Imagine you studied abroad in Taiwan, and you LOVED the pork floss you ate there. You don’t remember seeing anything similar sold in stores back home in the U.S., so you buy some to take with you.

When you get the customs declaration, you don’t declare it because you think that a cooked and processed product should be no problem. Plus, you figure they won’t find it anyway, and it would be faster not to declare. Then, when customs officers ask you at the passport passenger clearance line if you have any agricultural items to declare, you don’t say anything.

The customs officer finds it anyway and fines you the maximum penalty of $1,000.

Countless study abroad students, international students, and faculty leaders have experienced this scenario at the airport. Knowing what foods, agricultural items, and natural products you can and can’t bring back to the U.S. from abroad are confusing, and going through customs can be very stressful.

That’s where the Don’t Pack a Pest for Academic Travelers program comes in.

We are a university-based education program working with international education professionals, faculty, and students across the country to educate them about the risks of bringing in prohibited items.

Our campaign helps empower travelers like you to go through customs with confidence and protect our nation’s precious natural resources.

Here is everything you need to know about our program.

Don’t Pack a Pest forAcademic Travelers Program

Red text that says Don't Pack a Pest with a red suitcase and a beagle.

How did our program start?

The California (CFDA) and Florida (FDFA) Department of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) founded our parent organization, Don’t Pack a Pest, in the 1990s.

Their mission is to educate travelers about the risks of carrying prohibited food, plants, and other agricultural products that could harbor pests, diseases, or become invasive through the items travelers carry in their luggage and encourage all passengers to declare these items for U.S. Customs.

The Oregon State University Sea Grant expanded this initiative to integrate a collaborative research-based approach that focuses on academic travelers. The Academic Traveler program collaborates with study abroad and international offices, international agriculture offices, and traveling faculty and scholars to further the Don’t Pack a Pest mission.

By developing relevant education and outreach informed through research with academic travelers and international and study abroad institutions, we continue to tailor information and outreach relevant to the changing needs of our academic institutional partners and the programs students, international scholars, and faculty they serve.

Why Preventing Pests, Diseases and Invasive Species Is Important to Our Food Supplies and Biosecurity

Each year, invasive species are responsible for $120 billion in damages and control costs in the U.S. alone.

In the United States, giant hogweed seeds were the most confiscated item at West Coast ports of entry from 2005 to 2015.

People commonly use these seeds for cooking, but when planted, they can be very harmful.

The plant’s sap has toxic chemicals that can cause severe burns. It has invaded natural lands on the West Coast and has become a danger to those who encounter it.

Additionally, Swine Fever started devastating China’s pig population in 2019 and continues to spread worldwide.

There is no vaccine available, and farmers had to cull 200 million pigs. As a result, pork prices increased 70%, putting an enormous strain on the country’s resources.

This is a bleak example of what could happen in the U.S. if we don’t prevent invasive species from entering. This disease entered China’s ports of entry through clothing, soil, water, and pork products, such as the pork floss mentioned above.

Seemingly small things that people bring through entry ports can significantly impact the environment, agriculture, and economy.

Even travelers bringing in a prohibited item can jeopardize our resources and the livelihood of millions of people.

Working with Schools to Prevent “Packing a Pest”

According to Open Doors, 1,095,299 international students studied in the U.S., and 341,751 U.S. students studied abroad during the 2018-2019 school year.

These travelers are a significant source of mobility moving in and out of the U.S.

Our focus group research shows that many of these students have packed prohibited items. These items include dry noodle packets, fruit and vegetables, herbs and medicine, plant products, and animal products.

The Don’t Pack a Pest for Academic Travelers has worked with college and university partners to:

Conduct focus groups to gather data about students’ invasive species knowledge
Create tailored information for academic travelers in the form of brochures, presentations, and other media
Provide research opportunities for students and faculty
Present findings at the Forum on Education Abroad with university and college collaborators

Ways to Become Involved

Group of five people in front of a school

Small actions can significantly impact preventing invasive species from entering the U.S.

We found in our focus groups that students and academic partners don’t want to pack a pest or get fined.

In our scenario above, the study abroad student could have avoided a heavy fine if they knew there’s no harm in declaring their pork floss. In addition, they might not have brought the item in the first place if they had known about its potential impact on agriculture in the U.S.

Don’t Pack a Pest for Academic Travelers and institutions can work together using a research-based approach to prevent something like this from happening and protect our precious natural resources.

This year, we are launching a Community of Partners program to provide institutions with support, resources, and guidance to help educate their constituents about the impact of packing prohibited agricultural items.

We offer ready-made and custom materials, focus group planning, professional development opportunities and workshops, and networking to our collaborators.

Are you looking for more information about our Community of Partners program? Visit our website or contact us at academictraveler@oregonstate.edu.