Just had a long chat with our neighbour who is a senior customs officer. He confirms that products made with mince beef/pork/lamb/horse, including burgers, koftas (containing 50% or more meat) fresh or frozen, are defo part of the 500gr, and do not count as 'prepared/smoked products' like sausages (where you can import 3.5kg (like for any kind of poultry) not .5). He agrees the rule is a bit daft, as merguez and uncooked sausages are quite similar in a way but can be imported to the tune of 3.5. They regularly stop and fine people who try that one at our border post.
I just posted this same quote on another thread (not relevant to this one)
Hope it helps?
I highly recommend the Epi Marche, just 10 minutes walk through the border at the end of line 11 (Rue Du Bale) just next to where the Police station until recently was.
In there the meat is simply excellent and the prices are VERY VERY good. Fresh, bloody meat and a good price is alway good especially in BBQ season!
The 2 guys in the are very nice and accommodating and will usually do your meats or kebabs skewers in some spices for free for you too.
They sell Halal meat and don't expect to find pig in there either, if you have a problem with Halal get your meat elsewhere. They usually have rosti chicken outside and a good selection of teas, pulses, spices, fruit n veg.
Go take a look.
Thanks for the research, that's useful to know. I always find this confusing, as I haven't found a list of what counts as "prepared" - is a rôtisserie chicken "prepared"? (I'm guessing yes) Beef carpaccio? (I'm guessing no) Rohschinken? (Don't know, but also don't want more than 500g at a time!)
I do find it comical that I can only bring in two chicken breasts over the border to cook here, but if I have it cooked for me first I can bring the whole chicken!
In reality, I bet it mainly depends on whether your local customs officer is in a smiley mood when you turn up at the border.
What chicken breasts do you get which are 1.75KG each
...erm, I was talking about uncooked chicken breasts, so the toll-free limit is 500g corresponding to (generous but not implausible) 250g each.
(however, I'm pretty sure some food scientist will eventually work out a way of pumping a litre and a half of water into a single chicken breast...)
Ah ok, I thought chicken was in the list with beef, pork, horse, donkey and mule(!) etc.
For anyone else with as bad a memory as me, the list of duty-free limits on food is here:
http://www.ezv.admin.ch/zollinfo_pri...x.html?lang=en