I’m traveling by air tomorrow and will have no time to grab lunch in between my flights. I’m a budding bento-box enthusiast and think that this is a sterling opportunity to pack myself a travel bento… my question is… do you think that I could take some sandwiches and fruit through airport security without problems?
If you are in the USA, here’s the TSA list of prohibited items
I fly frequently and I’ve had no problem with any food at any airport. Liquids are, of course, a different matter.
I’ve never had a problem with generic snacks, but my gal was forced to dispose of her pepper jelly before boarding.
No kidding. Talk about your chemical weapons 
Hmm. Egg salad. I’m torn. Would egg salad be a gel?
Gel shoe inserts are prohibited? That wouldn’t have even occurred to me. I guess it does make a sort of convoluted sense. You might have a wire going up to the electronic detonator in your codpiece.
Gellin’ like a felon.
“Gel shoe inserts - Gel shoe inserts are not permitted, but shoes constructed with gel heels are allowed and must be removed and screened. Read more on our shoe screening policy.”
I’ve had yogurt confiscated by TSA but never had a problem with any obviously solid food.
That’s where it gets tricky. 3.5 ounces of mayonnaise, forbidden. Chop up two eggs in it, put it between two slices of bread, and Bob’s your uncle. Thank God the terrorists have lost the recipe for hard boiled eggs.
The other day when I was going through security I noticed that the security guy right before the scanner (who I tend to think of as a facilitator rather than actual security) grabbed everybody’s shoes, picked them up, and looked inside them. I thought he might be looking for secret compartments or shoes made of strange material. Never occurred to me that he was just looking for Dr. Scholls inserts! :smack:
Yesterday I didn’t have any trouble with a paper bag containing two large muffins. I just put it in the tray with my shoes, cell phone and other small items. I also had a water bottle which I made sure was empty, then refilled it at a water fountain in the terminal.
Food is no problem
What I do is wrap a ham sandwich (mustard, no mayo) in a big piece of aluminum foil. Does this show up on their scanners? Of COURSE it does! Then, they check it out, the mindless twits. Hoo…we got a ham samwich here…OK, you go thru.
Ha, ha. Once thru security, I unwrap said ham samwich, and eat it. Then, I mold the big piece of aluminum foil into a cap which I place over mine head and thereby defeat the mind control rays of the evil gummint.
Which is a roundabout way of saying that if you package the food correctly, and it is of the right type, you will have no problem. You’re on your own with the aluminum foil hat, though.
Given the choice, I’d prefer death by terrorism to 7 tablespoons of mayo in a 2-egg egg salad sandwich.
At Burbank airport last month, both sandwich and cherries were no problem but one of those individual containers of applesauce, factory sealed, was ruled a “liquid” and confiscated.
One of the reasons I rarely fly: they won’t feed me on a cross-country flight, and they won’t let me pack food lest I blow up a plane with prepackaged applesauce, and no one is allowed to apply common sense lest the terrorists win.
Wouldn’t it suck then, if you went through a lot of trouble to get them to allow you your applesauce, but then the applesauce of the guy behind you turned out to be a disguised explosive? Have fun enjoying the irony during the ‘crash’ portion of your flight.
Ugh. I couldn’t even finish reading that list. The immensely concentrated stupid was just making me too angry. The rules are so mind-bogglingly impotent, petty, and arbitrary it really defies the imagination. And to top it all off, they have this banner at the top of the page. :dubious:
Yup, this is why I don’t fly if I can avoid it.
You’re kidding, right?
You’ll definitely have trouble bringing in fruit (so far: apples, oranges and pears, and I think a banana) through international customs, even if you bought the food on the plane. I get hit with this all the time. In fact, I always try to sneak something I got from the plane through and they always catch it. They don’t seem to care that the fruit was given to me from a flight that originated in their country.
That’s why I fly first class, they still feed you. 
Wow. I thought the banner was a parody. It is not!! Behavior Detection Officers?!!?
Thank you, I will.
Of course, had the clear-sided container of applesauce been inside a ziploc, its explosive qualities would have been magically neutralized. Only unziplocked applesauce is dangerous.
It did not seem to be the time or place to explain to the TSA employee what was wrong with this line of thinking.