In an attempt to make air travel a less horrifying prospect, we’ve started bringing an array of tasty snacks with us on all flights so we aren’t forced to buy a slimy turkey sandwich for $12 when we start to feel hunger set in. Rumbling tummies and airplane bathrooms do not a good match make.
But the TSA is here to rain on our parade of delicious snacks. Apparently, a lot of foods look like bombs. That block of cheese you brought to gnaw on looks like C-4 explosives, and God only knows how an X-ray would interpret the packs of Pop Rocks you stashed in your bag to make the flight pass in tingly taste bud delight. Now, many agents are requesting that all food items be removed from your carry-on luggage and sent through the X-ray machine on their own so they can be closely examined.
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While still not a mandatory policy, it’s becoming increasingly common. Some airports request that you remove food items from your bag every time you go through security, while others request that you do it only after the X-ray machine notices suspicious shapes.
Of all the TSA rules, the arbitrarily enforced ‘dig every snack out of your bags’ is the dumbest.
— Keller Anne R (@kelleranner) June 22, 2018
This isn’t just annoying because taking everything out of your perfectly packed carry-on and hastily repacking it once through security is basically the worst way to start a day of travel. It’s also frustrating because it will surely increase wait times at security checkpoints, which are already mind-numbingly long and boring to stand in. Not to say that security isn’t important, but really — has someone ever tried to disguise a bomb as a pack of organic coconut granola clusters? We kind of think not.
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The next time you travel, consider packing your snacks in their own bag so you can easily put them through the X-ray conveyor without having to dig through your perfectly folded clothes.
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