ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) – With Thanksgiving almost here, the TSA is giving travel tips on what prepared food and dishes can go through checkpoints and what needs to be in a checked bag.
Most foods can travel through TSA including solid food items. If the item can be spilled, spread, sprayed, pumped out, or poured, and it’s larger than 3.4 ounces it needs to go in a checked bag.
Some food items also need additional security screening, so make sure they are in an easy place to grab when packing. This makes it easier to be placed in the security bin for screening at the checkpoint.
(Photo Credit: Transportation Security Administration)
The following foods can be carried through a TSA Checkpoint:
- Baked goods. Homemade or store-bought pies, cakes, cookies, brownies, and other sweet treats.
- Meats. Turkey, chicken, ham, steak. Frozen, cooked or uncooked.
- Stuffing. Cooked, uncooked, in a box or a bag.
- Casseroles. Traditional green beans and onion straws or something more exotic.
- Mac ‘n Cheese. Cooked in a pan or traveling with the ingredients to cook it at your destination.
- Fresh vegetables. Potatoes, yams, broccoli, green beans, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, beets, radishes, carrots, squash, greens.
- Fresh fruit. Apples, pears, pineapple, lemons, limes, cranberries, blueberries, strawberries, bananas, kiwi.
- Candy
- Spices
(Photo Credit: Transportation Security Administration)
Thanksgiving foods that should be strategically packed in your checked bag include:
- Cranberry sauce. Homemade or canned are spreadable, so check them.
- Gravy. Homemade or in a jar/can.
- Wine, champagne, sparking apple cider.
- Canned fruit or vegetables. It’s got liquid in the can, so check them.
- Preserves, jams, and jellies. They are spreadable, so best to check them.
- Maple syrup.
It is also important to remember to safely store food to prevent foodborne illnesses. Icepacks are also allowed to keep food cold, however the packs must be frozen to go through checkpoints.
For more information visit, https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/holiday-food-safety.
If you are unsure about items that can be in a carry-on or checked bag, you can download the free My TSA app or text “Travel” to AskTSA at 275-872.