An Post issues major alert on new rules for sending gifts to USA ahead of Christmas

Ahead of the Christmas period, An Post has warned that certain popular food items commonly sent to the United States as gifts for family are no longer allowed.

The new rules mean that certain items such as chocolate, crisps and teabags are no longer allowed to be mailed to The Unites States.

Julie Gill, Marketing Director was recently on RTE's Drivetime to talk about these new changes around mailing certain items to the USA.

She explained that "small amounts" of chocolate will be okay to send as long as it is commercially produced and sealed in its wrapper, according to a report by RTE.

She said that a couple of bars of chocolate is totally fine but not boxes and boxes of chocolate because then the customs in the US might think that they are for onwards commercial sale.

"Crisps are a little bit tricky, so it's all around the flavour of the crisps," Julie said on Drivetime.

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She explained that salt and vinegar and ready salted flavours are "absolutely fine" to post to the US but smokey bacon flavour and cheese and onion are not allowed.

"These are the rules, we're all trying to work within them, but we would just say, if you were sending a six-pack of smokey bacon [crisps], it's likely that it'll get stopped."

Similarly, cheese and onion crisps are also off the trans-Atlantic menu because they could contain or be regarded to contain dairy, Ms Gill said on Drivetime.

She said An Post is not preventing items being posted, but "it's the US customs rules, and their Department of Agriculture don't want any products that are coming in derived from meat or meat substances that haven't been made in the US...or a dairy product".

They could be intercepted and disposed of by the US authorities, she said.

Because of this, Julie advised that people don't send any homemade or unbranded, unsealed goods as they may be seized by the customs office.

People are advised to stick to branded and sealed goods if they are sending edible items to the US.