There's a problem with bringing in avocados to the United States.
Say you just flew into New York from overseas. There's an avocado in your bag. The customs agent takes it to a special place: probably one of the largest garbage disposals in the world.
In go the hams and salamis, mangoes and yams — every day, more than 400 pounds of food. In the end it all goes into the grinder, never to be seen again.
Most people turn over the food without a fuss. Some aren't so happy.
"I've been threatened by a [Haitian] with Voodoo over food. I've taken mangoes from passengers from Jamaica and been threatened with my life. Never a dull moment here at JFK,” says US Customs agent Ellie Scaffa.
Eben Hall found Scaffa at New York’s JFK Terminal four. Hall's a producer/videographer with "Great Big Story," a new online video network.
Hall went to Terminal four and saw passengers passing through customs, their confiscated food put into yellow rolling bins.
Hall says most people aren't trying to smuggle in food — they just don't know the rules. It can be confusing. A piece of fruit is OK from one country, but not another.
“And those rules are always kind of changing based on any diseases that might be present in one country or just the rules changing in general,” says Hall. “So there are sort of broad guidelines on the US Customs and Border Protection web site that you can look up, but they actually recommend that you check with the local consulate in the country where you're vacationing or travelling from and, I don't know, I'm sure many people don't have the time to do that. So, it can be tricky. "
Hall says if you're not sure if your piece of fruit is illegal, declare it.
“It's not illegal to have the prohibited item, but it is illegal not to declare it. And that's when you get stuck with a fine."
$300 if they catch you, or more likely, a loss of your time with a customs agent rifling through your luggage.
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.