Suggestions on taking Smoked Salmon to SA

[280AI]

22 days till lift off. I was thinking about taking some Smoked Salmon to the outfitter ( in Kimberly) but with a 9 1/2 hour stop in Dubai was thinking it might not be feasible. Any suggestions on if it would stay fresh and frozen?

 

[Philip Glass]

You can't take fresh meat, fruits, or vegetables overseas. If it is canned or packaged you could get by in most cases.

 

[280AI]

You can't take fresh meat, fruits, or vegetables overseas. If it is canned or packaged you could get by in most cases.

It would be vacuum packed. Thank you @Philip Glass.

 

[mark-hunter]

On many airports I saw various food packed and vacuumed in international duty free areas including smoked salmon.
From Africa I brought home without a problem vacuumed biltong (dried meat).

If you buy vacuumed salmon in reasonable quantity, and put it in check in luggage, there should be no issue.

Option no 2.
Search on google, delicacies offer in duty free shops in connecting flight airports. You may find salmon. Buy there. If you dont find, take from home.

 

[280AI]

Sorry for the miss confusion. I am smoking and vacuum packing it my self, looking to freeze and put in my checked bags and traveling with all the way to Kimberly. I guess the big questions are:
1) can I? Outfitter said bring it.
2) If I can, will it be still good by the time I get to the lodge?

I was assuming that someone on here may have done this before.

 

[Munnik]

Just do it. If the customs confiscates the salmon, just play stupid and say you didn't know that the private import of salmon into South Africa is not allowed.

However, smoked salmon can probably be bought anywhere in South Africa. I get it in very good quality at Woolworth.

 

[mark-hunter]

Sorry for the miss confusion. I am smoking and vacuum packing it my self, looking to freeze and put in my checked bags and traveling with all the way to Kimberly. I guess the big questions are:
1) can I? Outfitter said bring it.
2) If I can, will it be still good by the time I get to the lodge?

Answer 1)
I would do it without second thought. Make vacuum packs. If any questions are asked, you say you lost the sticker from local shop while travelling.
The worst case scenario, if they dont buy the answer, they will take it from you, and throw in the garbage. You continue your journey.

Answer2)
Probably yes. You smoke the salmon, just to be done and ready before the travel.
Last year I was smoking commercial farmed salmon with a friend. I did freeze the vacuumed packs, but non frozen packs were good for weeks, in normal fridge.
Again, what is the worst that can happen? If it gets spoiled under way, smell will be bad, you throw away.

Nothing disastrous can happen in both cases. Worth the risk in my opinion.

During the hunt, make 5 kilos of biltong, vacuum it in small packs (ask your outfitter to prepare after first kill), and bring home, the same way. Put it in checked in luggage. Call friends to try your impala or zebra.
(FYI drying time for biltong is 5 to 10 days)

 

[spike.t]

I wouldn't have thought you could take biltong into usa or certain other countries.....too much risk of disease being transported....

 

[spike.t]

And we get smoked salmon even here in the supermarkets......

 

[SETH RINGER]

I WOULD THINK IT MIGHT BE HARD TO GET BILTONG PAST THE TRAINED BEAGLES THEY HAVE IN ATLANTA.

 

[Tanks]

22 days till lift off. I was thinking about taking some Smoked Salmon to the outfitter ( in Kimberly) but with a 9 1/2 hour stop in Dubai was thinking it might not be feasible. Any suggestions on if it would stay fresh and frozen?

Get it in Dubai.

 

[mark-hunter]

I wouldn't have thought you could take biltong into usa or certain other countries.....too much risk of disease being transported....

I did, vacuumed. Same as carrying food cans.
Also, worth noting commercially packed biltong can be bought on international area of airport duty free. WIndhoek, for example. I think I saw it in Johanessburg and Adis as well. (like chewing gum for example)

As a side note, at one point before joining EU, in my country, there was a ban to import carton milk (for some reason). In the same time people were buying food in neighboring countries (because it was cheaper), and not knowing this regulation they would buy a carton of dozen milk packs, 1 liter per pack.
If they were stopped at border, they were just not allowed to bring across the border - they dropped it in garbage bin, the worst possible thing.

Of course I dont know for USA.

 

[Wiley64]

I would not do this. Just eat the salmon yourself, imagine all the ways this can go wrong. I don’t approve of flying with fish.

 

[Tanks]

If they were stopped at border, they were just not allowed to bring across the border - they dropped it in garbage bin, the worst possible thing.

Of course I dont know for USA.

Ramifications are more dire for USA. You are asked if you are bringing in food and large amounts of cash. If you answer in the negative then get caught not only will you be subject to search of your luggage going forward each time you enter the country, but you will also be flagged from being able to participate in Global Entry. A fine would also be at the discretion of customs people.

 

[cajunchefray]

Sorry for the miss confusion. I am smoking and vacuum packing it my self, looking to freeze and put in my checked bags and traveling with all the way to Kimberly. I guess the big questions are:
1) can I? Outfitter said bring it.
2) If I can, will it be still good by the time I get to the lodge?

I was assuming that someone on here may have done this before.

I have traveled back to USA with Norwegian Smoked Salmon, Oslo, through London onward to DFW, a couple of decades ago. In checked bags, no issues with USDA upon arrival.

Hopefully, my packing methods may help, but when bringing anything internationally, things can happen.
Important Caveat: I do not recommend violating any USDA import laws, I followed the rather vague regulations, at the time (1998), that commercially processed foods, fully cooked, and sealed were allowed.

As a research and development chef, time/temperature is paramount to maintain food quality and food safety.

I packed the labelled, vacuum sealed smoked salmon, (refrigerated) as such:
Frozen gel packs, placed directly in contact with the salmon (1/2 kg). Next wrapped and taped tightly in a brown paper bag, then wrapped into a towel, and placed in checked bag. This makes for a mini cooler, if you will.

My transit time was 22 hours, all in, from Oslo to my home in McKinney Texas.

When I got home, salmon was 50 degrees, not perfect, but probably not in the "danger zone" for more than a couple of hours. It was delicious!

I don't know your transit time from your home, to Jo'Berg, but should be good for at least 24 hours. Cargo bays are cold.

If it were me, going through Dubai with 9 1/2-hour layover, I would freeze the smoked salmon before packing, blast freezing (below 10 degrees F in 2 hours) to best to maintain texture, and try it, legalities aside.

I would fly with it.

 

[deewayne2003]

I would not do this. Just eat the salmon yourself, imagine all the ways this can go wrong. I don’t approve of flying with fish.

I have flow from Costa Rica INTO the U.S.A. with a Yeti loaded with fish on several occasions, you just have to follow the rules and it's no problem; upon my last entry the customs agent in Houston asked me more questions about my Yeti than the fish inside.

 

[spike.t]

I did, vacuumed. Same as carrying food cans.
Also, worth noting commercially packed biltong can be bought on international area of airport duty free. WIndhoek, for example. I think I saw it in Johanessburg and Adis as well. (like chewing gum for example)

As a side note, at one point before joining EU, in my country, there was a ban to import carton milk (for some reason). In the same time people were buying food in neighboring countries (because it was cheaper), and not knowing this regulation they would buy a carton of dozen milk packs, 1 liter per pack.
If they were stopped at border, they were just not allowed to bring across the border - they dropped it in garbage bin, the worst possible thing.

Of course I dont know for USA.

Vacuum packed is not the same as canned.....I know commercially packaged biltong can be bought at airports here....but meat products are very restricted going into USA and European countries......just saying....I wouldn't bother ....UK you can buy biltong mode by ex South African.. its even sold in harrods food delicatessen....am sure there are displaced sa ones in Europe making it as well.....just saying.....

 

[Hogpatrol]

22 days till lift off. I was thinking about taking some Smoked Salmon to the outfitter ( in Kimberly) but with a 9 1/2 hour stop in Dubai was thinking it might not be feasible. Any suggestions on if it would stay fresh and frozen?

OT, but if you're bringing firearms through Kimberly, be prepared to have $60 U.S. CASH or rand equivalent handling fee, both inbound and outbound. Asking for a receipt does not good. Yes, he'll have change for a C note.
BTDT.

 

[TnKen]

I was specifically asked by customs in Atlanta if I had any biltong. I’m not sure why I was asked I had no indicators of hunting (camo clothing, gun,etc). Maybe he could just tell I liked biltong.

 

[mark-hunter]

Here Roma Fiumicino airport, example:
it is not unusual to have national delicacies available on airport shops for international travel.

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