NEW food TSA rules coming soon. Sometimes already in effect in Orlando.

a4matte

Mouseketeer
Joined
Nov 12, 2014
Candy, food, even things like cough drops will be screened separately starting in January. Just went through MCO security and waited nearly 2 hours in TSA. Ended up leaving behind a large amount of treats from Disney because we were minutes from missing our flight.

Had friends go through shortly before us and had no problem. TSA stopped the lines for 15 minutes then started them again telling everyone new rules were in effect and to listen carefully. We were told it’s a new country-wide rule starting in January.

Everything now needed to also be in separate bins if they were unlike the other items - like tablets could not be in the same bin as toiletries or the foods.

Plan ahead in case you’re unlucky enough to get pulled into this randomly like we were. LOTS of angry passengers yelling at the TSA agents because they were missing their flights.

We’ve been looking online and can’t seem to find any mention of this new rule. Not even on the TSA website which says you can have it in your carry on and it MAY be screened.
 
All our food had to be taken out of our carry ons and placed in separate bins in August at Miami International. Now that you mention it, our items were also separated by type.
 
Same thing happened to us in California a few days ago. Our candy from the Halloween party had to be screened separately. The TSA agent explained it was a new rule and was quick and nice about it though. They were going through the line warning people.
 


I had this happen to me in Phoenix a few weeks ago. All food had to be in a separate bin. I had a bunch of snacks from a work conference, it was a pain. The bigger pain was being told I had too much metal in my purse and it had to separated out and rescanned. It was two power cords, two extra phone charger cells, two cell phones and change!! He emptied out my coins from my wallet (dumping all of that into a bin) and then handed it back to me put put it back in my purse. Many people complaining because every bag needed extra screening and they had to be done one at a time. I really felt sorry for people with babies. They were screaming waiting in the crazy long line to have everything swabbed.
 
Same thing happened to us in California a few days ago. Our candy from the Halloween party had to be screened separately. The TSA agent explained it was a new rule and was quick and nice about it though. They were going through the line warning people.
2 of the lines had people moving at a decent pace. The others though... ugh. The bins of candy and food were piling up bad and the whole thing was very poorly handled by TSA. If you're going to randomly enforce a new rule that very few, if any, people know about and you KNOW it's going to slow things down you need to have the manpower working the shift to keep things moving.
 
This happened to us at MCO in September. All food items had to be unpacked and scanned separately, as well as phones, tablets, and any books. You basically had to debulk and separate out most of your carry on items into their own separate bins. It was an absolute pain and makes traveling even more stressful.
 


Last week coming back in MCO was just the opposite. We were told to put everything in our bags including anything in our pockets. No or very few bins went through. There was a K-9 in a middle section that we walked by. So everything in our bags went through and didn't pull anything out. TSA "boss" said they were trying the K-9 and they often change with procedures.
 
The tsa screening of all electronics was rolled out over the last few months...

...food is much more surprising...but I guess I'm weird that I have never taken food through since they started screenings.
 
When we flew home from MCO a few weeks ago, we also were asked about food items. We were up really early and I forgot I had put granola in my backpack at the last minute. So, I did get pulled aside and they tested it. I thought that if I had told them it was in my bag, I would have avoided getting “pulled over.” For those who HAVE separated your food items, were you able to proceed as usual, or did it still have to get tested?
 
Anyone know if this also applies to people going through the TSA pre-check line? I always bring a bag of saltines and sometimes a few protein bars with me when we travel. Using pre-check, I don't have to pull out my liquids or electronics, so I'm hoping the same is true for food...but would be nice to know ahead of time so I can pack appropriately. :)
 
Last week coming back in MCO was just the opposite. We were told to put everything in our bags including anything in our pockets. No or very few bins went through. There was a K-9 in a middle section that we walked by. So everything in our bags went through and didn't pull anything out. TSA "boss" said they were trying the K-9 and they often change with procedures.

That was part of what was really getting people angry. At the front of TSA they were telling you to put EVERYTHING in your bag to keep things moving quickly. Then when you got closer to the scanners they told you to separate it all.

The tsa screening of all electronics was rolled out over the last few months...

...food is much more surprising...but I guess I'm weird that I have never taken food through since they started screenings.

Well their screening isn't great because I got home to find out that I had some candy in the bottom of my backpack, hah.

When we flew home from MCO a few weeks ago, we also were asked about food items. We were up really early and I forgot I had put granola in my backpack at the last minute. So, I did get pulled aside and they tested it. I thought that if I had told them it was in my bag, I would have avoided getting “pulled over.” For those who HAVE separated your food items, were you able to proceed as usual, or did it still have to get tested?

We had to put it all on a bin and were told that it was going to be examined piece by piece. We ended up abandoning it.
 
Anyone know if this also applies to people going through the TSA pre-check line? I always bring a bag of saltines and sometimes a few protein bars with me when we travel. Using pre-check, I don't have to pull out my liquids or electronics, so I'm hoping the same is true for food...but would be nice to know ahead of time so I can pack appropriately. :)
Wondering this too. Can't find an official TSA announcement. Thinking maybe some airports just weren't enforcing current policy?

All food is supposed to undergo x-ray screening. They have a handy food guide online too.

I am planning on checking a bag of food/drinks in December. We don't usually bring food in carry ons, but it's possible. I have pre-check, so I'll let you know if no one else does!
 
We had to put it all on a bin and were told that it was going to be examined piece by piece. We ended up abandoning it.

Can you provide more specifics? What kind of food had to be examined piece by piece? Was it wrapped food? Bagged? All the same thing? How much?
 
This is so frustrating. While I understand shaking up screening processes once in a while to confuse evildoers, it makes for a difficult experience for those of us who are just trying to follow the rules.

I just flew through MCO last month and had packed my new cookbook in the bottom of my clamshell roller. TSA announced we had to take out books. I asked and was told it was a new rule, effective Nationwide in January. I told him (jokingly) that I would take my book out in January. To my surprise, he told me I could leave in in my bag.
 
This is so frustrating. While I understand shaking up screening processes once in a while to confuse evildoers, it makes for a difficult experience for those of us who are just trying to follow the rules.

I just flew through MCO last month and had packed my new cookbook in the bottom of my clamshell roller. TSA announced we had to take out books. I asked and was told it was a new rule, effective Nationwide in January. I told him (jokingly) that I would take my book out in January. To my surprise, he told me I could leave in in my bag.
Books? Maybe that's a local thing?

https://www.tsa.gov/blog/2017/06/28/lets-close-book-book-screening-rumors

Wait! I may have found the answer to all of this!

www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/06/28/tsa-ends-pilot-program-asking-passengers-remove-books-carry-luggage

https://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2017/06/page-against-machine

Apparently tests were run in May? Abandoned now? Lots of articles with slightly different info. I have to wonder if it was in any way tied to some of the other travel changes this year. Screening books is worrisome.
 
This is garbage. I'm not familiar with The Verge, but if the article is accurate this new rule will be another headache for air travel. Specifically, it appears that there is no set rule for all items for all airports. Instead, different airports may have different procedures for different items. And you're not necessarily required to comply. But that might mean the dreaded manual search. So how exactly does this improve safety again if it's all sorta, kinda optional? I agree that "bursting at the seams" large carry-ons have gotten ridiculous and that can cause a problem for screeners, but is this really the remedy?

The sensible solution obviously is to drastically reduce the size of carry-ons. Which will force more people to check bags. Which will lead to airlines racking up $$$ in checked bag fees. Which helped make this mess worse in the first place (don't me started on the people who don't check their steamer trunks and are surprised when it has to get checked at boarding - and they aren't assessed a fee like those suckers who did it in the terminal). Of course I'm being sarcastic. And of course I'm being sarcastic because I had this happen at MCO last month. And I had to remove my bag of MNSSHP candy so they could take out every piece and examine it. As well as a separate box of unopened candy that had to go "get swabbed" and which I then had to open to prove it wasn't dangerous. I missed the protein bar, however, and am shocked they didn't put the airport in lockdown over a possible brick of C4 explosive.
 
This is garbage. I'm not familiar with The Verge, but if the article is accurate this new rule will be another headache for air travel. Specifically, it appears that there is no set rule for all items for all airports. Instead, different airports may have different procedures for different items. And you're not necessarily required to comply. But that might mean the dreaded manual search. So how exactly does this improve safety again if it's all sorta, kinda optional? I agree that "bursting at the seams" large carry-ons have gotten ridiculous and that can cause a problem for screeners, but is this really the remedy?

The sensible solution obviously is to drastically reduce the size of carry-ons. Which will force more people to check bags. Which will lead to airlines racking up $$$ in checked bag fees. Which helped make this mess worse in the first place (don't me started on the people who don't check their steamer trunks and are surprised when it has to get checked at boarding - and they aren't assessed a fee like those suckers who did it in the terminal). Of course I'm being sarcastic. And of course I'm being sarcastic because I had this happen at MCO last month. And I had to remove my bag of MNSSHP candy so they could take out every piece and examine it. As well as a separate box of unopened candy that had to go "get swabbed" and which I then had to open to prove it wasn't dangerous. I missed the protein bar, however, and am shocked they didn't put the airport in lockdown over a possible brick of C4 explosive.

Bingo, it's like "Whose Line is it Anyway" because the TSA agent has the authority to decide whether to allow an item past security or not. If Agent Uptight thinks your kid's favorite stuffy or blanket shouldn't go through, say goodbye. I'm not saying that will happen, but this is the side-effect of knee-jerk reactions made by politicians.
 

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