During the new year holidays, the general public may schedule to travel abroad. During the travel experience, people often bring back some souvenirs to share with relatives and friends or to reminisce about the journey. The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) reminds the public to be mindful of food import regulations to avoid violating the law.

Food items for personal use and non-commercial purposes that are brought in from overseas and meet the specified criteria could be approved for release by the customs department without import inspection by TFDA.

1. The cost of an individual food item (excluding capsules and tablets) must not exceed $1,000 USD and shall weigh no more than 6 kilograms.

2. For a single import, the quantity of each capsule or tablet product must not exceed 12 bottles (including boxes, cans, packs, and bags), with a total not exceeding 36 bottles (limited to the original packaging of boxes, cans, packs, and bags).

The above-mentioned imported products for personal use without imported inspection shall not be circulated for sale. Selling such products is considered a violation of Article 30, Paragraph 1 of the Food Safety and Sanitation Act and is subject to a fine ranging from NT$30,000 to NT$3,000,000, as stipulated in Article 47 of the same Act. In addition, specific foods such as meat, fish, dairy, and plants must conform to the quarantine requirements set by the Ministry of Agriculture and regulations of other government department.