Food You Can Take on a Plane: Full List for TSA & International Flights (2026)

Food & Agriculture · Updated 2026 · 9 min read

Traveller at the Denver International Airport TSA checkpoint putting a sandwich, a block of cheese and a bag of crackers into a bin beside a sign reading solid food no limit — Solid food goes straight through. Anything you can spread, pour or scoop gets the 100 ml limit.

Yes, you can take food on a plane. At TSA, solid food has no limit in a carry-on or a checked bag, and anything spreadable or pourable is capped at 3.4 oz (100 ml) in a carry-on. That one sentence sorts almost every food. The exceptions are frozen food, canned food, baby food, and a few things you thought were fine.

Below is every food and drink on TSA’s own “What can I bring” food list, 55 rows covering all 59 items, with the carry-on answer, the checked-bag answer, and a third column most lists skip: how likely customs is to stop it when you land in another country.

foods and drinks on TSA’s official food list

limit on solid food, carry-on or checked

100 ml

carry-on cap for spreadable and pourable food

5 lb

dry ice limit (vented, marked package)

🍽️ Food you can take on a plane: the full list

Type a food in the box. The first two columns are TSA’s own answers for flights from a US airport. The last column is a general guide to what customs usually does, not a promise for one country.

Food	Carry-on bag	Checked bag	International customs
Bread, baked goods & sweets
BreadPlain bread is a solid. Fillings change the customs answer, not the TSA one.	Yes	Yes	🟢 Usually fine
SandwichesFine at TSA. Meat, cheese or egg fillings are what customs stops.	Yes	Yes	🟡 Declare it
PizzaA cold slice is a solid. Meat and cheese toppings count at customs.	Yes	Yes	🟡 Declare it
Pies & cakesBakery-sealed is usually fine; fresh cream, egg or meat fillings may not be.	Yes	Yes	🟡 Declare it
Cookies	Yes	Yes	🟢 Usually fine
Crackers	Yes	Yes	🟢 Usually fine
Cereal	Yes	Yes	🟢 Usually fine
Candy	Yes	Yes	🟢 Usually fine
Chocolate, solidMelted chocolate is still a solid at TSA.	Yes	Yes	🟢 Usually fine
Chewing gum	Yes	Yes	🟢 Usually fine
Snack bars	Yes	Yes	🟢 Usually fine
Chips & other snacksTSA lists plain "snacks" as solid food.	Yes	Yes	🟢 Usually fine
Other solid foodThe TSA catch-all: solid food is allowed in both bags.	Yes	Yes	🟡 Declare it
TamalesMeat-filled tamales fall under the meat rules at customs.	Yes	Yes	🟡 Declare it
Fruit, vegetables, nuts & eggs
Fresh fruit & vegetablesCarry-on is fine inside the US mainland. Most fresh produce cannot go from Hawaii, Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands to the mainland.	⚠️ Special rules	Yes	🔴 Often banned
Dried fruitCommercially packaged is usually accepted; biosecurity countries want it declared.	Yes	Yes	🟡 Declare it
NutsPackaged and roasted is usually fine; raw or in-shell nuts get checked.	Yes	Yes	🟡 Declare it
Fresh eggsRaw eggs are a customs problem, not a TSA one.	Yes	Yes	🔴 Often banned
Dairy
Cheese, solidHard cheese is a solid at TSA. Dairy is restricted at many borders.	Yes	Yes	🔴 Often banned
Cheese, creamySpreadable cheese is a gel under the 3-1-1 rule.	⚠️ 100 ml max	Yes	🔴 Often banned
Yogurt	⚠️ 100 ml max	Yes	🔴 Often banned
Ice creamMelts anyway, and it is dairy.	⚠️ 100 ml max	Yes	🔴 Often banned
Meat, seafood & frozen
Cooked meat, seafood & vegetables (no liquid)Cooked and dry is a solid at TSA. Meat is among the most restricted foods at customs.	Yes	Yes	🔴 Often banned
Fresh meat & seafoodIf packed with ice, the ice must be frozen solid. Dry ice: 5 lb maximum, vented package, marked.	⚠️ Special rules	Yes	🔴 Often banned
Frozen foodMust be frozen solid at the checkpoint. Slushy or liquid at the bottom is refused.	⚠️ Special rules	Yes	🔴 Often banned
Live lobsterClear, spill-proof plastic container. Airline policy applies.	⚠️ Ask the airline	Yes	🔴 Often banned
Spreads, sauces & liquid foods
Peanut butterSpreadable means liquid at TSA, even in a sealed jar.	⚠️ 100 ml max	Yes	🟡 Declare it
Jam & jelly	⚠️ 100 ml max	Yes	🟢 Usually fine
HoneyRestricted in some countries because of bee disease risk.	⚠️ 100 ml max	Yes	🟡 Declare it
Maple syrup	⚠️ 100 ml max	Yes	🟢 Usually fine
Hummus	⚠️ 100 ml max	Yes	🟡 Declare it
Creamy dips & spreadsDairy- or meat-based dips follow the dairy and meat rules at customs.	⚠️ 100 ml max	Yes	🟡 Declare it
Salsa & saucesCommercial sealed jars are usually fine.	⚠️ 100 ml max	Yes	🟡 Declare it
Salad dressing	⚠️ 100 ml max	Yes	🟢 Usually fine
Oils & vinegars	⚠️ 100 ml max	Yes	🟢 Usually fine
Gravy	⚠️ 100 ml max	Yes	🟡 Declare it
SoupsMeat-based soup is treated as meat at customs.	⚠️ 100 ml max	Yes	🟡 Declare it
Canned foodsTSA says cans may need extra screening and suggests the checked bag. Meat and dairy cans are restricted at many borders.	⚠️ Special rules	Yes	🟡 Declare it
Drinks
Water, juice & sodaBuy it after security.	⚠️ 100 ml max	Yes	🟢 Usually fine
Coffee, liquid	⚠️ 100 ml max	Yes	🟢 Usually fine
Coffee beans or ground	Yes	Yes	🟢 Usually fine
Tea, dry	Yes	Yes	🟢 Usually fine
Liquid chocolate	⚠️ 100 ml max	Yes	🟢 Usually fine
Empty thermos or drink containerTake it empty through security and fill it after.	Yes	Yes	🟢 Usually fine
Alcoholic drinks (up to 70%)Allowances vary by country. See the alcohol allowance article.	⚠️ 100 ml max	Yes (over 24% to 70%: 5 L max)	🟡 Declare it
Alcohol over 70% (140 proof)Prohibited by TSA in carry-on and checked bags.	❌ No	❌ No	🟡 Declare it
Baby & pet
Baby food, including pouchesAllowed over 3.4 oz. Tell the officer; it is screened separately.	Yes	Yes	🟡 Declare it
Baby formula, breast milk & toddler drinksAllowed over 3.4 oz. Tell the officer before screening starts.	⚠️ Special rules	Yes	🟡 Declare it
Baby juice & waterReasonable quantities, screened separately.	⚠️ Special rules	Yes	🟢 Usually fine
Pet food, dry or moistAnimal products make pet food a customs problem.	Yes	Yes	🔴 Often banned
Pet food, wetPrescription wet pet food may exceed 3.4 oz with extra screening.	⚠️ 100 ml max	Yes	🔴 Often banned
Powders, spices & extras
Protein & energy powdersOver 12 oz / 350 ml goes in a separate bin and may be opened.	Yes	Yes	🟡 Declare it
Spices, dryPlant material: declare it where the arrival card asks.	Yes	Yes	🟡 Declare it
Salt	Yes	Yes	🟢 Usually fine
Gel ice packsFrozen solid only. Medically necessary packs are allowed in any state; tell the officer.	⚠️ Special rules	Yes	🟢 Usually fine

That food is not in this list. If you can spread it or pour it, treat it as a liquid in a carry-on.

🟢

Usually fine: commercially packaged, shelf-stable, no meat, dairy, egg or fresh plant material.

🟡

Declare it: usually accepted, but the arrival card asks about it and some countries inspect it.

🔴

Often banned: fresh produce, meat, dairy and eggs are restricted or prohibited at many borders.

🧪 The one test that sorts every food at TSA

TSA does not judge food by what it is. It judges it by how it behaves. Under the 3-1-1 rule, a carry-on liquid, gel or paste has to fit in a 100 ml container inside one clear bag. For food, that gives a simple test.

💡

Can you spread it, pour it, pump it or scoop it? Then it is a liquid or gel. Peanut butter, jam, honey, yogurt, hummus, soup and sauce all count, even in a sealed jar. A peanut butter sandwich does not, because the bread makes it a solid. For the full rule, see the 100 ml liquids rule explained.

⚠️ The foods people get wrong

🥜

Peanut butter and nut butters are a spread. A full jar is refused at the checkpoint and goes in the checked bag.

🥫

Canned food is allowed, but TSA says cans can need extra screening and suggests packing them in the checked bag or leaving them home.

🧀

Cheese depends on the type. A block of cheddar is a solid. Cream cheese and spreadable cheese are not.

🍦

Ice cream and yogurt are on TSA’s list as 100 ml items in a carry-on.

🥪

Sandwiches, pizza, cake and pie are solids and go through fine, although an officer may ask you to take them out of the bag.

TSA officer at a Los Angeles International checkpoint holding a large jar of peanut butter next to a sign reading 3.4 oz or 100 ml maximum — Spreadable means liquid: a full jar of peanut butter, a tub of cream cheese or a tin goes in the checked bag.

🧊 Frozen food, ice packs and dry ice

Frozen food is allowed in a carry-on and a checked bag, with one condition that decides everything: it has to be frozen solid when it reaches the checkpoint.

Ice and gel ice packs that are completely frozen are allowed.

❌

Partly melted ice, slush, or any liquid at the bottom of the cooler is refused unless it meets the 100 ml rule.

🧊

Dry ice is allowed up to 5 lb (the FAA limit), in a vented package that is marked.

💊

Medically necessary ice packs are allowed in any state. Tell the officer. See syringes, EpiPens, insulin and gel ice packs.

🍼 Baby food, formula and pouches

Baby food has its own rule. Formula, breast milk, toddler drinks and baby or toddler food, including puree pouches, are treated as medically necessary liquids. They are allowed in carry-on bags over 3.4 oz and do not have to fit in the quart bag. The full guide is baby food pouches on a plane.

👶

Tell the officer at the start of screening and take these items out of the bag to be screened separately. TSA says it may test the liquid, and you can ask for it not to be X-rayed or opened. You do not need to have the child with you.

🌴 Flying inside the US: the one fruit exception

On a domestic flight within the US mainland, fresh fruit and vegetables are fine in both bags. The exception is the agricultural border inside the country: passengers flying from Hawaii, Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands to the mainland cannot take most fresh fruit and vegetables, because of the risk of spreading invasive plant pests.

🛂 International flights: a second checklist

Passing TSA only answers the departure question. When you land in another country, customs asks something different: could this food carry a pest or an animal disease? That is why the last column of the table is mostly red for meat, dairy, eggs and fresh produce, and mostly green for packaged snacks.

Customs officer at Toronto Pearson sorting a traveller's food into two piles, sausage, cheese and eggs on one side and crackers, candy and tea on the other — At customs the question changes: packaged snacks pass, while meat, dairy and eggs usually do not.

USA — USDA/APHIS restricts most fresh fruit, vegetables and meat; see the US food page

Australia — among the strictest biosecurity checks; see the Australia food page

New Zealand — undeclared food is fined on the spot; see the New Zealand food page

Japan — plant quarantine applies to fresh produce; see the Japan food page

United Kingdom — see the UK food page

Singapore — see the Singapore food page

⚠️

Declare when in doubt. Declared food that is not allowed is usually just taken. Undeclared food that is found is what brings fines. The full TSA-versus-customs explanation is in Food on a Plane: What Passes TSA vs. Customs, and the harshest case is Australia and New Zealand biosecurity fines.

Before you fly — checklist

Solid food goes in the carry-on with no limit. Anything spreadable or pourable over 100 ml goes in the checked bag.

Frozen food and ice packs must be frozen solid at the checkpoint.

Baby food, formula and pouches are exempt from the 100 ml rule. Tell the officer first.

Flying out of Hawaii, Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands: leave most fresh fruit and vegetables behind.

Flying abroad: check the destination’s customs rules for meat, dairy, eggs, fresh produce and honey. TSA approval means nothing there.

Bringing alcohol? See the duty-free alcohol allowance by country.

TSA rules apply to screening at US airports, and other countries’ security rules differ. Customs rules change and each authority has the final word, so confirm current requirements with the destination’s customs or agriculture authority before you travel. Updated 2026.

🔎

Toothpaste, lotion and other non-food items: Is it a liquid? The full TSA list.

🔗 Useful sources

TSA — What can I bring: food and drink TSA — Liquids, aerosols and gels rule USDA APHIS — Traveling with food, plant and animal products Australian Department of Agriculture — Travelling to Australia New Zealand MPI — What you cannot bring into New Zealand European Commission — Customs rules for travellers