What do you list on Customs declaration

I'm curious to know what foods you list on your Customs Declaration when you travel into the US or into the UK.

I know it is forbidden to bring in any veg, fruit, meat, etc. 
But what about packaged items such as cookies, candy, baking mixes, brown sauce, tea, grape jam, peanut butter?  You get the idea, that stuff we think we can't live without that often carry back in.  I am aware many of you do not feel a need to do this, so this is mainly direcred to those of us who do bring things back.

I have, in the past, brought these types of items in.  I've not listed them on my Customs declaration and just gone through the Nothing to Declare exit.  But after watching the Border Patrol shows on telly, especially the Australian one, I am thinking that this may be incorrect.  I certainly don't want to pay a big fine over something like this.

If you do list these items, which I believe are not on the list of banned items, what happens?  Are you then delayed at the Red line and do they search through all your stuff?  Are you then flagged in the data base and likely to be stopped every single time you travel?

I'd love to hear of your experience with this.

Bear in mind that Australia are REALLY, REALLY strict, so the rules you see on that show may well be very different from coming into the UK or the US.

Vicky

I've flown between the US and UK many times over the last few years and I've never declared anything before... even when I was carrying a suitcase full of food/drink (all items were allowed and didn't exceed limits).

I am paranoid, so I declare all food items when flying into the US.  Even things like candy and chocolate bars.  I've always been waved through by the customs officers.

I asked a customs officer on arrival at Heathrow once when I was young and naive whether I had to declare my Oreos, and after joking that he'd have to eat some to be sure they were good  said that non-perishable packaged food is fine and I shouldn't bother declaring it. That's just word of mouth, mind, but I've never bothered since.

Once we tried to declare some fresh cheese coming into the States (the flight crew kept it in their fridge for us) and the customs man there wouldn't even let us speak and just pushed us through...

I wrote on my form "tea and chocolate" and the US Customs man just had me confirm that I was only bringing in tea and chocolate as food verbally.

Bear in mind that Australia are REALLY, REALLY strict, so the rules you see on that show may well be very different from coming into the UK or the US.

Vicky

This is very true - which is why it's important to check the rules of the country you are travelling to and not anyone else's.  UK rules are a lot more lax about foodstuffs than Australian/New Zealand ones.

Yeap, going into the US, I usually just write Yes to the food question, then list candy, pre-packaged baked goods, canned goods, tea- never had an issue- they're just checking to make sure its not fruit, etc

Coming into the UK, I've never bothered

I admit that in the past I've brought in over the limit on fags.

 

Thanks everyone.  That's very helpful.