Turkeys on a plane: Here are the Thanksgiving foods you can get through security
Lugging a casserole cross-country to Thanksgiving gathering? Or maybe you’re hoping to score some leftovers to carry back home after the holiday.
If you’re traveling by plane, you need to know ahead of time which leftovers you can bring on the plane and how you’ll need to transport them.
The good news is that most foods can be carried through a TSA checkpoint, the Transportation Security Administration said in a press release, but some will need to be transported in checked baggage.
Foods that can be carried through a TSA checkpoint
In short: solid items can be carried through checkpoints.
But if you can “spill it, spread it, spray it, pump it or pour it” — and if it’s larger than 3.4 ounces — it should go in a checked bag.
Here’s a breakdown of the items that are allowed, 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
- Mac and 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.
- Candy
- Spices
Foods that should be packed in checked baggage
Beverages: Wine, champagne, sparkling apple cider.
- Cranberry sauce: Homemade or canned versions are spreadable, so check them.
- Gravy: Homemade or in a jar or can.
- Canned fruit or vegetables: They have liquid in the can, so check them.
- Preserves, jams and jellies: They are spreadable, so best to check them.
- Maple syrup
What else can you take on an airplane?
The TSA’s “What Can I Bring?” website feature allows travelers to type in items to see if they can carry them through checkpoints or if they should be put in checked bags.
The “Food” section can be helpful for Thanksgiving travelers. For example: Alcoholic beverages with over 70% alcohol (such as Everclear) cannot travel by plane at all.
You can also snap a photo and send a message to AskTSA on Facebook Messenger or Twitter to get information for items not listed on their site. (Note: Operational hours for this service differ on holidays.)
Do you have a story about carrying food through Raleigh-Durham International Airport security that you’d like to share? Email kcataudella@newsobserver.com, or check out our resources to ask questions and submit anonymous tips at newsobserver.com/news/local/article254283853.html.
This story was originally published November 22, 2021 at 11:42 AM.
