There’s a lot to think about as you prepare for a flight, from what to pack to whether or not you should bring food. There was once a time when airlines served meals on domestic, but those days are now just a luxury reserved for those lucky enough to fly first class. Sure, you can pay for a meal, but they’re overpriced, only offered on certain flights anyway, and mostly consist of snacks. Another option is grabbing food in the airport, but even with fast food chain apps that let you order ahead of time, items are still overpriced and limited.
That makes bringing food you’ve prepared at home an awfully tempting option. You could pack a snackle box, a plastic container similar to a tackle box that you can pack with snacks and goodies in separate compartments. These creative boxes are fully legal as long as they are properly packed and TSA compliant, but snacks only take you so far. Sometimes you want an actual meal.
Enter cooking at home and stashing a carefully packed meal in your carry-on: It saves you money, keeps you from going hungry, and you know you’ll enjoy it because, well, you know what you like! But this tactic raises an interesting question. Is it legal? Does TSA let you carry it through security and onto the plane? Technically yes, but there are some specifics you should familiarize yourself with before you expend the time and effort.
Know the rules and make smart choices
Anything you plan to take with you on an airplane has to pass through security, meaning it’s going to go through an x-ray machine and is subject to further search by TSA agents. Ultimately, TSA agents have full authority to make the final call on whether or not you can take something through the security check at the airport. As long as prepacked food from home is compliant with the rules, it is generally allowable. That being said, any food that is in liquid, gel, paste, or aerosol form must meet the requirements of the 3-1-1 rule. It doesn’t matter if you stopped at Costco to grab a premade meal; if it wasn’t bought on the secure side of the security check, it has to meet this rule.
The 3-1-1 rule lets you take containers that are 3.4 ounces or less if they’re inside of a 1-quart bag. This doesn’t leave a lot of room for creative cooking options, and you certainly can’t pack a whole meal in one container if it has liquid components, such as soup or sauce. This means you need to make creative choices. Even if you do follow the TSA guidelines and separate your packaged food when sending it through the x-ray machine, it can still get flagged, searched further, and prohibited if TSA sees something suspicious. The only foods exempt from this rule are those for infants and small children, or if the food falls under the category of medications.
