Taking food to Spain

poodledoodledoo

We are going on a self catering holiday in Spain next month and I'm trying to find out if there are any restrictions on food items I am allowed to bring into the country. I have done some research but there seems to be conflicting information on the subject. Many people say it's fine to bring anything in as we are both EU countries, whereas the more 'official' websites I've visited suggest that it is prohibited to bring in products of animal origin and only a small amount of other goods are permissible.
Can anyone clear this up for me? I would like to take a few essentials with me such as bread, ketchup, soya milk etc as I don't know what the availability will be like in local supermarkets and we need a small amount of things to keep us going until we can get to the shops.

Thanks in anticipation :-)

tanith

I've just looked on a few sites and most say no meat/products or dairy including milk.

poodledoodledoo

Thanks :-). That's the information I found too although popular opinion seems to suggest that those rules don't apply if you are entering from another EU country hence the confusion. I will obviously follow the official guidelines if in doubt.

ManAtHome

Don't think they're too bothered about milk - we've often taken milk (from Boots meal deal) - depends on arrival time really.

May be worth posting where you're going and what time you get there - somebody may know decent supermarkets/opening times etc.

poodledoodledoo

Thanks, I am going to do that.
It would be useful to know the definitive answer though. I have read on other forums that people regularly take in meat, cheese etc and it's fine to do so which completely contradicts all the information I have found! Ah well...:D

[Deleted User]

I thought that meat / cheese etc. were cheaper in Spain than the UK? If not and the the difference is fairly minimal, would you want to take the risk of the food items spoiling during a long & hot journey anyway? Just a thought ...

agrinnall

This is Spain you're going to, not Outer Mongolia! While the big supermarkets are closed on Sundays, and sometimes on Saturday afternoons, I've always managed to buy essentials whenever I've arrived - like in the UK, garages are usually a good bet for the basics. The only thing that might be a problem is the soya milk, but I'm not sure how you would get it there anyway, unless you know that it's on sale at the airport after security.

poodledoodledoo

Well I wasn't planning on taking very much and I certainly wasn't thinking of taking cheese, meat etc personally. The thing is that we will have been travelling since 3.30am and I'm not convinced that the first thing everyone will feel like doing is an exciting trip to the supermarket
There are 5 kids in our party so I just thought it might be sensible to take a few bits just to tide us over. Either way, I'm still curious to know what the rules actually are so I can decide what I want to do.
Thanks for your replies

Should add that we won't have the benefit of a car for the first week either.

NiftyDigits

Erm...I took something like 20 kilos of food, including meats and cheeses to Spain a few weeks ago. Had a great time. Everything was packed away safely in cool bags and the like. Was really glad that I did. Spent more time relaxing than traipsing to the supermarket and having to cook from scratch.

Don't worry.

poodledoodledoo

NiftyDigits wrote: »

Erm...I took something like 20 kilos of food, including meats and cheeses to Spain a few weeks ago. Had a great time. Everything was packed away safely in cool bags and the like. Was really glad that I did. Spent more time relaxing than traipsing to the supermarket and having to cook from scratch.

Don't worry.

Lots of folk seem to do this...I wonder if rules are there but they just don't bother enforcing them?
Just out of curiosity, do meats and cheeses travel well in a cool bag? Did you freeze them first?

vegasvisitor

I've taken cheese before. Reason is that I'm vegetarian and not all cheeses are vegetarian (particularly abroad), so if I didn't take it I'd have to go hunting for supermarkets with imported English cheddar, which is ok if you know the place you're going to and know where sells it. I didn't realise there was anything wrong with doing that, so can't help with the original query, but cheese does travel well - in a coolbag and in the suitcase.