Food is the most-asked and least-understood import category, partly because the rules are split across agencies and partly because a lot of confident misinformation circulates. The short version is that shelf-stable processed food in commercial packaging is generally fine and almost everything else is not.
Generally admissible
Commercially packaged and labeled shelf-stable goods: instant noodles without meat content, snacks and confectionery, dried seaweed, tea, coffee, honey, sauces and fermented pastes in sealed jars, dried mushrooms, canned goods without meat, and shelf-stable rice products. These pass routinely when declared accurately. Quantities also matter, and a box holding thirty identical items reads differently from a mixed box of Korean groceries for personal use.
Generally prohibited or restricted
Anything containing meat or poultry, including instant noodles with meat in the seasoning, is restricted because of animal disease controls. Fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh eggs, most dairy, and unpackaged or homemade food are prohibited. Frozen and refrigerated goods fail on practicality even where technically allowed. Alcohol-containing foods such as cooking wine occupy a separate and much more restrictive category despite appearing in the grocery aisle.
The meat content trap
This is where most seizures happen. Popular Korean instant noodle varieties contain beef or pork extract in the powder or oil sachet, and the ingredient panel is in Korean. A box of ten identical packs gets held on the meat content, not on the noodles. Check the ingredient list or choose seafood and vegetable varieties. Seafood-flavored and vegetable varieties of the same noodle brand are usually fine, and the ingredient panel rather than the flavor name is what decides it.
Declaration and labeling
Every food item must be declared with an accurate description and value. Products should be in original sealed commercial packaging with an ingredient list. Repackaged or unlabeled food is treated as unidentifiable and refused. Keeping the original outer packaging with its barcode and manufacturer details also helps if a shipment is selected for examination. Listing each item separately rather than as a single line for groceries also speeds up any inspection.
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Start a buy-for-me order →Frequently asked
Does the FDA need advance notice for personal shipments?
Prior notice requirements apply to imported food, and services handling food shipments manage this. Small personal shipments are handled routinely but not exempt from declaration.
Can I import homemade kimchi from a relative?
No. Unpackaged and non-commercial food is not admissible, and fermented vegetable products have their own issues.
What happens to a rejected food item?
It is destroyed rather than returned, and you bear the loss of the goods and freight.