Hopefully someone will be kind enough to read and respond to my question within the next 12 hours!

I am leaving for the states tomorrow. My in-laws have given me an entire cheese wheel to give to my parents. I have scoured the following gov´t websites:

http://www.customs.gov/travel/know.htm#Food
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/travel/

There are detailed lists about what cannot be brought in. Cheese is not listed. There is one section that states that pastries and CERTAIN cheeses may be brought in. However, nothing detailed. Has anybody had any experience bringing an entire cheese wheel into the USA (and declaring it, of course! )??

I would hate to arrive in Philadelphia tomorrow only to have them confiscate the cheese under the premise that it is not one of the allowed cheeses.

Please help! Thanks!

Can you get it in one of those packages that are air tight? (I don' even know if this is the word!) That way thay won't say anything.

Do you mean "al vacío"?. Well, nope. It´s fresh from the "pueblo". I don´t think a ziploc bag would suffice and the sucker´s so big I don´t even think it would fit!

Is cheese from leche de vaca o cabra? I'll call US customs and check for you.
Nuria

hola chica,

good luck on your trip tomorrow! as far as cheese goes, i brought in an entire wheel of zamorano in January and again 2 weeks ago. I declared my goods both times with no problem. I do know they look for meats and oranges. as a matter of fact 2 weeks ago when they saw i was coming from spain i was asked to go through the "grocery line" as it is called and the officer stated "spain..look for oranges"
I have noooo clue why this is..but that was in fact what they were looking for.
i've flown into philly before on usair and they do have the dogs in force there so just stay away from jamones and naranjas. enjoy your quesito!!

besos,
liz

hola chica,

good luck on your trip tomorrow! as far as cheese goes, i brought in an entire wheel of zamorano in January and again 2 weeks ago. I declared my goods both times with no problem. I do know they look for meats and oranges. as a matter of fact 2 weeks ago when they saw i was coming from spain i was asked to go through the "grocery line" as it is called and the officer stated "spain..look for oranges"
I have noooo clue why this is..but that was in fact what they were looking for.
i've flown into philly before on usair and they do have the dogs in force there so just stay away from jamones and naranjas. enjoy your quesito!!

besos,
liz

I got it!!!!
I called to the Philadelphia airport and asked for a customs representative (they didn't have a phone number to call to) they told me you can bring any kind of hard, fully cured cheese. Now, is there a way that you can have a label on it? If not I am afraid they might ask you to cut the cheese

Nuria,
That was wheel funny!!!!"cut the cheese"
Wendy

Hi Guapetona and Nuria ---

Nuria thanks for your generous offer. It´s queso de oveja. Complete, entero in its casing. However, according to Guapetona, it shouldn´t be a problem bringing the wheel.

Geeze...I didn´t know they had the dogs in Philadelphia now! Argghh! The reason for the oranges is because this fall about 60% of Spain´s clementine import to the USA was jodido when the US Agricultural Agents found live Mediterranean moth larvae in a couple of the shipments. So now, they are extra careful.

Thanks for your help guys!

Nuria -

¡¡¡ MILES DE GRACIAS!!!

You posted your reply as I was writing mine! Oh, and the cheese does have a label on it!

Thanks again!

PS... I am SURE they don´t want me to cut the cheese!!!