Travelling from UK to Poland - can I take nuts, seeds, dried fruit, etc? OTC meds?

Tunstallstoven

Hi all

I went vegan at the start of the year. I have my first foreign travel coming up since doing so and would like to take some of my own food with me. The main items will be different nuts, seeds and dried fruit.

1. Am I ok to take such things and if so would they need to be in the hold luggage or hand luggage?

2. Must they be in original packaging? I would prefer to make up my own mixes and put them into bags for one a day but wasn't sure if that is allowed....

3. If it is allowed, I'm also concerned that it might delay things. Is there any chance of that? I would hate to delay everyone's flight for the sake of some pumpkin seeds etc!

4. Do I need to "declare" them?

One other thing... I am also taking Thiamine/Vitamin B1 and Vitamin B12 supplements at the moment (shop bought). The same questions apply to them also.... And as with the seeds etc, I would only want to take what I need and would prefer not to take them in their original packaging. Could this be a problem?

Many thanks

Max

Kernow666

yes on the nuts & seeds its just dairy products and meats they dont like you bringing in so you wont have a problem

no need to declare , i visit poland once a year to visit friends and bring in food from the UK like sweets and nuts never had a problem even had open bags in my hand luggage i have snacked on the flight

yes - Medication – for personal use only

InsideInsurance

Its inside the EU and so should be fine

Own packaging simply helps with any discussions of what they are, not necessarily essential but could mean a debate on if they are marijuana seeds or not. You're unlikely to be significantly delaying anyones flights. If security detain you for 3 hours whilst they test the seeds then the flights going without you. Even if they are in own packets they could still insist on checking them out as it isnt beyond the skill of people to replace the contents and reseal the bags.

For handluggage or hold, the later is probably lower risk but not much in it. The only concern could be if they, mainly the vitamins, are liquids or not. If they are then they go in your the plastic liquids pocket.

Tunstallstoven

Thanks for the quick replies...

Funny you should mention marijuana, as some of the seeds I'm looking to take are hemp (good for omega 3, not seeing pink spaceships)!

Hmmm, the idea of being detained for 3 hours is certainly not a good one When I said "anyone's flight" I did include my self in that! So perhaps I shouldn't risk it.

The vitamins are tablets, not liquids. But the tablets have no identifying marks on them which is one of the things that concerned me....

eDicky

Seagull27 wrote: »

Funny you should mention marijuana, as some of the seeds I'm looking to take are hemp (good for omega 3, not seeing pink ..

Hempseed contains a perfect combination of amino acids, making it an excellent (and delicious) source of protein. I often carry some with me and think nothing of it; you have no need to worry, especially within Europe. I sometimes bring a kilo of shelled Hempseed with me to the UK from the Netherlands, where I pay €16 for it, much cheaper than here.

Tunstallstoven

That's good news eDicky; thanks for that. Do you have it in your hand luggage? Also, do you ever take OTC meds and if so any advice on that?

Quick off topic note re cheap supplier of hemp seeds:

http://www.dolphinfitness.co.uk/en/biona-hemp-seed-250g/54331

£7.32 for a kilo. Organic. And free delivery too... Not bad!

Tunstallstoven

And in addition - were your seeds in their original packaging or decanted?

Cheers

eDicky

Travel with checked in bags is extremely rare for me, so everything is in hand luggage, which I was hoping would be a kilo lighter now without the hennepzaad (stuck on handwritten label from the shop) - thanks for the Biona link but those seeds look like they are still in the shell, it would take me all morning to prepare breakfast.

So I sometimes carry a smaller supply of hempseed in a Ziploc bag, various nuts or fruit grabbed as I go out the door, and a few food supplements combined in the same jar for compactness. I don't use any pharmaceutical medicine if that's what you mean, so I don't know about that.

Others may say it's not wise to carry like that, but I really think European customs officials have better things to do than bother about such items, and unless you're looking suspicious there's hardly any chance of being stopped anyway. Middle Eastern countries are a different situation of course.

Now that I think of it, a few months ago I was stopped by customs when suspiciously hurrying to catch a bus from the late arrival of an EasyJet flight at SEN, and when going through my bag she asked me if I had any medicine that I had bought. She did find half a loaf of spelt bread in a paper bag, and when I explained that the lady I had been staying with had also gone away and I don't like to waste good food, she immediately realised my innocence, started putting everything back and apologised for my missed bus. It was less than an hour until the next one.

Tunstallstoven

Thanks for sharing eDicky, much appreciated. The tablets are Thiamine (which apparently might help prevent mozi bites) and B12. Saying that though, I might need Antihistamines in case I do get bite as I tend to react quite badly to some bugs. The Antihistamines will be in their packaging though so I'm not so worried about that.

Since my last message, I have had a live chat with Ryan Air.

With regard the food, they recommended having it in "plastic air-sealed, see-through containers" in hand luggage.

As for the tablets, they said it is fine. When I asked whether it would matter that they aren't in the original packaging, they said to contact the airport. Instead of contacting Stansted i had a good look through their site. On their site it says:

"I would like to carry some non-prescribed medicine in tablet form, such as paracetamol. May I do that? Yes, you can. There is no limit to what you carry in tablet or pill form, whether it is prescribed medication or not."

So I think I'm all good....

I know I'm probably over worrying about all this, I just want to make sure I make it to Poland and don't get left behind!!! That would be a catastrophic nightmare! I know it shouldn't make a difference, but I do have dreadlocks and at the end of the day my plain unmarked white Thiamine tablets could be anything really, including many things illegal.... On the plus side, at least Thiamine have that unmistakable smell

Thanks again

Max

PeteDoff

The UK is full of nuts, please take as many as you can.

eDicky

PeteDoff wrote: »

The UK is full of nuts, please take as many as you can.

...And don't bring any Polish mozzies back, they're attracted to dreadlocks I heard... hehe... have a good trip!