If your food is solid, it can go through TSA checkpoints. Solid food includes bread, hard-boiled eggs, candy, cereal, cookies, chips, sandwiches, pasta, wraps, dried fruit and nuts, most fruits and vegetables, and salads. The final say as to whether a food item can or cannot be carried onto a plane is at the discretion of the inspecting TSA officer, but most solid foods will be approved.
The TSA considers anything which can be spilled, spread, sprayed, pumped, or poured as a liquid. If your food item meets any of these criteria and weighs more than 3.4 ounces, it should travel in a checked bag. Bear this in mind for food items such as creamy cheeses, gravy, dips, packaged salad dressing, and sauces, all of which are considered liquids. On the other hand, salad dressing in a prepared salad is considered a solid food item.
TSA agents tend to check food items carefully, so be prepared for some extra time at the security checkpoint. You can speed up the process by removing food from your carry-on bag and placing it in a separate bin for faster screening.
Frozen food brought onto planes in a tote cooler are allowed as carry on. Just remember that gel packs will be considered liquids by the TSA unless the packs are frozen solid).
If you’re traveling with children, you can bring reasonable quantities of formula, breast milk, and juice in your carry-on baggage. Such items need to be removed from bags before screening, and TSA officers may ask if they can be X-rayed or the containers can be opened and inspected. You have the right to refuse these requests, but what happens next is at the discretion of the TSA officer. You may be subject to closer inspection of your carry-on bag or a pat-down. Unless you have strong feelings against X-raying formula, juice, or breast milk, you’ll get through security faster if you agree to the request.
The TSA forbids the transport of fresh fruits and vegetables from carry-on and checked luggage when traveling to the US mainland from Hawaii, Puerto Rico, or the US Virgin Islands. This rule prevents the spread of invasive tropical plant pests to the mainland.
Once through TSA checkpoints, you can purchase any beverage or food from the departure area to take onto the plane. While there are no hard-and-fast rules regarding what you can or cannot eat during your flight, it’s considered courteous not to eat anything with strong smells that could disturb other passengers.
How to Bring Food on a Plane
If your food is solid, it can go through TSA checkpoints. Solid food includes bread, hard-boiled eggs, candy, cereal, cookies, chips, sandwiches, pasta, wraps, dried fruit and nuts, most fruits and vegetables, and salads. The final say as to whether a food item can or cannot be carried onto a plane is at the discretion of the inspecting TSA officer, but most solid foods will be approved.
The TSA considers anything which can be spilled, spread, sprayed, pumped, or poured as a liquid. If your food item meets any of these criteria and weighs more than 3.4 ounces, it should travel in a checked bag. Bear this in mind for food items such as creamy cheeses, gravy, dips, packaged salad dressing, and sauces, all of which are considered liquids. On the other hand, salad dressing in a prepared salad is considered a solid food item.
TSA agents tend to check food items carefully, so be prepared for some extra time at the security checkpoint. You can speed up the process by removing food from your carry-on bag and placing it in a separate bin for faster screening.
Frozen food brought onto planes in a tote cooler are allowed as carry on. Just remember that gel packs will be considered liquids by the TSA unless the packs are frozen solid).
If you’re traveling with children, you can bring reasonable quantities of formula, breast milk, and juice in your carry-on baggage. Such items need to be removed from bags before screening, and TSA officers may ask if they can be X-rayed or the containers can be opened and inspected. You have the right to refuse these requests, but what happens next is at the discretion of the TSA officer. You may be subject to closer inspection of your carry-on bag or a pat-down. Unless you have strong feelings against X-raying formula, juice, or breast milk, you’ll get through security faster if you agree to the request.
The TSA forbids the transport of fresh fruits and vegetables from carry-on and checked luggage when traveling to the US mainland from Hawaii, Puerto Rico, or the US Virgin Islands. This rule prevents the spread of invasive tropical plant pests to the mainland.
Once through TSA checkpoints, you can purchase any beverage or food from the departure area to take onto the plane. While there are no hard-and-fast rules regarding what you can or cannot eat during your flight, it’s considered courteous not to eat anything with strong smells that could disturb other passengers.