Customs agents confiscated a total of 3,449 kg (7,603 lbs) of various food items from arriving passengers at Keflavík Airport in 2017. This is a 50% increase over 2016, when 2,297 kg (5,064 lbs) of food was confiscated. In 2015 customs agents confiscated 2,069 kg (4,561 lbs) of foods.
Read more: Ask the Expert: Can I bring food with me to Iceland?
According to the local newspaper Fréttablaðið customs agents stopped 669 passengers in 2017 to confiscated food items, up from 306 the year before. In 2015 customs agents stopped 430 travelers with contraband foods. As tourism has grown in importance and more foreign travelers visit Iceland the quantity of confiscated food has also been growing. There is also anecdotal evidence more foreign travelers are trying to cut down on their expenses in Iceland by taking with them food from home.
However, since the data collected by the Icelandic Customs Authority does not record the nationality of those stopped with contraband food, it is not clear whether the travelers that have been stopped by customs agents in Keflavík were Icelanders returning from abroad bringing with them foreign delicacies, or foreign travelers bringing with them food from home.
Customs agents confiscated a total of 3,449 kg (7,603 lbs) of various food items from arriving passengers at Keflavík Airport in 2017. This is a 50% increase over 2016, when 2,297 kg (5,064 lbs) of food was confiscated. In 2015 customs agents confiscated 2,069 kg (4,561 lbs) of foods.
Read more: Ask the Expert: Can I bring food with me to Iceland?
According to the local newspaper Fréttablaðið customs agents stopped 669 passengers in 2017 to confiscated food items, up from 306 the year before. In 2015 customs agents stopped 430 travelers with contraband foods. As tourism has grown in importance and more foreign travelers visit Iceland the quantity of confiscated food has also been growing. There is also anecdotal evidence more foreign travelers are trying to cut down on their expenses in Iceland by taking with them food from home.
However, since the data collected by the Icelandic Customs Authority does not record the nationality of those stopped with contraband food, it is not clear whether the travelers that have been stopped by customs agents in Keflavík were Icelanders returning from abroad bringing with them foreign delicacies, or foreign travelers bringing with them food from home.
