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Home > Guides > Shipping food from Canada to the US
Up front: LetterAgent's shipping labels are Canada Post Xpresspost, Canada-only, so this border crossing needs a carrier that handles US-bound parcels, not us. Food can legally cross from Canada to the US, but the rules split between personal gifts, which face lighter requirements, and anything commercial, which triggers FDA rules including prior notice. Either way, a customs declaration that describes the food accurately is non-negotiable.
Shelf-stable treats are the easy case: homemade cookies, candy, chocolate, coffee, tea, and packaged snacks generally cross without drama. Mark the parcel as a gift on the customs form and describe the contents plainly ("homemade cookies," not just "food"). Gifts below a value threshold enter duty-free, which covers almost any care package. Keep it personal and modest: the gift rules assume one person sending to another, not a side business with gift wrapping.
Everything gets stricter the moment money changes hands. Commercial food shipments to the US need FDA prior notice filed before the shipment arrives, the foreign facility usually needs to be registered with the FDA, and the labeling has to meet US requirements. This is the regime that catches small sellers who think a few dozen jars of jam are still "personal." If you are selling food across the border, treat compliance as part of the product cost and read the FDA's importer rules before your first shipment, not after your first seizure.
| Food type | Personal gift | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cookies, candy, chocolate, packaged snacks | Generally fine | Declare accurately, mark as gift |
| Coffee, tea, spices | Generally fine | Sealed commercial packaging helps |
| Cheese, cured meats | Risky | Dairy and meat face extra restrictions; often refused |
| Fresh fruit and vegetables | Usually not allowed | Plant and pest rules apply on top of food rules |
| Alcohol | Do not | Separate licensing maze in both countries |
| Anything sold commercially | FDA rules apply | Prior notice, facility registration, labeling |
Meat and dairy sit at the top of the difficulty list: both countries restrict them for animal-disease reasons, and the rules change with outbreaks, so what crossed last year may not cross this year. Fresh produce runs into plant-health rules on top of food rules. Homemade canned goods in glass jars are a packaging headache even when the food itself is allowed: one broken jar ruins the whole box, so double-bag and cushion heavily. And perishables add the clock: a gift of fresh anything needs to survive the trip, which usually means paying for speed you would not otherwise buy.
Ready to ship it? Get a shipping label with LetterAgent: describe it to your AI assistant, approve the exact quoted price, and get your label.
LetterAgent is a working name. Prices include print, postage, and our service fee. US prices in USD, Canadian prices in CAD (Canadian prices exclude applicable sales tax, added at checkout). Currently in private testing.
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