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Prohibited food items into SXM? #289177
09/30/2022 02:27 PM
09/30/2022 02:27 PM
Joined: Jul 2021
Posts: 21
Kansas City
K
KC2SXM Offline OP
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KC2SXM  Offline OP
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K
Joined: Jul 2021
Posts: 21
Kansas City
I would like to bring a jar of homemade salsa to a friend in St. Martin and can’t find a list anywhere online about prohibited items. I have seen a lot of discussions about frozen meat, but can’t find anything that would relate to my item. Does anyone know of a reliable site or have firsthand knowledge of prohibited items? I plan to pack it in checked baggage. Thanks!

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Re: Prohibited food items into SXM? [Re: KC2SXM] #289179
09/30/2022 02:41 PM
09/30/2022 02:41 PM
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,635
Brookfield, CT.
pat Offline
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pat  Offline
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Posts: 14,635
Brookfield, CT.
There should be no problem bringing your salsa to SXM as long as it’s in checked luggage. I tried to bring homemade jam once in my carry-on and I begged and pleaded with the scanner person. After much ado she finally waived me through, jam and all, but it was touch and go for a while.


Respectfully,

pat



"Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat
them."
Re: Prohibited food items into SXM? [Re: KC2SXM] #289181
09/30/2022 08:14 PM
09/30/2022 08:14 PM
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,625
United States of America
bdeeley Offline
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bdeeley  Offline
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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,625
United States of America
From the St Maarten Government website. Open the image below.

Attached Files Screenshot_20220930-192828.png

Be Happy! Simply because you deserve to be. 😁
Re: Prohibited food items into SXM? [Re: bdeeley] #289182
09/30/2022 08:18 PM
09/30/2022 08:18 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,478
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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Carol_Hill  Offline
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Posts: 82,478
Central Florida!
bdeeley--looking at those rules, it seems to me that, so long as you are not importing it for commercial use, anything goes??


Carol Hill
Re: Prohibited food items into SXM? [Re: Carol_Hill] #289183
09/30/2022 08:26 PM
09/30/2022 08:26 PM
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,625
United States of America
bdeeley Offline
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bdeeley  Offline
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Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 1,625
United States of America
You have a weight limit of 10kg / 22lbs and all meat, poultry, fish has to be frozen upon arrival.


Be Happy! Simply because you deserve to be. 😁
Re: Prohibited food items into SXM? [Re: KC2SXM] #289184
09/30/2022 10:08 PM
09/30/2022 10:08 PM
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,635
Brookfield, CT.
pat Offline
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pat  Offline
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Brookfield, CT.
Has anyone ever been questioned on island regarding food they’ve brought from home? I know I haven’t been and there was a time, back in the day, when we would ship a good sized Coleman cooler packed with all kinds of goodies from home. This was when the only major food store was the Food Center and you never knew what they might or might not have.

Our girls weren’t really all that into island dining and then, as they got older and their friends and eventually their boyfriends frequently came with us, it was advantageous to our pocketbooks to dine in a few nights. Homemade lasagne, sausage and meat and chicken cordon bleu were major favorites and easy to prepare at the end of a busy island day. And the boys seemed to eat a lot more than teen-aged girls. A small frozen Turkey breast or ham made a lot of great lunches and the kids loved it. Of course the advent of so many excellent grocery stores made this unnecessary.


Respectfully,

pat



"Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat
them."
Re: Prohibited food items into SXM? [Re: pat] #289185
09/30/2022 10:17 PM
09/30/2022 10:17 PM
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 18,566
Auburn, WA
SXMScubaman Online content
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SXMScubaman  Online Content
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 18,566
Auburn, WA
We have always brought frozen foods to SXM and never been questioned. Far beyond that weight limit. Some even not frozen. All in checked bags except for some miscellaneous goodies not frozen in carry-on.

Re: Prohibited food items into SXM? [Re: SXMScubaman] #289186
10/01/2022 08:36 AM
10/01/2022 08:36 AM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,478
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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Carol_Hill  Offline
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Posts: 82,478
Central Florida!
We bring frozen meat all the time, in carry on, and never been asked anything about it in SXM. Usually it gets hand searched at TSA though. We put some frozen stuff in checked bags ONCE. That was the time when our bags didn't make it to SXM until three days after we did. Never again.


Carol Hill
Re: Prohibited food items into SXM? [Re: SXMScubaman] #289188
10/01/2022 12:25 PM
10/01/2022 12:25 PM
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,635
Brookfield, CT.
pat Offline
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pat  Offline
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Posts: 14,635
Brookfield, CT.
I’ve NEVER been questioned about the coolers we used to bring but the homemade jam was another story.

I had placed the glass jar in a tight fitting plastic bag and wrapped it securely and then placed a small dish towel around it, finally putting the whole thing in another plastic bag because I didn’t want to take any chances of it breaking and/or leaking into our carry-on.

The TSA lady was very nice but at first totally determined I would have to surrender the jam. She finally cane around after I offered to unwrap it and let her do a taste test. I don’t know if she didn’t like jam or was getting concerned because our TSA line was backing up but I was very appreciative in the end. And even more-so when we spread it on our fresh island croissants the next morning.


Respectfully,

pat



"Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat
them."
Re: Prohibited food items into SXM? [Re: pat] #289189
10/01/2022 12:34 PM
10/01/2022 12:34 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 82,478
Central Florida!
Carol_Hill Offline
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Carol_Hill  Offline
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Posts: 82,478
Central Florida!
Oh bringing something back into the states is a whole 'nother situation. We are extremely careful about what we bring back into the US.


Carol Hill
Re: Prohibited food items into SXM? [Re: Carol_Hill] #289190
10/01/2022 01:18 PM
10/01/2022 01:18 PM
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 18,566
Auburn, WA
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SXMScubaman  Online Content
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Posts: 18,566
Auburn, WA
Originally Posted by Carol_Hill
Oh bringing something back into the states is a whole 'nother situation. We are extremely careful about what we bring back into the US.

That's for sure. I had some sealed bottles of island spice in my carry on and TSA made us open every bottle to verify it was indeed spices.

Re: Prohibited food items into SXM? [Re: Carol_Hill] #289193
10/01/2022 02:28 PM
10/01/2022 02:28 PM
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 538
Sugar Land, Tx
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IslandBoi Offline
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Posts: 538
Sugar Land, Tx
a few years ago we were coming backing from the bahamas, where you actually clear US C&I at NAS...on the way to airport we had picked up some local caribbean food to eat on the plane...we were using GE, and didn't declare any food, since it was all cooked and were planning on eating it all on the plane, hence not actually bringing it into the US...we had the food in a plastic bag inside a tote bag...but while speaking to the agent, she must have noticed the smell of the food, and asked us to step into a back room...she then asked if we had food, which we admitted to and explained our intentions....she wasn't too happy about it, and gave us a stern lecture about how we need to declare ALL food...she said she could fine us several hundred dollars as well as revoke our GE....we apologized for our ignorance, and ultimately she let us go with the food hungry


[Linked Image]
Re: Prohibited food items into SXM? [Re: IslandBoi] #289203
10/02/2022 09:10 AM
10/02/2022 09:10 AM
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 383
U
Uksimonusa Offline
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Uksimonusa  Offline
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Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 383
Originally Posted by IslandBoi
a few years ago we were coming backing from the bahamas, where you actually clear US C&I at NAS...on the way to airport we had picked up some local caribbean food to eat on the plane...we were using GE, and didn't declare any food, since it was all cooked and were planning on eating it all on the plane, hence not actually bringing it into the US...we had the food in a plastic bag inside a tote bag...but while speaking to the agent, she must have noticed the smell of the food, and asked us to step into a back room...she then asked if we had food, which we admitted to and explained our intentions....she wasn't too happy about it, and gave us a stern lecture about how we need to declare ALL food...she said she could fine us several hundred dollars as well as revoke our GE....we apologized for our ignorance, and ultimately she let us go with the food hungry


Once you have cleared C&I in NAS you are considered to be in the US

Re: Prohibited food items into SXM? [Re: bdeeley] #289204
10/02/2022 09:18 AM
10/02/2022 09:18 AM
Joined: Jul 2021
Posts: 21
Kansas City
K
KC2SXM Offline OP
Traveler
KC2SXM  Offline OP
Traveler
K
Joined: Jul 2021
Posts: 21
Kansas City
Thanks, bdeeley, for the screenshot of the government’s page. That’s what I was trying to find. No commercial use intended. I appreciate the feedback from all. I just didn’t want to risk anything that would delay our island time by even a few minutes!


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