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The short answer
Every food item in your luggage from Lagos must be declared to CBP on arrival, including spices, seeds, dried fish and soup ingredients, according to CBP's agricultural products page. Many meat products are prohibited, bushmeat is illegal and destroyed, and a first non-commercial failure to declare can bring a civil penalty of up to $1,000. Food for your own use that travels with you does not need FDA prior notice; food you plan to sell is a commercial import.
The one rule that always applies: declare it
CBP's page on bringing agricultural products into the United States (last modified 1 May 2024) says travellers must declare meats, fruits, vegetables, plants, seeds, soil, animals and plant and animal products, including soups. The question is on the customs declaration, Form 6059B. Declaring does not mean the item is banned; it means a CBP agriculture specialist gets to decide. The page does not give a yes or no for most Nigerian staples by name, so the honest answer for egusi, ogbono, crayfish or ground pepper is: declare it and let the officer inspect it.
What is likely to be stopped
| Item | What the official pages say |
|---|---|
| Bushmeat (grasscutter, monkey, bat and similar) | CDC: "It is illegal to bring bushmeat into the United States." It is destroyed in any amount, with items it touched. |
| Meat, including dried or smoked | CBP: many fresh, dried and some canned meats are prohibited. |
| Meat-containing foods (stock cubes with meat, ready soups with meat) | CBP: products containing meat, such as beef broth, are usually prohibited. |
| Soil, or produce with soil on it | CBP: needs a permit. |
| Fresh fruit, vegetables, seeds, plants | Must be declared; admissibility depends on the item and is decided at inspection. |
| Dried fish, crayfish, stockfish | Must be declared. The CBP page gives no ruling by name. |
For detail on specific foods, see egusi, ogbono and crayfish, dried fish and why bushmeat is banned.
Packing so inspection goes quickly
- Keep foods in one bag or one section of a suitcase, not spread through clothes.
- Use clear, sealed bags with a written label: "egusi (melon seeds), ground", "crayfish, dried".
- Remove soil from yams and cocoyams, or better, leave raw produce behind.
- Avoid anything containing meat, including some seasoning mixes. Read the ingredients on stock cubes.
- Keep shop receipts from Lagos if you have them. They show what the item is.
When suitcase food becomes a business import
The FDA's prior-notice rule (21 CFR Part 1 Subpart I) excludes food for personal use that accompanies an individual, and home-made food sent as a gift for non-business reasons. Food you bring to sell, or to stock a shop, is outside that exclusion. A commercial food import needs a registered foreign facility, prior notice, FDA-compliant labels and, for most importers, a foreign supplier verification programme. Carrying it in checked baggage does not change that, and CBP's page notes that penalties for commercial quantities are much higher than for personal ones.
Worked example
Example only. Ada returns to Atlanta with 2 kg of egusi, 1 kg of crayfish, three packs of ground pepper and four bags of garri for her family. She ticks "yes" for food on the declaration and is referred to agriculture inspection; the officer checks the bags and decides what may enter. Her cousin brings 60 kg of the same items packed for sale at a market stall. That is a commercial import that needed prior notice and a registered supplier, and it can be refused or penalised at a higher level.
Posting food instead of carrying it
Some families send foodstuff by post or courier rather than in a suitcase. The agricultural rules are the same: CBP's page says the penalties for undeclared prohibited items apply to mail too. The FDA side is stricter for parcels. The prior-notice exclusion for personal food covers food that travels with you and home-made food sent as a non-business gift; a parcel of shop-bought foodstuff is outside both. Under 21 CFR Part 1 Subpart I, prior notice for food sent by international mail must be submitted before it is sent, and from 1 October 2026 it must include the mail service name and tracking number. Mail without adequate notice can be held for 72 hours while it is sorted out.
Cooked food and soups
Frozen or bottled soups and stews are among the items CBP asks travellers to declare, and a stew made with meat or stock falls into the products that are usually prohibited. A jar of plain pepper sauce or a pack of dry spices is a different case and is left to the officer. If in doubt, declare it, and do not pack anything you cannot afford to lose at the airport.
Duty and allowances are a separate question
Agriculture rules decide whether food may enter at all. Customs duty allowances decide whether you pay duty on what you bring. The two are separate, and the duty allowances are covered in our guide to travelling with gifts from Nigeria.
What to check before you pack
- Leave behind meat, bushmeat and anything containing meat.
- Clean any produce and pack food together, labelled.
- Declare all food on arrival, even small amounts of spice.
- If you plan to sell, set up a proper commercial import instead.
Where Pryme fits
If relatives in Nigeria buy foodstuff for you or for your shop, you can pay them from the US in naira. A Pryme account holds USD and NGN (multicurrency account), and Send shows the rate and the fee before you approve.
Questions people ask
Can I bring egusi and crayfish from Nigeria to the US?
You must declare them. CBP does not list them by name; an agriculture specialist decides at inspection whether they may enter.
Can I bring dried meat from Nigeria to America?
CBP says many fresh, dried and some canned meats are prohibited, and bushmeat is illegal to bring in at all.
What happens if I do not declare food at a US airport?
Undeclared prohibited items are confiscated, and CBP's page says a first non-commercial offence can bring a civil penalty of up to $1,000.
Do I need FDA prior notice for food in my luggage?
Not for food for your own personal use that travels with you. Food brought to sell is a commercial import and needs prior notice.
Sources
- CBP: Bringing agricultural products into the United States (last modified 1 May 2024) · accessed Oct 2026
- CDC: Bringing animal products into the United States (28 Apr 2026) · accessed Oct 2026
- eCFR: 21 CFR Part 1, Subpart I, Prior notice of imported food (current text) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.