Can I Send Food to the USA from the UK? (2026 Rules)

The Short Answer

Some food can be sent from the UK to the USA, most cannot. The headline rules: chocolate, biscuits, tea, sweets, shelf-stable baked goods, and packaged snacks are usually allowed. Meat, dairy, fresh produce, eggs, and anything with active animal proteins is banned.

If you’re sending British chocolate, Twinings tea, Walker’s shortbread, or Christmas puddings to American friends — you’re fine. If you’re trying to send pork pies, fresh cheese, or smoked salmon — you’ll lose the parcel at US customs.

This guide covers what UK senders need to know in 2026, including the FDA Prior Notice rule that catches out commercial sellers.

The Two Authorities: FDA and USDA

US food import is governed by two federal agencies:

• FDA (Food and Drug Administration) — most processed and packaged foods, beverages, supplements
• USDA (US Department of Agriculture) — meat, poultry, eggs, dairy, and plant products

A food shipment must pass both agencies’ rules to clear customs. The FDA handles the bulk of UK→USA food imports; USDA controls the strictest categories (meat and dairy).

What’s Allowed: The UK Food Export Hit List

These categories are reliably allowed in commercial retail packaging:

Confectionery and chocolate

• Cadbury, Galaxy, Tunnocks, Walkers, Quality Street, Roses, Maltesers, Crunchie, Aero
• Hard sweets (Werther’s, Murray Mints, sherbet lemons)
• Liquorice (Bassetts, Pontefract cakes)
• Note: Heat-sensitive — pause or use express May to September, especially to Florida, Texas, and Arizona

Biscuits and shortbread

• Walkers Shortbread, Border, McVitie’s, Fox’s
• Crackers, oatcakes
• Christmas biscuit tins

Tea and coffee

• All commercial UK teas (Twinings, Yorkshire, PG Tips, Tetley)
• Herbal and fruit infusions
• Coffee beans and ground coffee (cleaner customs than tea, ironically)

Shelf-stable baked goods

• Christmas puddings, mince pies, fruit cakes
• Battenberg, Genoa cake, Madeira cake
• Crumpets and English muffins (sealed in retail packaging)

Crisps and savoury snacks

• Walkers, Tyrrells, Kettle, Pipers, Tayto
• Twiglets, Wotsits, Quavers
• Bombay mix and similar

Jams, preserves, marmalades

• Mostly OK if commercially packaged and shelf-stable
• Watch glass jar weight (cheap to ship as crisps; expensive as preserves)

Sauces and condiments

• HP Sauce, Branston Pickle, Marmite, English mustard
• Mint sauce, brown sauce, Worcestershire sauce
• Marmalade and chutneys

Drink mixes and beverages (non-alcoholic)

• Squash and cordial (Robinsons, Ribena)
• Hot chocolate mix (Cadbury, Galaxy)
• Bovril and Marmite drink mixes

What’s Banned: The “Don’t Try It” List

These will be seized or destroyed at US customs:

Meat and meat products (full ban)

• Pork pies, sausage rolls
• Bacon, ham, sausages, salami
• Biltong, jerky, beef sticks
• Pâté and meat spreads
• Game (pheasant, partridge, venison)
• Anything containing meat broth or stock

Dairy (almost total ban)

• Fresh cheese (cheddar, stilton, brie, anything)
• Butter, cream, fresh milk
• Yoghurt and fermented dairy
• Exception: Some hard cheese is allowed from approved EU dairies — rarely worth the paperwork

Fresh produce

• Fruit (apples, pears, citrus)
• Vegetables
• Fresh herbs
• Cut flowers (different rules apply)

Eggs and egg products

• Fresh eggs (full ban)
• Quail eggs, duck eggs
• Some egg-containing baked goods are restricted; sealed commercial cake is generally OK

Honey from certain origins

• Most UK honey is allowed but some shipments from regions with bee disease are blocked
• Stick to commercial branded honey if shipping

Plant products

• Most live plants, seeds (CITES rules)
• Some herbs and spices in raw form
• Tree fruits, nuts in shell

Alcohol

• All alcohol is restricted via standard couriers — see the alcohol shipping guide
• Christmas pudding or mince pies with alcohol content are usually fine if labelled

The FDA Prior Notice Rule

For commercial food shipments to the US, the FDA requires Prior Notice to be filed before the parcel arrives. This applies to:

• Any food shipment for resale
• Most B2B food shipments
• Food samples sent for business purposes

For personal gifts under $200 sent occasionally, Prior Notice is usually not required — but the FDA can still inspect.

TradeWind handles the Prior Notice filing as part of standard customs paperwork for commercial UK→USA food bookings. Without it, food shipments are often held or returned at the border.

How to Label Food for Clean Customs Clearance

The most common reason food parcels are held at US customs is poor labelling. Get these right:

1. Product description — specific, not “food”. Use “Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate bars, 4x110g, retail packaging” not “chocolate”
2. HS code — use the right one (1806 for chocolate, 0902 for tea, 1905 for biscuits)
3. Ingredients list — visible on retail packaging, complete and accurate
4. Country of origin — UK or specific UK region
5. Net weight in grams or kilograms
6. Manufacturer name and address — clear on retail packaging

For homemade food, ingredients labelling becomes much harder — you need to declare ingredients, allergens, and weight yourself. Most UK→USA food shipping is much easier with commercial retail-packaged products.

Pricing for Food Shipments

Food doesn’t have special freight rates — it ships at standard parcel rates. Through TradeWind:

US duty on food is generally low — most processed food products attract 0% to 6% duty, with chocolate around 5% and tea typically 0%. Through TradeWind, the duty is pre-paid at booking.

Practical Steps for Sending UK Food to the USA

1. Stick to commercial retail packaging — much easier customs clearance
2. Avoid all meat, dairy, fresh produce — guaranteed to fail
3. Use accurate HS codes and ingredients listings on the customs declaration
4. For commercial shipments — file FDA Prior Notice (TradeWind handles this)
5. Plan around climate — pause heat-sensitive items in US summer
6. Use UPS Worldwide Economy DDP for most parcels

The Bottom Line

You can absolutely send British food to the USA — chocolate, biscuits, tea, shortbread, Christmas puddings, and condiments are all popular and customs-cleanly. Just stay away from meat, dairy, fresh produce, eggs, and alcohol. Use retail-packaged products with accurate labels and HS codes.

For Christmas-specific shipping see Christmas presents USA from UK. For the broader USA picture, see the full UK→USA shipping guide.

Sources

• FDA Food Imports Guide
• USDA APHIS Import Regulations