Is peanut butter a solid or a liquid? TSA has the answer

Rebecca Olds
·2 min read
This is a display of Jif peanut butter at a Costco Warehouse in Cranberry, Pa., Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023. The debate about whether peanut butter is allowed in your carry-on sparked again as a Catholic speaker, writer and podcaster Patrick Neve’s peanut butter was refused at airport security in March 2023. But the Transportation Security Administration settled the debate with flavorful flair.

Last week, Catholic speaker, writer and podcaster Patrick Neve tweeted that his Jif peanut butter was confiscated at airport security — which revived an age-long debate about what constitutes a liquid.

Neve tweeted that the Transportation Security Administration denied the peanut butter and said there were no liquids, gels or aerosols allowed.

“I want you to tell me which of those things you think peanut butter is,” he quipped.

The Transportation Security Administration has spoken, with some flavorful flair, in response.

“You may not be nuts about it, but TSA considers your PB a liquid,” the TSA’s quippy account tweeted.

It’s categorized as a liquid because it has “no definite shape and takes a shape dictated by its container,” said the tweet. It seems the old-school rule for a liquid still stands.

This means, according to TSA standards, if the amount of peanut butter is less than 3.4 ounces, it’s good to go in your carry-on — or maybe on a few sandwiches, like this Twitter user suggests.

“As we frequently seek to remind travelers: If you can spill it, spray it, spread it, pump it or pour it, then it’s subject to the 3.4-ounce limitation,” TSA spokesperson R. Carter Langston told The New York Times.

“Sometimes it takes a little more cheek to resonate with people, particularly over social media,” he said.

Just remember, it’s always a safe bet to get the mini 0.75-ounce containers of Jif Peanut Butter or similar packaging by other brands.