(WHTM) – With Thanksgiving coming up next week, many people will be traveling around the country to celebrate the holiday with family and friends.
But, have you wondered what kinds of foods you can take on an airplane? Or more specifically what can be brought through checkpoints, and what items need to be in checked baggage?
According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), they say if it is a solid food item, then it can go through a checkpoint. However, if you can spill it, spray it, pump it, spread it, or pour it, and if it’s larger than 3.4 ounces, then it should go in a checked bag.
The TSA says that more often than not, food items often need additional security screening. TSA recommends it is best to place those items in an easily accessible location of the carry-on when packing them and then remove those items from your bag and place them in a bin for screening at the checkpoint.
Below is a list of what Thanksgiving foods can be transported through a TSA checkpoint, according to the TSA:
- 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 in 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
Foods that should be placed in a 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.
Foods that are placed in a checked bag should be packed carefully and tightly.