Put in place in September 2006 as part of a series of post-9/11 security measures, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)’s “3-1-1 liquid rule” requires travelers to pack all liquids, gels, and aerosols they bring aboard a plane in containers of no more than 3.4 ounces or 100 milliliters.

Although improvements in security screening mechanisms have led airports in other parts of the world to eventually scrap the rule, plans to do this in the U.S. are still at the stage of talks only. As a result, many food items that toe the line between solid and liquid can still cause problems for travelers passing through American airports.

On its website, the TSA identifies foods that most often get taken away at security screening, including yogurt, hummus, creamy dips and spreads, jam, peanut butter, and cream cheese.

“Just make sure any cream cheese not on your bagel is 3.4 ounces or less”: TSA

As the latter three are common bagel spreads, the government agency recently took to social media to remind travelers that spreads packed separately from the bagel are subject to the liquid rule.

“Who likes a plane bagel?” the TSA wrote on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). “If this snack is your everything, it’s good to go. Just make sure any cream cheese not on your bagel is 3.4 ounces or less, and that each container fits within a single quart-size bag per passenger.”

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This means that a spread included in the bagel is treated as a single solid, while spreads packed separately will be confiscated if not within the liquid rule parameters.

In a separate post on cheese for Cheese Lover’s Day on Jan. 20, the agency clarified that while cream cheese needs to be packed on the bagel or in a small container, any solid cheese heads are “gouda to go, along with any other solid cheese you’d like to bring.”

Whether something counts as solid or liquid are, in cases where it is not 100% obvious, subject to the individual TSA and agent and so should be packed into checked luggage if the traveler does not want to risk it getting confiscated.

The three-one-one liquid rule limits what one can bring aboard a plane to 3.4 ounces or 100 milliliters.

Image source: Shutterstock

The latest on the liquid rule: which snacks are subject

Over the last year, the TSA has frequently taken to social media to specify the rules around specific snacks, in a humorous approach that has been generally well-received on social media.

“Traveling soon? Lettuce talk snacks,” the agency wrote in a June Facebook post. “You can bring fresh veggies through security. Just make sure dips, dressings, and hummus follow the 3-1-1 liquid rule.”

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While these requirements continue to be in place, TSA authorities have repeatedly commented about plans to eventually scrap the liquid rule, alongside ending the longstanding practice of requiring travelers to take off their shoes when passing through security in July 2025.

In September 2025, Deputy Acting Administrator Adam Stahl has confirmed that the agency is “looking aggressively at liquids” and how what can be brought aboard should be regulated in the future.

Countries that have already done this at any airports fully equipped with modern scanner technology include the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, and The Netherlands.

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