notice: reposted from another group for information: This was in the paper yesterday. No more food from outside the US by mail? No food by mail? Please, Mr. Postman! Prior to his departure from England, Robert Hegland of Falls Church, Va., looked at his bulging bags and asked a friend to mail him his excess luggage, including a few sealed bottles of dried herbs and spices, and one of whiskey. Later the friend called: The U.K. post office wouldn't mail the package because a new FDA rule prohibits the mailing of any food or drink to the UnitedStates as of Dec.12, unless the sender had filed "prior notice" with the the U.S. agency and gotten permission. It's part of a law to prevent bioterrorism. But surely the rule must be intended for importers, not a guy with a jar of spices. Nope. The way the law is written, it allows no minimums and no exemption for personal use, says FDA spokeswoman Deborah Ralston. The only exception is for homemade food "made in the sender's personal residence." Approval must be sought no more than five days before the package is to arrive, and no less than two hours before arrival if the package is arriving by land, four if by air, or eight if by sea. More details are at Man, I don't know about you, but I feel so much safer. ----------- @vicki [SnuggleWench] (Books) (Jewelry) newest creations: ----------- The measure of the menace of a man is not what hardware he carries, but what ideas he believes.-- Jeff Jordan

Thanks for the warning because I need to mail a couple of bags of bott boi noodles to a friend in California. This just means I keep my mouth shut at the post office about what's inside of it. Ya never know when an Amish food product could be used as a weapon............. (snip)

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Margie 22 years ago

Very interesting! I've only had one cup 'o joe this morning so maybe I'm reading the new regs wrong but it appears that this new mandate from FDA is aimed at foreign manufacturers of food/importers and not individuals.

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"Except for specific exemptions, the registration requirements apply to all facilities that manufacture, process, pack or hold food regulated by FDA, including animal feed, dietary supplements, infant formula, beverages (including alcoholic beverages) and food additives. Registration would not be required for private residences of individuals; certain food transport vehicles; facilities that manufacture food contact substances and pesticides; farms; restaurants; other retail food establishments; nonprofit food establishments in which food is prepared for or served directly to the consumer; non-processing fishing vessels; and facilities (such as meat and poultry slaughterhouses) that are regulated exclusively by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Also exempt are foreign facilities if the food from the facility is to undergo further processing or packaging by another facility before it is exported to the U.S."

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Margie 22 years ago

Oh yes! Last year I shipped some potpourri and other goodies to a friend in Australia. The customs department there held on to the package for an extra two weeks and kept her potpourri which was the nicest part of the gift I had sent her.

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Margie 22 years ago

Shirley, it's bad enough that the USA sends out new mandates to our foreign friends on a daily basis but I'm finding more and more often that our new rules and regulations are being over interpreted by our friendlies who can't keep up and can't be bothered following each and every one. I do not blame them! It's easier to make a blanket decision to cover all food stuffs from manufacturers AND individuals or so it appears.

Package your goodies well, call it what you will on the customs slip. If your package makes it past your customs people, it should make here without incidence.

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Margie 22 years ago

Only five?! I too will be turning down this lovely little offer if it is presented to us while dd is in school. 20 years ago when my ds's elementary school offered fingerprinting and pictures, we declined.

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scaperchick 22 years ago

Yeah, this makes me feel SO very much safer. Not!

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scaperchick 22 years ago

When I was around 8 (early 80's) we kids had ourselves fingerprinted and photographed at school. It was also under the guise- er, purpose of finding us if we were ever kidnapped.

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scaperchick 22 years ago

And what the heck am I supposed to do without my Cadbury's Crunchies? I demand that Dubya send me several cases of them for my inconvenience!

And oh no, what about the businesses here that make their money on imported foods, what's going to happen to them?

I hate this.

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scaperchick 22 years ago

Ah, this clarifies things quite a bit! What about imported beer, though? Aaagh!

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Lee S. Billings 22 years ago

It's not Big Oil, so they don't matter.

Celine

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Karen_AZ 22 years ago

I can't help remembering the contaminated baby formula we foisted on other countries. Hmmmmm

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Diana Curtis 22 years ago

Shhhhhh! Do NOT clarify this to my inlaws.. please!!! Thank you. I still think its an absurd rule. Diana

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JL Amerson 22 years ago

Yum! Have you ever tried their Niagara? There's a Nissely store about a mile from here and I like stopping by once in a while for a sample. For me, a sip or two is my limit. I'm such a cheap drunk!

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Kaytee 22 years ago

For CA it is... Just try driving from AZ to CA with oranges.... Kaytee "Simplexities" on

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Kaytee 22 years ago

Naw. Just label it "novelty item" or "souvineer"..... Kaytee "Simplexities" on

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Debbie B 22 years ago

It can be a scary thing nowadays. I'm glad that they gave you a choice. Sometimes they don't and "try" making it mandatory.

As long as you have the same info at home then you are covered. When mine were itty bittys I did the Pepsi ID thing. They made it fun.

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Karen_AZ 22 years ago

Try their Rhapsody in Blue!!!!! It's in between sweet and dry, really crisp and light. My other favorite is their Candlelight (a rose or whatever the fashionable pink wine is now). I'm not a wine expert-type...I just know what's good in my mouth.

KarenK

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roxan 22 years ago

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roxan 22 years ago

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JL Amerson 22 years ago

Oooh - I may have to head down there after the roads clear up. It may only be down the hill for me but the roads are kinda hinky right now. I have this weird habit of stopping at stop signs instead of sliding thru them. Silly me.

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Christina Peterson 22 years ago

Imagine their disappointment when it wasn't worth smoking.

Tina

"Margie" wrote

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no food by mail?

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