Before you fly · Everyone
Bringing food from India to Canada: what's allowed
The short answer
Travellers from India must declare all food to CBSA, without exception. Dairy is the hard line: ghee, paneer, khoya and milk-based sweets are prohibited, because India carries foot-and-mouth disease risk. Sealed, commercially packaged dry goods (spices, tea, lentils, biscuits) are generally allowed once declared. Declaring a banned item costs nothing; hiding it risks a penalty of up to CAD $1,300.
On this page
Most of what a family packs is fine, once it’s declared. Dairy is the exception, and it is the part worth reading slowly.
The rule
Canadian law is simple: declare all food, plants, and animal products, whether cooked or raw, sealed or loose, a gift or your own groceries. CBSA enforces it; CFIA writes the rules. The trouble from India is almost always dairy, because India carries foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) risk.
Two gates decide any item. The first is whether the category is allowed at all, and dairy, meat, eggs and fresh produce from India are not. The second is whether you are inside the personal-use limit, which for most foods is about 20 kg or 20 L per person. The first gate is what usually matters; the limit only bites if you’re carrying a lot of one thing.
The offence is failing to declare, not the food itself
CBSA penalties for failing to declare run $500, $800 or $1,300 per violation, halved if you pay within 15 days, though several undeclared items stack up. Deliberate non-declaration can also affect your admissibility. Declaring a banned item just means it’s taken, with no fine. The risk is in hiding it.
Dairy and ghee
The clearest no on this page. Don’t pack any of it, because all of it is sold in Indian grocery stores across Canada.
- Ghee (clarified butter)Prohibited
- Paneer, khoya, mawaProhibited
- Milk sweets (barfi, peda, kalakand, rasgulla)Prohibited
- Butter, white butter (makhan)Prohibited
Spices and dry goods
Dry, sealed, commercial staples are low risk, but still declare them. Loose, unlabelled powders get looked at.
- Ground spices, sealed & branded (turmeric, chilli, garam masala)Allowed
- Loose or homemade masalaDeclare it
- Whole seeds that can sprout (methi, mustard, whole coriander)Declare it
- Tea, coffee (sealed, commercial)Allowed
- Lentils, rice, flour, biscuits, namkeen (sealed, no meat)Allowed
- Dry fruits & nuts (almonds, cashews, raisins, dates)Allowed
- Jaggery (gur), sugar, sabudanaAllowed
Pickles, oils and liquids
Vegetable pickles and cooking oils are fine; a meat pickle is not, and an unlabelled jar gets opened.
- Vegetable pickle / achar (sealed, commercial)Allowed
- Cooking oils: mustard, coconut (sealed)Allowed
- Honey (sealed, commercial)Allowed
- Homemade achar, unlabelled jarDeclare it
- Meat or fish pickle (prawn, chicken)Prohibited
Fresh and prohibited
Fresh, raw, and living things carry pest and disease risk. No amount of declaring clears them.
- Fresh fruit and vegetables (including mangoes)Prohibited
- Seeds, plants, cuttings, soilProhibited
- Meat and poultry: fresh, dried, or homemadeProhibited
- Eggs and egg productsProhibited
How to declare
Under a minute, and it removes almost all of the risk.
Answer yes on your declaration
On the paper card, the airport kiosk, or CBSA's Advance Declaration, you're asked whether you're bringing food, plants, or animal products. If you have any, including sealed spices, the answer is yes.
Name the categories to the officer
You don't have to itemise every packet. 'Sealed spices, tea, packaged snacks' is enough. If something is borderline, say so and let the officer decide.
Hand over anything they want to inspect
An officer may open a bag or send you to secondary inspection. A prohibited item is taken there and then. That is routine screening, not an accusation.
What happens if
Declare in good faith and the worst case is losing an item you shouldn’t have packed. Fail to declare and the maths changes sharply.
By the numbers
There is no downside to over-declaring, and a real one to guessing. When you’re unsure about an item, put it on the declaration and let the border decide.
What to do next
- Browse the rest of the India → Canada guides: packing, the airport, and the first week.
- Planning the move as a student? See how we handle Canada study permits end to end.
Common questions
Can I bring ghee from India to Canada?
No. The CFIA restricts ghee and butter oil from countries that carry foot-and-mouth disease risk, and India is among them (policy updated July 2025). Even declared, it will be refused entry. Ghee is sold in every Indian grocery store in Canada, so buy it there instead of packing it.
Are homemade sweets from India allowed?
Milk-based mithai (barfi, peda, kalakand, rasgulla) is prohibited, because khoya and chhena are dairy from an FMD country. Sugar- or besan-based sweets that are commercially made and sealed stand a better chance, but declare them and expect them to be inspected. Homemade sweets of any kind invite closer scrutiny.
Can I carry mukhwas or supari (betel nut) into Canada?
Declare them. Plain sugar-and-seed mukhwas that is sealed and commercial is usually fine. Areca nut (supari) is plant material and can be held for inspection or refused, and some products are treated as restricted. Keep it sealed, labelled, and declared, never loose in a bag.
Is packaged tea or masala tea powder allowed?
Yes, once declared. Commercially packaged, sealed tea and coffee are low-risk and generally permitted. Masala tea blends that contain only dried spices are treated the same way. Milk-based instant mixes are the exception: anything with milk powder falls under the dairy restriction.
Can I bring paneer, curd or milk sweets from India?
No. From any country other than the USA, the only dairy Canada permits is pasteurised cheese, yogurt, ice cream and kashk. Paneer, khoya, curd (dahi), ghee and milk-based sweets are all treated as prohibited dairy from India, because India carries foot-and-mouth disease risk. All of them are sold fresh in Indian grocery stores across Canada.
How much food can I bring to Canada per person?
For personal use, admissible foods are capped at about 20 kg or 20 L per person (fish is 40 kg). But quantity is only the second gate: dairy, meat, eggs and fresh produce from India are refused at any amount, while sealed spices, nuts, honey and packaged snacks are fine up to the cap. Declare everything regardless of how little you carry.
Can I bring dry fruits and nuts from India?
Yes. Sealed, commercial nuts and dried fruit (almonds, cashews, pistachios, raisins, dates) are allowed for personal use up to 20 kg, once declared. Raw, in-shell nuts can be inspected under plant rules, so keep them in their retail packaging.
What if I forgot to declare food at the airport?
If you realise before you reach the officer, declare it then; it is never too late to be honest at the counter. If undeclared food is found in your bags, CBSA can seize it and issue a penalty of up to CAD $1,300, whether or not you meant to hide it. Declaring in good faith is what protects you: a declared prohibited item is simply taken, with no fine.
Related guides
Before you fly
Packing is the easy part.
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