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Ryanair customers warned: bringing sandwiches into Europe can now cost you. Credit: Kasto via Canva.com
You ate a meal before your Jet2 and Ryanair flights? If you bring it into Europe, you could get fined. By 2025, UK travelers are reminded by Travel Experts that any meal or item, even a sandwich, brought into the EU will be banned. If you don’t bend the ham baguette in Greece, Spain or France before entering the terminal, it could lead to confiscation and a fine. The rule may not be new, but confusion is still present among British travellers.
What you can and cannot bring aboard
Meat, dairy products, and all other products containing them are prohibited unless you possess a special permit, which most tourists do not. Included in this would be:
- Pre-packed sandwiches
- Yoghurt and cheese snacks
- Bacon and chicken wraps
If you eat them in the air, it’s fine. But once you land, they are restricted goods. It can be confiscated instantly if one is left in your bag. Even worse, you could be charged with a fine, or in some cases criminal charges, for a single leftover snack.
What travellers continue to get wrong
Most people are unaware that they’re taking a risk. Many people would assume that the snacks they buy at the airport are fine. They might eat half of them in the plane, and then put the rest into a bag or handbag.
If it crosses the border into the EU it will be forbidden. Marianne Sparkes a travel expert with European Waterways explained that the sandwiches are safe to eat on board but must be thrown away either before landing or immediately after.
Food checks have been intensified by custom agents in major airports like Barcelona and Lisbon. Some passengers are left completely unprepared as they have to give up their snacks, sandwiches and meal deals. The announcements are all about biosecurity but don’t always include the latest ones.
Travel to Europe from the UK has changed.
This sandwich warning is part of a growing list that UK travelers have suffered since Brexit.
- The first rule was the expiry of passports. People were turned away from the gates for documents that technically had not expired.
- There was confusion about Charges for roaming, Duty-free alcoholNow and then Fines on meat and dairy Arrival gates
ETIAS is a new system that will be introduced to Borders later this year. By mid-2026, British tourists will have to register with ETIAS and pay for preclearance in order to enter the EU. Each change may seem small, but when taken together, they create a new reality: Europe will continue to welcome UK tourists.
What you can Bring
Some foods are allowed to cross the EU border from non-EU member countries, including the UK. It’s easy for people to make mistakes, but the rules are clear. You can bring the following:
- Fruits and vegetables
- Eggs, egg-products, and honey.
- Fish products upto 20 kg or one whole fish
You may not bring:
- Everything about meat and dairy
- Cold sandwiches, cheese rolls or even desserts with cream as a base
Travellers should avoid eating anything that is questionable during or before a flight, and then bend the rest of the food before landing. This is especially true if they are flying to Spain, Italy or France where the enforcement is more strict. This may feel like Overkill but you won’t save any time, money or have to deal with border controls, especially when you’re on holiday.
Travel symptoms in 2025
The traveller did not hesitate to pack a snack or buy cheese in Duty Free. Every step, from what you put in your pocket to your bag, will be filtered through a system which views the UK in a different light after Brexit.
It reflects the fact that 10 years ago, you did not need to worry about rules, forms and checks. Even something as simple as an airplane launch can get you in trouble if you aren’t paying attention.
