TSA Declared Peanut Butter a Liquid, and Travelers Have Thoughts

Aside from creamy vs. crunchy, you probably never give the consistency of your peanut butter a second thought. But it might be more important than you thought, especially if you want to take some PB on a trip as a snack.

As thousands of Americans start thinking about their upcoming holiday travel plans, a post from the Transportation Security Administration on the social media site X is worth bringing up again. “You may not be nuts about it, but TSA considers your PB a liquid. In carry-on, it needs to be 3.4oz or less. Make sure all your travel-sized liquids fit in one quart-sized bag," TSA stated.

The organization went on to remind travelers that for something to be classified as a liquid, it must have no definitive shape and take on the shape of its container.

While this does describe peanut butter, the post had many people cracking jokes. 

“I just need to know exactly how many miniature Reese’s peanut butter cups I can take on each flight," said one commenter.

Another tried to poke holes in the logic. One commenter posted several pictures of cats fitting themselves in large containers, saying, “By your logic, a cat is a liquid.”

Still, others wondered if sandwiches were out of the question. “What if I spread it between a couple of pieces of bread, maybe with a little bit of strawberry jam?” asked one commenter.

No matter the debate, rules are rules. So if you’re considering bringing a jar of peanut butter in your carry-on, you might want to leave it at home and buy one at your destination instead. Or make sure it's in a small enough container to fit with the other liquids in your quart-sized bag.