Bringing food back into Australia

[onemore]

I bought some chocolates in Australia and forgot to take them out of my bag on a trip to Bali, will I have any trouble bringing them back into Australia or isn't it worth the trouble?

 

[onemore]

What I didn't mention is the fact that it is a dozen bars of chocolate that I purchased to take overseas on another flight on my return from Bali

 

[AIRwin]

I've declared chocolates before and didn't end up on the Border Security show...

 

[onemore]

Don't you just love that show, where they show you the same thing over and over again, and only get a result at the end of it, so repetitive.

 

[harvyk]

If you want to bring something back, do so, and simply declare it.
Even if you can't bring them back in, if you declare them then there is no risk of a fine.

 

[kelvedon]

I’ve bought chocolate and mint sauce into the country on many occasions. Customs seems unconcerned If it’s commercialy packaged. Just declare it and fes up to being a chocoholic.

 

[get me outta here]

Declare food, put said food on top of case / carry on and no probs if they want to see it. Chocolate has never been a problem, but declare everything.

 

[love_the_life]

Never had any problems with chocolate or sweets as long as they are commercial and still sealed, ie not home made and not half eaten. Always declared it and had it ready for inspection if asked.

 

[Hillbilly64]

As above - just delcare it. Customs seem to have no interested in chocolate and lollies (I always declare, they never want to see them)

Think the rule (don't quote me) is any food that is shelf stable (i.e doesn't need to be in fridge or freezer) for 3+ months is ok. I get family to bring over home made Christmas cake with no problems.

 

[Saltywings]

Sweets are generally okay as they are considered to be 'processed' and 'well-wrapped'. I've probably brought in literally over a ton of foodstuffs back to AU over the years. This even includes meat products - which are vacuum-sealed.

Confectionary will be fine provided it is sealed. Just declare it.

 

[mannej]

The chocolate you have mentioned won’t be an issue.

You are able to declare it and customs won’t bat an eyelid, but I could have sworn that the wording on the declaration was changed to not include things like confectionary has a part of the declaration anyways

 

[dajop]

You are able to declare it and customs won’t bat an eyelid, but I could have sworn that the wording on the declaration was changed to not include things like confectionary has a part of the declaration anyways

Correct. No need to declare any more.

The old question used to say “All food, including .....”, the new question says “meat, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs, dairy, vegetables?” With another question on grains, seeds, bulbs, herbs, plants etc.

Not sure where you would declare chocolate if you did.

 

[Hillbilly64]

I declare it with the meat/fish bit - as it has dairy - better to be safe than sorry.

 

[p--and--t]

I bought some chocolates in Australia and forgot to take them out of my bag on a trip to Bali, will I have any trouble bringing them back into Australia or isn't it worth the trouble?

Leftover chocolate you need to bring back?????????

I've never heard of such a thing, must be a fabrication

 

[dajop]

I declare it with the meat/fish bit - as it has dairy - better to be safe than sorry.

On the Border Force website there are three categories ... “Don’t bring”, “Declare it” and “Bring in” . Commercially prepared and packaged chocolate falls into the “Bring in” category, which suggests no need to declare.

 

[onemore]

Thanks everyone, problem solved.. Cheers

 

[DC3]

There is no mention of candy/sweets/chocolate on the inbound passenger declaration

 

[flyingfan]

The chocolate you have mentioned won’t be an issue.

You are able to declare it and customs won’t bat an eyelid, but I could have sworn that the wording on the declaration was changed to not include things like confectionary has a part of the declaration anyways

Agree with this, the wording has been tightened up and they’re not interested in your chocolates. Don’t declare (because they don’t want you to) and you’ll be fine. Other types of food and esp fruit etc are the risks.

 

[Anna]

I almost always bring chocolate back and I've never had a problem. On the other hand I have declared and then had taken away from me - honey from a relative's home bee hives in the UK, Belgian mayonnaise for french fries (due to the egg content apparently), and pine cones off a Swedish Christmas garland.

 

[straitman]

I almost always bring chocolate back and I've never had a problem. On the other hand I have declared and then had taken away from me - honey from a relative's home bee hives in the UK, Belgian mayonnaise for french fries (due to the egg content apparently), and pine cones off a Swedish Christmas garland.

You cannot even transport honey between all states of Australia.