Fifty-six percent of Americans would leave room in a suitcase just to bring snacks back home, according to a Talker Research survey of 2,000 U.S. adults, conducted on behalf of HI-CHEW and published May 19, 2025. Food is the souvenir with fine print, because customs rules decide which jars, bars and bags make it through the airport.
Eight foods on a travel list from Matador Network are usually allowed into the United States, along with exceptions for travelers coming from Mexico and Canada. That list dates to 2022, so each item is read here against what U.S. Customs and Border Protection says on its own agricultural products page.
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1. Commercially Canned Fruits and Vegetables
Matador’s list puts commercially canned fruits and vegetables on the foods that can come into the country, in contrast with fresh produce, which is among the foods that cannot. Almost all fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables are on Matador’s no list.
The reason runs through the whole article: keeping pests out. Matador cites the Department of Agriculture in saying that a major pest outbreak can disrupt ecosystems and lead to higher grocery bills, shortages and losses for farmers.
2. Honey
Honey is on the allowed list, which makes a small jar from a market abroad one of the easier gifts to carry home. Matador lists it without conditions beyond the general ones that apply to all permitted foods.
Those general conditions are simple. Matador says Customs and Border Protection suggests keeping receipts and the original packaging of agricultural products to show where they were bought, and even permitted foods are meant for personal use only. Large amounts may bring extra screening. Frenz Hub has a post titled “20 Travel Blunders That Turn a Vacation Into an Unnecessary Stress Fest.”
3. Candy and Chocolate
Candy and chocolate are on the list too. No conditions beyond the general ones for permitted foods are attached to them in the guide. Frenz Hub has a post titled “12 Laws And Rules About Food In Other Countries” for readers curious about how other places handle food rules.
4. Bread, Cookies, Crackers, Cakes and Cereal
Baked and processed goods make the list as a group: bread, cookies, crackers, cakes, granola bars, cereal and other baked and processed products. That covers a lot of the shelf-stable snacks that tend to fill a carry-on.
A tin of cookies or a box of crackers fits the description, and the packaging helps, since the advice about keeping original packaging applies. Before leaving home, a craftingyourhome.com list titled 6 Things Never to Post on Social Media Before a Holiday Trip is worth a look.
5. Coffee Beans and Tea
Roasted and unroasted coffee beans are listed as allowed, along with commercially packaged teas, herbal teas and infusions that are ready to be boiled, steeped or microwaved in liquid. Whole coffee berries, by contrast, are on the list of foods that cannot come in.
The list draws the line between beans and whole coffee berries. For holiday trips, craftingyourhome.com has a list titled 8 Things Never to Do Before Leaving Home for Thanksgiving Travel.
6. Butter and Vegetable Oils
Butter, butter oil, olive oil and other vegetable oils are all on the allowed list. A bottle of olive oil is a classic souvenir from a Mediterranean trip, and the Matador guide counts it as a permitted food. A frenzhub.com post on the 57 best travel accessories of 2026 is one source of packing gear ideas.
7. Solid Cheeses Without Meat
Solid hard or soft cheeses that do not contain meat are on the allowed list, which means a wedge of aged cheese from a market stall is generally fine. Cheese with meat mixed in does not qualify, and the guide also separates out milk and dairy items from certain countries.
That last point is why the list uses the word “usually.” The same food can be handled differently depending on where it was bought.
8. Ketchup, Mustard, Mayonnaise and Sauces Without Meat
Condiments such as ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise are on the list, along with Marmite, Vegemite and prepared sauces that do not contain meat products. A jar of sauce from a specialty shop abroad is therefore on the allowed side, so long as it has no meat in it.
The Mexico and Canada Exceptions, and One Rule for Everything
From Mexico, Matador says most fruits and vegetables are allowed. CBP’s page lists stone fruit, apples, mangoes, oranges, guavas, sopote, cherimoya and sweet limes as requiring a permit, and says peeled, halved, seeded avocados in liquid or vacuum-packed are enterable but subject to inspection. Matador adds that most meat, poultry, egg and dairy products from Mexico can come in, except pork unless it is a small amount that is thoroughly cooked.
From Canada, Matador says most meat, poultry, egg and dairy products can come in for personal use, and most fruits and vegetables are allowed except a list that includes bananas, citrus, pineapples and tomatoes. CBP’s page states that fresh tomatoes and bell peppers are prohibited from Canada.
The rule that sits over all of it is declaring. CBP says travelers must declare meats, fruits, vegetables, plants, seeds, soil, animals and plant or animal products by checking “Yes” on Question 11 of CBP Form 6059B, and they remain responsible for declaring an item whether or not it seems to be permitted. Wikipedia notes that the form is completed by a head of household.
Penalties are real. CBP says undeclared prohibited items are confiscated and disposed of, with civil penalties reaching $1,000 for a first-time offense involving non-commercial quantities. NBC 7 San Diego reported on Oct. 30, 2026 that CBP reminded travelers the penalty range runs from $500 for personal importations to $250,000 for commercial ones, and quoted the agency’s advice: “when in doubt, declare all items.”
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Image: Hayden Soloviev – CC BY 4.0/Wikimedia Commons
