Can you bring Thanksgiving food on a plane? Here's what to carry on and what to check

Consider this: You decide to skip the turkey and instead bring some nationally acclaimed pizza from Pizzeria Bianco to your folks for Thanksgiving.

Or you put a Mexican spin on the traditional meal by offering as a side the guacamole with pomegranate seeds that put Barrio Cafe on the map.

Both foods can come with you if plan to fly for Thanksgiving.

But only one — the pizza — can fly with you in a carry-on bag. The guacamole, if in an amount greater than 3 ounces, must go in checked luggage.

Millions of Americans will fly to Thanksgiving celebrations this year and many of them will travel with food. The Transportation Security Administration reminds flyers that not all food can pass through a security checkpoint and some can only fly in checked bags.

Here's what know about flying with favorite Thanksgiving foods.

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Thanksgiving foods you can carry on a plane

According to tsa.gov, these common Thanksgiving foods can pass through a security checkpoint:

• Baked goods: Homemade or store-bought pies, cakes, cookies, brownies and other sweet treats.
• Meats: Turkey, chicken, ham, steak. Frozen, cooked or uncooked.
• Stuffing: Cooked, uncooked, in a box or in a bag.
• Casseroles: Traditional green beans and onion straws or something more exotic.
• Mac and cheese: Cooked in a pan or traveling with the ingredients to cook it at your destination.
• Fresh vegetables: Potatoes, yams, broccoli, green beans, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, beets, radishes, carrots, squash and greens.
• Fresh fruit: Apples, pears, pineapple, lemons, limes, cranberries, blueberries, strawberries, bananas and kiwi. 
• Candy.
• Spices.

It's up to the TSA officer conducting the screening whether an item can pass through the checkpoint. When in doubt, pack items in checked luggage.

Thanksgiving foods that must go in checked baggage

Liquids, spreads, gels and foods that are not thoroughly solid typically must go in your checked luggage if they are an amount greater than 3.4 ounces. Here are some Thanksgiving foods that tsa.gov says must go in a checked bag:

• Cranberry sauce: Homemade or canned are spreadable, so check them.
• Gravy: Homemade or in a jar/can.
• Wine, champagne, sparking apple cider.
• Canned fruit or vegetables: They have liquid in the can, so check them.
• Preserves, jams and jellies: They are spreadable, so best to check them.
• Maple syrup.

The list of things you can't carry on also includes oil, vinegar and mashed potatoes, even though a potato in its solid form can pass security, TSA spokeswoman Patricia Mancha said.

"The way to think about liquids is, if you can spill it, spray it, pour it or pump it, it's limited to 3.4 ounces," she said.

What about taking liquids on an airplane?

Bottled water is the most common prohibited item people try to bring through TSA checkpoints, Mancha said during a January event at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

Empty bottles and travel cups can be carried through and filled on the other side.

Alcoholic beverages that have 24% alcohol per volume or less can fly in checked luggage with no limits.

Beverages with more than 24% alcohol, but not more than 70%, are limited to 5 liters or 1.3 gallons per passenger, according to the TSA.

Beverages with more than 70% alcohol per volume are prohibited on planes.

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How do you pack food for a flight?

Whether your food is traveling in a carry-on or checked bag, it's important to pack it in a way that prevents spilling and spoiling, Mancha said.

Generally speaking, travelers should have no problem traveling with food that's unopened and in its original packaging. Food that's not in its original container should be packed carefully to prevent spills.

Perishable items like meat and seafood can fly ice or ice packs, but they must be frozen solid to pass through a TSA checkpoint.

Perishables can be packed in dry ice, but the Federal Aviation Administration limits passengers to 5 pounds of dry ice that's properly packaged and marked. Airline approval is required for traveling with dry ice, according to the FAA.

When in doubt, check the TSA's What Can I Bring? website or reach out to the TSA's Ask TSA team on Facebook for guidance on what food is and isn't allowed and how to travel with it safely. Mancha said travelers should also check with their airline to make sure it will allow the food.

Reach the reporter at Michael.Salerno@gannett.com.

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