Taking food to Europe by car: check the rules both ways
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Before you load a cool box for France or another EU country, check the rules for bringing food into the EU from Great Britain. Then check the separate rules for bringing food home. What you can buy in one country does not tell you what you can carry across the next border.
Check the rules for going into the EU
Your Europe: taking food and animal products into the EU says travellers arriving from a non-EU country, which includes Great Britain, are not allowed to bring meat or dairy products. Undeclared meat or dairy can be confiscated and destroyed. You may also be fined or prosecuted.
Do not pack ham sandwiches, milk or cheese on the assumption that they are fine for personal use. Check the official guidance for the exact item before you pack.
Plan meals before the shopping list
Separate the food you need for the journey from the food you plan to take into the EU. If you need to carry restricted items, plan a shop after you arrive. Build that stop into your route, so you are not relying on a late-evening detour to the campsite.
Your Europe also lists exceptions. It allows up to 2 kg of powdered infant milk, infant food or special medical food, and up to 2 kg of pet food for health reasons. The conditions are strict. Infant and medical food must not need refrigeration before opening, must be packaged proprietary brand products sold to the final consumer, and must stay unbroken unless in use. Pet food must be for the accompanying pet, shelf-stable, a packaged proprietary brand and unopened unless in current use.
The page also says a limited quantity of fruit and vegetables, eggs, egg products and honey can be brought in. It gives no set figure for fruit or vegetables. Plants and plant products may need a phytosanitary (plant health) certificate. Read the category for the item you are carrying.
For a full list of documents and kit, use the driving in Europe checklist or the driving abroad checklist. If your pet is coming too, see taking a dog to Europe by car.
Check the return rules again
GOV.UK: bringing meat, dairy and animal products into Great Britain says there are restrictions on bringing in most meat and all dairy products from the EU. The page says these restrictions respond to animal disease outbreaks in the EU. The page lists cheese, milk, butter and yoghurt as not permitted, along with pork, beef, lamb, mutton, goat and venison, and products made from them such as sausages.
The page lists fish, poultry, and other animal products such as eggs and honey as permitted for personal use. Powdered infant milk, infant food and special food needed for medical reasons, up to 2 kg per person, are an exception, if they are in branded, unopened packaging unless in current use.
Before your last supermarket stop, open the current page and match it to the products you plan to bring back. Keep the return list separate from the outward list. Check again close to travel, because disease-related restrictions can change.
Make the border check easy to use
Save the official pages with a check date, and note any item that needs further confirmation. Keep packaging for items where the conditions depend on it, such as infant food. If a rule is still unclear, get an answer from the relevant official authority before you pack the item.
Keep the itinerary flexible enough to buy food on the right side of the border. A simple meal plan is easier to follow than trying to work out several exceptions beside a full boot just before you leave.
FAQs
Can I take cheese or ham to the EU by car from Great Britain?
Not as a general rule. Your Europe says travellers arriving from a non-EU country, including Great Britain, are not allowed to bring meat or dairy products. Plan to buy these after you arrive, and check the official guidance for the exact item.
What happens to meat or dairy I do not declare at the EU border?
Your Europe says undeclared meat or dairy can be confiscated and destroyed. You may also be fined or prosecuted.
Can I take infant food or pet food into the EU?
There are exceptions. Your Europe lists up to 2 kg of powdered infant milk, infant food or special medical food, and up to 2 kg of pet food for health reasons. Each has packaging and storage conditions, so check them before you pack.
Can I bring cheese or milk back from the EU to Great Britain?
GOV.UK lists cheese, milk, butter and yoghurt as not permitted for personal use. Check the current page before you pack.
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