Trader Joe’s signature Everything but the Bagel sesame seasoning blend may be a staple in the pantries of many American households, but travelers looking to share the popular topping with their relatives and friends in South Korea say they’re running into a sprinkling of trouble.
The product has been illegal there for two years, as poppy seeds are designated as a narcotic, according to Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Koreans on social media have recently been sharing accounts of a stricter approach at the airport.
At Seoul’s Incheon International Airport, one traveler posted a photo of a sign explicitly warning travelers about the Trader Joe’s seasoning. The sign includes a picture of the product, which has become popular worldwide thanks largely to social media.
The airport did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A representative told CNN that the country is cracking down on narcotic-related imports.
“Seed products with narcotic substances have always been banned from being brought into Korea. Recently, the customs offices have been strengthening crackdown on narcotic related items,” an airport representative told CNN.
The U.S. Embassy issued a warning on its website, too, saying, “Please note that food products containing poppy seeds, including popular bagel sesame seasoning blends, are considered illegal in Korea.”
A traveler said on X last month that authorities seized her Everything but the Bagel products when she entered the country.
“If you’re in the U.S., don’t buy this sesame seasoning from Trader Joe’s,” she said in an X post translated from Korean. “The ingredients contain poppy seeds, making you a drug holder when you enter Korea.”
“Crackers too,” she continued. “Everything will get taken away.”
A Korean travel blogger posted Monday on the Korean website Naver that she came back from a trip to the U.S. with 20 bottles of the seasoning, which contains sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried garlic and onion and sea salt flakes and retails online for $1.99 for 2.3 ounces.
She intended to give them as gifts, but Incheon Airport customs flagged them and locked them up.
“I wondered what was going on, so I went to Incheon Airport customs, and there were already many people being inspected because of this product,” the traveler wrote. “There seems to be some confusion since it hasn’t been that long since the import ban was applied.”
Poppy seeds and health
While the poppy plant can be used to produce opium, the poppy seeds used in cooking aren’t dangerous and can’t intoxicate you, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration Museum.
“Practically speaking, you cannot eat enough poppy seeds to get you high,” said an article by the University of Florida College of Medicine. “Furthermore, processing dramatically decreases opiate content — for example, by washing or cooking or baking the seeds.”
But sometimes eating foods containing the seeds might cause people to fail drug tests, which are very sensitive, the article said. Still, they are specifically excluded from the U.S.’ Controlled Substances Act.
The Everything but the Bagel phenomenon
The Trader Joe’s seasoning has been wildly popular over the last few years, and recipes on social media showcase it being used on everything from bread and eggs to salmon and Korean chives pancakes.
A Korean influencer, Kenji Kumagi, posted a video explaining the ban to his followers.
“I guess this got viral on social media in Korea, and everyone and their mothers visiting the U.S. are buying these and taking it back to Korea because they like it so much,” he said in the video.
In the comments, travelers chimed in with their experiences, some saying they brought the seasoning into the country without an issue.
“I brought in three bottles when I moved to Korea during Covid, and when TSA in Incheon saw it they thought it was diet food and let me keep it,” a commenter said.
Another American expat said that she used to be able to have it delivered and that she’s disappointed that has changed.
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“My order got confiscated at customs recently,” she said. “I was annoyed. Two years ago, it was no issue for it to be shipped to Korea. I gotta make my own w/o poppy seed I guess.”
