You Can’t Take Peanut Butter In Your Carry-On When Traveling & People Think TSA Is 'Nuts'

"So what if it’s on a sandwich?"

Peanut butter. Right: TSA PreCheck access at the airport.

Peanut butter. Right: TSA PreCheck access at the airport.

Desk Editor, Texas

If you’re planning to take a whole jar of peanut butter in your carry-on during your next flight out of town or going back home, there’s some bad news for you. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers won’t easily allow you to take this food item with you.

According to the American agency, peanut butter is considered a liquid, so you’re only permitted to take 3.4oz with you and make sure your travel-sized liquids fit in one quart-sized bag.

"Peanut butter…a liquid has no definite shape and takes a shape dictated by its container," reads a photo posted by TSA on Twitter.

The tweet has generated several reactions from users showing confusion and asking questions about this carry-on rule.

"So what if it’s on a sandwich?" one person replied to the previously mentioned TSA tweet, to which the government entity responded that solid foods —including peanut butter and jelly sandwiches — can be packed inside carry-on luggage without limitations or specific requirements.

"I just need to know exactly how many miniature Reese’s peanut butter cups I can take on each flight," someone else tweeted. "I really don’t want my candy consumption considered a national security threat."

Other people have shared their disagreement with this TSA regulation, considering their definition of liquid not accurate.

"You’re nuts!" a person replied to TSA’s tweet.

"Hate to tell you, but here is the definition of a liquid = a fluid (such as water) that has no independent shape but has a definitive volume and does not expand indefinitely, and that is only slightly compressible. Courtesy of Merriam-Webster," someone else wrote.

"The percentage of water our bodies carry may as well be banned too," another user shared.

To learn more about the TSA rules when packing any liquids, you can click here.

  • Texas Editor

    Fernanda Leon (she/her) was the Texas Editor at Narcity Media. She was born in El Paso and speaks English and Spanish fluently. With a BA in Multimedia Journalism from The University of Texas at El Paso, Fernanda has more than 8 years of experience in the news industry where she has worked for companies like MVS Radio and NBCUniversal. She was nominated for an EMMY Award and has interviewed important personalities in the entertainment and news industry. You can find her at coffee shops, traveling, or having brunch when she's not working.

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