The banana is indisputably the funniest fruit, owing to its shape, color, and connections to pratfalls and monkeys (the funniest primate).
But a banana-related misadventure recounted in a widely viewed TikTok clip gave its creator nothing to laugh about.
In the video, user Dylan O’Byrne describes an unfortunate encounter he had with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City following a flight home after a vacation in Southeast Asia.
During a layover in Germany, O’Byrne says, he picked up a banana in an airport lounge and put the fruit in his bag. Somewhere over the Atlantic he must have forgotten about the no-doubt quickly browning snack, though, because he failed to declare the banana when passing through U.S. customs after landing in New York.
U.S. Customs Laws for Bringing Fruits and Vegetables Into the Country
That’s a big no-no because, as Customs and Border Protection policy states, “Many agriculture products are prohibited entry into the United States from certain countries because they may carry plant pests and foreign animal diseases.”
Items on the prohibited or restricted list may include fresh fruits (e.g., bananas) and vegetables as well as meats, plants, seeds, soil, and products made from animal or plant materials.
All such items “must be declared and are subject to inspection by a CBP Agriculture Specialist at ports of entry to ensure they are free of plant pests and foreign animal diseases,” per government regulations.
As long as you declare any agricultural products with a customs agent, the Department of Agriculture promises “you will not face any penalties—even if an inspector determines that [the items] cannot enter the country.”
Penalties for Failing to Declare Fruits and Vegetables to U.S. Customs
Neglect to declare those items, though, and you could meet a similar fate to what O’Byrne says he’s facing: “Now I might be banned from Global Entry and I might be getting a nice size fine in the mail.”
Customs officials only found out about the contraband banana, Byrne continues, when he was leaving the baggage claim area and a trained CPB dog sniffed out the fruit.
The dog’s accompanying human agent then confiscated the banana and scanned O’Byrne’s passport, he says, and told him to expect notice of a penalty in the near future.
According to CPB, the penalty for failing to declare agricultural items such as fresh fruit at U.S. ports of entry can cost first-time offenders $300. The fine goes up to $500 for a second violation.
As for Global Entry, membership in CPB’s expedited screening program for preapproved travelers can indeed be revoked for violations.
Last week, O’Byrne told Newsweek he hasn’t been slapped with the promised penalty yet. While acknowledging his mistake and the “need for border security,” O’Byrne thinks authorities should “take into account the distinction between an honest mistake and an intentional attempt to circumvent border regulations.”
But officials tasked with preventing agricultural pests from wreaking havoc might point to incidents such as “the Mediterranean fruit fly outbreak during the 1980s” that’s mentioned on the CPB website. “The outbreak cost the state of California and the federal government approximately $100 million,” the agency claims. “The cause of the outbreak was one traveler who brought home one contaminated piece of fruit.”
So if a $300 banana sounds expensive, imagine a $100 million one.
To browse the full list of things that are prohibited or restricted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, go to the agency’s website. Generally, packaged and factory-sealed processed snacks like potato chips will be permitted.
For info on country-specific rules for returning to the U.S. with food or agricultural products, consult the USDA’s interactive travel site.
You’ll find there’s very little leeway where fresh fruits and vegetables are concerned. “Almost all” are banned from entering, the USDA warns—and that includes fruit you’re given on an airplane, in an airport, or on a cruise ship.