Anybody Carried Philadelphia Cream Cheese To India From Usa?

MansiN · Jul 13, 2017

hi,
i'm a baker and i enjoy a lot of treats as well in local bakeries here in usa.
im traveling home to india next month and i would love to carry some cheesecake for my siblings but i'm guessing it will be fussy, plus i'm not sure they will allow it.

so i decided to carry philadelphia cream cheese packets in my check in luggage. has anybody carried it with them before? will it be a problem with customs?

NirmalaGoofy · Jul 13, 2017

I carried it in carry on many years ago and refridgerated as soon as I got home. It stayed well for a week. Did not carrry in Check in luggage. The temperature in the check in area might be higher than the cabin.

MansiN · Jul 13, 2017

hi. nirmala, thanks for the reply

i actually needed to carry more packets to bake an entire cheesecake. so i cant take it on the carry on because of limitations.

i've been told the temperature part is not much of an issue since the plane flies at high altitudes. not sure if that is correct or not

im okay with taking the risk of temperature. im more worried about if it will be okay with customs? or is there a rule against cheeses?

NirmalaGoofy · Jul 13, 2017

Give it a try. Since it is pasteurized it might not be a problem. Dont put everything in one luggage. Distribute in couple of luggage. If they object, just throw it away. Best of luck.

Sandycandy · Jul 13, 2017

Can you freeze the cream cheese and pack it in your bags right before you travel? It should stay cool for the most part of the flight .
Regarding customs, I have carried regular cheese before and never had a problem .

MansiN · Jul 14, 2017

yes...mostly planning to chill it until the final moments. just a bit concerned about what customs decide to do with it.

i guess it should be okay since im not bringing it into USA but flying it out of the country.

but just a bit concerned since i really really want the packets to make it to india with me

MansiN · Apr 17, 2018

Update : Sorry for the late post, but i did carry 4 cream cheese packets. Two in each check in bag and it wasn't a problem at all. They lasted well in my 24 hour journey. Customs had no issues with in in USA or at the MUMBAI airport.

the family loved the cheesecakes <3 thanks for all the information ladies

ashneys · Apr 17, 2018

Just an FYI..

Philadelphia cream cheese has been available in almost all major cities for some years now. I bake, so have bought it in cities like chennai, delhi, blore for good number of years now.

madras2018 · Apr 17, 2018

ashneys said: ↑

Just an FYI..

Philadelphia cream cheese has been available in almost all major cities for some years now. I bake, so have bought it in cities like chennai, delhi, blore for good number of years now.
Click to expand...

Thats correct. I found it on amazon.in and at international food stores in my city. Maybe slightly pricier than U.S prices but available easily nonetheless.

MansiN · Apr 17, 2018

yes. i know it's available everywhere in big cities. I just decided to carry it from here because it's shocking cheap here and carrying it was no hassle as well. in india the cost of one packet will get you 6 packets in the US. i was just unsure of customs, since it was my first trip back home.