Meat, liquids and powders: the three flags in iTaoBuy’s food rules
Jerky, chilli oil and milk tea powder are where the notice, the estimator and the prohibited list stop agreeing. This page sets the three side by side.
Meat products: high risk on most routes
The notice is blunt: “Meat products (e.g., jerky, sausages, pork floss) have a high risk of being seized on most of the above routes. Please ship them with caution.” On HZ-ETY and HZ-EMS-T meat is banned outright.
The estimator is more permissive. With Meat Products selected, Canada kept the same four routes as for Non-Meat Food: HZ-EUB, Canada Line-TH, HZ-ETY and EMS - Sea Line. The United States kept U.S. Line - F. The United Kingdom kept only the two postal routes, HZ-EUB and HZ-ETY; both UK dedicated routes rejected meat.
Neither source says meat will or will not get through a border. The notice speaks of risk, the estimator of route acceptance, and the destination pages, which we quote separately, speak of meat more firmly than either. Pork floss, a fluffy dried pork topping, is the one most people do not realise is meat.
Liquids, pastes and powders in the estimator
| Destination | Powder accepted by | Liquid accepted by | Paste accepted by |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | none | U.S. Dedicated Line Small Packages – (With Built-in Battery) | U.S. Dedicated Line Small Packages – (With Built-in Battery) |
| Canada | Canada Line-TH, HZ-ETY | Canada Line-TH, HZ-ETY | Canada Line-TH, HZ-ETY |
| United Kingdom | HZ-ETY | HZ-ETY | Royal Mail Express Service-MG, HZ-ETY |
| Australia | HZ-ETY | HZ-ETY | HZ-ETY |
| Germany | DHL Europe Direct Service - MG | DHL Europe Direct Service - MG | DHL Duty-Free - TH, DHL Europe Direct Service - MG |
Sauces, oils, honey, jam, milk powder and drink sachets fall under Liquid, Paste or Powder rather than Non-Meat Food, and each narrows the list further. To Germany, only DHL Europe Direct Service - MG accepted all three. DHL Duty-Free - TH accepted Paste but rejected Powder and Liquid.
Some combinations left nothing. No open route to the United States accepted Powder; the only US route that accepted Liquid and Paste was U.S. Dedicated Line Small Packages – (With Built-in Battery), which rejected Non-Meat Food. So a parcel of crisps and chilli oil to the US had no single route that took both.
Where the estimator and the route’s own text disagree, as with Canada Line-TH, whose forbidden field says liquids and powders are not accepted although the check passed them, assume the stricter one until support says otherwise.
HZ-ETY and HZ-EMS-T: a written ban the estimator does not apply
Section I of the notice says both postal food routes “prohibit liquids, powders, and meat products”. Section III repeats it with examples, jam, honey and milk powder, and a consequence: “Violations will result in return or confiscation.”
In our readings the estimator rejected none of those categories on HZ-ETY, in any destination. HZ-EMS-T did not appear at all. And the HZ-ETY description itself says the channel “is for sending electronic products only”, which contradicts the notice in the other direction.
Three texts, three answers. The one that carries a stated penalty is the notice, so the pre-check follows it: on HZ-ETY, liquids, pastes, powders and meat get a Stop even when the estimator prices them. For EU addresses the question is moot; HZ-ETY has been closed to the EU since 23 June 2026.
Dairy, honey and the Prohibited Items List
iTaoBuy keeps a separate Prohibited Items List, last updated on 10 June 2026. Its food entries are marked Undeliverable: dairy products, defined as “Milk (milk powder), dairy drinks and cream”; “More than 200ML of honey, eggs, wine, sugar, food, etc.”; frozen fresh meat; and goods under state trading rules, “Such as corn, oil, soy sauce, salt, etc.”
Another entry lists food, feed and tea among items “that are harmful to human and animal health, come from epidemic areas and can spread diseases”. The wording is about risky food, but tea is named in it, which is why our tool adds a note on tea.
This list was updated after the food notice and does not mention it. It is also the page iTaoBuy links as its prohibited items reference. We show both texts side by side and do not guess which one the warehouse applies on a given day.
Sensitive items the warehouse takes out
A third iTaoBuy page, the Disclaimer for Purchasing Special Items, covers what happens in the warehouse. Items containing “essential oils, care liquids, lubricants, batteries, glue, and other sensitive materials” are removed “to ensure proper shipping”. A gift box with a scented oil inside can arrive without it.
Point 2 is the customs disclaimer: brand goods, large quantities of liquids or powders, battery items “and food/drugs may be subject to customs policy restrictions”, and iTaoBuy is “not responsible for customs clearance or related legal liabilities arising from such issues”.
These sources still leave product and route conflicts. Treat the estimator as a dated quotation, ask the agent about the exact contents and verify the destination’s import requirements before buying.