ok isn't it getting a bit ridculous... self enforcement with loads of loopholes.
COMINGANDGOING
Sunday, January 18, 2004; Page P01
call security
Threatening Spices
Prior to his departure from England, Robert R. Hegland of Falls Church looked at his bulging bags and asked a friend to mail him his excess luggage, including a few sealed bottles of dried herbs and spices, and one of whiskey.
Later the friend called: The U.K. post office wouldn't mail the package because a new FDA rule prohibits the mailing of any food or drink to the United States as of Dec. 12, unless the sender had filed "prior notice" with the U.S. agency and got permission.
It's part of a law to prevent bioterrorism. But surely, Hegland and CoGo agreed, the rule must be intended for importers, not a guy with a jar of spices.
Nope. The way the law is written, it allows no minimums and no exemption for personal use, says FDA spokeswoman Deborah Ralston. The only exception is for homemade food "made in the sender's personal residence." So, your granny in Switzerland can bake and send you cookies, but not if she made them at your aunt's house, unless she first gets FDA approval. You can apply online.
Approval must be sought no more than five days before the package is to arrive, and no less than two hours before arrival if the package is arriving by land, four if by air, or eight if by sea. Another 25 pages of details are at
www.fda.gov.But no one at the agency could answer CoGo's questions:
• Can you trust a terrorist sending bioterrorist agents in food to honestly self-report?
• If a terrorist were refused permission to mail, say, anthrax in powdered sugar, couldn't he just mail anthrax in baby powder?
• Will baklava be treated with more suspicion than, say, baguettes?
Washington Post
