Taking cheese to the U.S.

Ok, I KNOW this has been mentioned somewhere on this site and I can't seem to find it.  Someone once posted a wonderful link about all the little food items you can take into the U.S. and how much of it you can take.  It was some governmental -departmental -official- type site. I thought I had bookmarked it but can't seem to find.  In any case my sister wanted to know if I could bring some cheese back with me and I wanted to know how much I am allowed or if I am allowed at all to do this!
Could someone point me in the right direction? would be ever so grateful!

Cheers!

It has been my experience that you can bring cheese with you as long as it is in a vacuum sealed package.  I have brought Parmesan into the US several times and never had a problem.  I don't know how much you can bring though.

June

Here's a thread from late last year discussing rules for importing cheese (among other things) into the US....

Hope this helps! 

Actually that helps quite a lot! Thanks guys.  Sainsbury's has this little cheese selection plate for about £5 that has the different cheeses individually sealed I believe in vacuum seals.  I've bookmarked the sites so hopefully I can remember them for future!

For some reason Virgin mentioned the no meat, fruit and dairy product thing THREE times on my flight over.    I was surprised.

well, i am currently over here and managed to bring in a small cheese selection pack from Sainsbury's with no problem.  I don't know if it helped but each one inside was individually vacuum sealed.

did you claim it when you went through customs? 

I have a funny story about a pork pie crossing borders..

my friend, Canadian, who is married to a Brit and lives here, decided that they should take the famous Melton Mowbray Pork pie with them for the family for Christmas in Canada.  When they got to Canadian customs, the officer seized the pie and told them it would be kept for them and they could take it home with them but it was not to enter Canada.  Off went the pie. 

When they returned to the airport on their way back to England, they claimed their pie.  The pork pie was escorted out to them by AN ARMED GUARD.  They asked if they could take a picture of their little pork pie with the guard.  He said no.  It would have been a travesty if the press got a hold of it!  How silly!

I have a funny story about a pork pie crossing borders..

I love that! 

Hilarious!

So that's why it takes so long to get through customs!! 

well, i am currently over here and managed to bring in a small cheese selection pack from Sainsbury's with no problem.  I don't know if it helped but each one inside was individually vacuum sealed.

As Olive Oyl asked, did you claim it at customs? 
I'd like to bring home a nice sized piece of cheddar after my visit in England

As Olive Oyl asked, did you claim it at customs? 
I'd like to bring home a nice sized piece of cheddar after my visit in England

sorry it took me a while to get back to this. Just got back yesterday.  I did actually claim it because I was too afraid not too.  Plus, when the sniffer dog came around I thought he was going to get me for good.  I mentioned it to the customs people. The guy wanted to see it and basically just shrugged his shoulders.  Looks alright, he said. But I fear it might just be who you get in the customs.  I think if we did it in Chicago they might not have let it go as we always seem to have strict immigration and customs people there!

modified to add:  I did notice on the way back through Gatwick that there were strict signs saying no dairy or meat products to be brought in. A former boss/friend of mine in the states has always sent us cheese from Wisconsin every christmas I have been here. She has always claimed it on the customs form. This year, we received an empty box in the mail with a letter from U.K customs saying the product was siezed because it had origin of foreign animals.  I don't know why this year it didn't make it and all the past three years it did.

Thanks.   
Our cousins from the UK brought in cheese last year but did not declare it.
My MIL is expecting me to bring some back to the US after our trip over there next week. 

The question whether or not to declare it would have to be up to you.  But to be honest, I am not going to declare it again if I bring some to the states.  If they end up stopping me for it, they can take it from me. I would rather them take it then cause a big problem.