look, you might find pre-prepared or even freshly made smoothies in the major cities (????) you're visiting.

I agree that the exact greens you may find may be different species than you usually get at home. It sounds like you have great faith in your usual recipes. You may wish to reflect on whether this trip will be about travel or about food shopping. Doctors tend to travel a lot. What does he/she think?

They have this many grocery stores in Spoleto including a large Coop. Surely they'll have avocado and mint. Look up the Italian words as they may be different.

https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&channel=ipad_bm&ei=FiddWfHZCqub0gLtiZvAAw&q=spoleto+italy+grocery&oq=spoleto+italy+grocery&gs_l=mobile-gws-serp.3..33i160k1.1868.10278.0.11621.14.14.0.4.4.0.139.1652.4j10.14.0....0...1.1.64.mobile-gws-serp..0.14.1282...0j0i67k1j0i131k1j33i22i29i30k1j33i21k1.W8JMjq-CjuA#istate=lrl:mlt

Point well taken on voltage. Internet says that a transformer and adapter will enable the blender to work in Italy but that the voltage conversion will cause the motor to burn out in a few months. Recommendation is to buy a blender or processor in Italy.

You haven't given the month of the trip - vegetables are little more seasonable in Europe than they are in the demanding United States. But Sicily and Morocco (two of the many big vegetable sources) are much closer to Spoleto than Mexico and Peru are to the northern United States. Oh, you have not entered your home city on your profile ... I would think that avocados and mint are two of the easiest vegetables to buy in the northern hemisphere. There are a lot of varieties of avocado and of mint.

Have a great (and healthy) trip. If you DO get a blender today, make sure you heed the warnings above -- dual voltage plus adapter, or voltage converter so you don't short out the hotel wiring and cause a fire.

Also, unless you're used to drinking these at room temperature you will probably need ice cubes from the hotel restaurant.

Yes, avocado are available in grocery stores in Italy. I shop at Conad City and they sell the big green-skin avocado. Fresh mint I'm not sure cause I've not looked for that in particular, but they do sell varieties of fresh herbal leaves.

Thank you everyone for all the helpful tips! I have a converter and adapter for electricity. I will post when I return what happened. Now I feel I have plan A, plan B, and plan C. It eases my mind to know so much is available there. I didn't know how close to markets, and availability. What a great experience this has been to have so much helpful input. I'm going to go and pack now and run last minute errands (buy bullet) Ciao Ciao!!

perhaps blender in Italy as back up if I don't find one today. i won't bring it home wherever I buy it, so don't mind if it burns out later from using a converter.

Just thought of this: if you can't find an ingredient, perhaps visit an erborista (herbalist)?

well if you are going to leave behind whatever it is, forget about getting it at home and packing it and a converter (won't work well either) and adapter. Go into a decent sized store in Spoleto, or a ferramenta and get a cheap one there and plug it in. No shipping, no packing, no adapter, no converter, and it will work straight out of the box!

We're pretty advanced over here, the only real differences you will notice are that the instruction leaflet will be in over 20 languages (including English) and the food will taste so much better and fresher.

Happy trails

I used to blend all my greens till I found this products which has everything I need in a powder form, I cam take anywhere and make my green drink:

https://www.amazon.com/Vibrant-Health-Vibrance-Powder-Version/dp/B00X2MYF8Q/ref=sr_1_3_s_it?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1499365558&sr=1-3&keywords=green+vibrance

You can add the avo and mint if you like, I actually add protein powder.

Buy a blender in Italy. And some of their fresh vegetables too!!! You will find fresh foods a heck of a lot more available there than most places in the States!!!!!!

I almost have your same problem - worrying that the food recipes everybody else eats are bad for you - but I don't eat smoothies and I have not seen a doctor. Why not just buy and eat plain lettuce, fruit, and perhaps other food that is low in sodium, and just eat it without using a blender? Why make things more complicated than necessary?