Can You Take Food to Fiji?
The self-catering holiday is a surefire way to reduce your travel budget for Fiji. Some travellers even like to go a step further and bring their own food from back home! But, with strict biosecurity rules at the borders of Fiji, you will be required to declare all of your food items and likely have them inspected. While some foods can pass through Biosecurity without issue, other food items require an import permit. See what food you can take to Fiji in this guide and find out if it’s really worth the space in your luggage and paying potential import fees!
For more tips on a self-catering holiday, check out A Guide to Supermarkets & Food Shopping in Fiji and the 10 Best Self-Catering Accommodations in Fiji.
Table of Contents
Do You Really Need to Take Food to Fiji?
Before you start filling your “chilly bin”, “eksy”, or “cooler”, maybe you should consider if you really need to bring food to Fiji.
Fiji is well-supplied with supermarkets and convenience stores. You’ll certainly be able to access a range of food from Fijian, New Zealand, Australian and Chinese brands, with each shop stocking something different. As for the cost of food, prices are just a bit more expensive than in New Zealand and Australia (but more expensive than in the US or Asia). Check out typical food prices in The Cost of Food in Fiji: Restaurant & Grocery Prices.
In short, unless you have snacks that you can’t live without or a special diet that is usually difficult to manage when overseas (which is recommended for vegans and gluten-free diets, as explained in our guide, Fiji for Vegans & Vegetarians and The Gluten-Free Guide to Fiji), we don’t necessarily recommend taking up precious luggage space to bring food to Fiji.
© FijiPocketGuide.comTips for Taking Food to Fiji
Whatever food you decide to take to Fiji, here are some tips we recommend for taking it:
- Declare on your Passenger Arrival Card if you are taking any food to Fiji, even if you think it is allowed.
- Write a list of all of the food you are bringing into Fiji, so you can show it to Customs and Biosecurity officers on arrival – this makes for a much quicker and easier process.
- Pack food in your check-in luggage, not your carry-on, as many foods are not allowed through airport security.
- Make sure all of your food is commercially packaged and clearly states the country of origin. Otherwise, you may need to lodge an import permit.
- For restricted food imports like cheese and meat, make sure you also have the receipt as proof of purchase (see below).
For some general tips for your trip to Fiji, check out the 30 Tips for Travelling in Fiji.
© FijiPocketGuide.comWhat Food Can You Bring to Fiji?
The good news is that arrival passengers can bring a wide variety of food into Fiji, whether it’s tea or a packet of your favourite chips. You can even bring alcohol to Fiji as long as the quantity doesn’t exceed the duty-free allowance.
The conditions for most food imports by air passengers are that they must be commercially packaged and clearly state the country of origin, so this is a good rule to follow when choosing food to take with you to Fiji. Note that you must still declare all food you wish to bring into Fiji, and biosecurity officers may inspect food, even if permitted.
There are some foods, however, that have certain restrictions, such as meat and plant products. Learn more about these restrictions in the sections below.
© FijiPocketGuide.comThe Animal Food Products You Can Take to Fiji (with Restrictions)
Arrival passengers can bring certain animal food products to Fiji if they meet certain criteria. As well as being commercially prepared and packaged in unbroken packaging and accompanied by the receipt as proof of purchase from a supermarket, butcher or other retail outlet, most animal food products must be from Australia or New Zealand to go through Biosecurity and may require a permit.
Animal Food Products You Can Bring to Fiji
- Cheese
- Dairy spreads
- Fresh or chilled meat (lamb, beef, mutton)
- Mayonnaise
- Chocolate (acceptable from all countries)
- Canned meat
- Butter
- Animal skins
The Conditions for Bringing Animal Food Products into Fiji
To bring the animal products into Fiji, they must meet the following criteria:
- Be for personal consumption (not to be sold).
- To have purchase receipt(s) from the supermarket, butcher or other retail outlets where they bought the products.
- The total quantity of products brought into Fiji should not exceed 10 kg (22 lbs).
- An import permit may be required, especially for (but not limited to) meat products.
Concerning import permits, the Biosecurity Authority of Fiji (BAF) advises people to contact BAF for more information or clarification. Plus, check out the BAF page on Animal Product Imports for a comprehensive list.
© FijiPocketGuide.comThe Plant-Based Food You Can Take to Fiji
Although most foods have some sort of plant product within their ingredients, there are still a lot of plant-based foods you can bring to Fiji. As a general rule, the more processed the food is, the more likely it will be allowed to pass Biosecurity without an import permit. Again, ensure they are commercially packaged and the country of origin is clearly stated.
Plant-Based Food Products You Can Bring to Fiji
An example list of plant-based foods that you can bring to Fiji includes but is not limited to:
- Canned vegetables
- Canned fruits
- Potato chips
- Cakes (muffins, puddings, and Christmas cakes)
- Biscuits
- Tortilla wraps
- Vegetable shortening and oils
- Noodles with vegetable flavourings
- Baby food with 100% vegetable & fruit ingredients.
- Dried or dehydrated mushroom
- Dried Seaweed
- 100% vegetarian spreads and dips (jams, peanut butter, vegemite, syrup, tomato sauce, vegetable dips, etc.)
- Preserved fruits and vegetables
- Cereals (muesli, oats, porridge, cereal bars, etc.)
- Salt
- Sugar
- Instant coffee, tea, cocoa powder, Milo and non-dairy sweeteners
- Cooked root crops (yams, taro, cassava and breadfruit)
- Dried and grounded herbs and spices
- Roasted, chopped and kibbled, hulled, de-shelled nuts and seeds
- 100% vegetarian meals.
An import permit may be required for some plant-based foods. Concerning import permits, the BAF advises people to contact them for more information or clarification. Plus, check out the BAF page on Plant Product Imports for a comprehensive list.
© FijiPocketGuide.comWhat Food Can You Not Take to Fiji (Without a Permit)?
By this point, you’re probably wondering what food isn’t allowed in Fiji. The food that you cannot bring into Fiji without an import permit includes but is not limited to:
- Poultry from anywhere other than New Zealand
- Pork
- Ham/bacon
- Salami
- Honey
- KFC packs
- MacDonald’s packs
- Eggs
- Fresh fruit
- Fresh vegetables
Some of the food listed above may be allowed into Fiji with an import permit. Otherwise, you will likely be asked to either lodge an application for import, be asked to abandon the item, be permitted to re-export the item, or the item will be destroyed at your expense. Note that you will not be entitled to re-export the item if you did not declare it.
More About Taking Food to Fiji
Now that you know what food you can take to Fiji, here are more guides about what else you can bring to Fiji.
- What to Declare When Arriving in Fiji
- 20 Essentials You Need to Pack for Fiji
- Arriving in Fiji: Airport Customs, Biosecurity & the Arrival Process
Finally, make the process of arriving in Fiji as smooth as possible following our Arrival at Nadi Airport, Fiji: A Step-by-Step Guide.
Sources:
The information in this guide has been compiled from our extensive research, travel and experiences across Fiji and the South Pacific, accumulated over more than a decade of numerous visits to each destination. Additional sources for this guide include the following:
- Tourism Fiji (General travel advice - Updated [2025])
- Fiji Immigration (Visa and immigration advice - Updated [2025])
- Fiji Revenue & Customs Service (Customs and visitor taxes - Updated [2025])
- Biosecurity Authority of Fiji (Biosecurity advice - Updated [2025])
- Fiji Meteorological Service (Weather forecast and warnings - Updated [2025])
- Fiji Bureau of Statistics (Statistics and travel data - Updated [2025])
- Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (Tourism statistics - Updated [2025])
- Land Transport Authority (Road safety advice - Updated [2025])
- Safe Travel (New Zealand travel advisory for Fiji - Updated [2025])
- Smart Traveller (Australia travel advisory for Fiji - Updated [2025])
- Travel.State.Gov (U.S. travel advisory for Fiji - Updated [2025])
- SPTO (Pacific tourism advice - Updated [2025])
- Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association (Tourism trade association - Updated [2025])
Our editorial standards: At Fiji Pocket Guide, we uphold strict editorial standards to ensure accurate and quality content.
