Can you fly with wrapped gifts or holiday food? These are the TSA rules

Holiday travel is beginning to ramp up once again as millions of passengers are expected to fly across the nation to celebrate the season with family, friends and loved ones.

But can you board a plane with wrapped Christmas presents? What about a glazed ham for the holiday dinner?

Here are recommendations from TSA officials if you plan on flying with presents or food.

Can you fly with wrapped gifts?

"TSA recommends that you do not wrap your gift in gift wrapping paper or using tape at all," TSA officer Torres said in a video. "If your present does trigger an alarm, we will have to open it to resolve that alarm."

Instead, officials advise travelers to use gift bags stuffed with tissue paper or decorative gifts boxes that can be easily checked, if an alarm does go off.

"We don't want to tear up that beautiful wrapping paper of yours," Torres said.

We recommend using a gift bag or a gift box instead of wrapping paper if traveling with gifts. https://t.co/5g3zE3CpjW

— TSA (@TSA) December 7, 2023

Does TSA allow holiday dishes and desserts on planes?

While most foods can be carried through airport checkpoints, some need to be checked into baggage.

Cakes, cookies, pies, and other baked goods can board planes, as along as they are easily accessible and packed in clear containers, according to TSA officials.

“If it’s a solid item, then it can go through a checkpoint,” the Transportation Security Administration officials said in a release. “However, if you can spill it, spread it, spray it, pump it or pour it, and it’s larger than 3.4 ounces, then it should go in a checked bag.”

If a dish needs to be kept cold during a flight, officials say ice packs are permissible but must be frozen solid when going through security checkpoints.

Here’s a complete list of dishes that can fly with travelers as carry-ons and dished that should be safely stored in checked luggage.

These holiday dishes can be carried through TSA checkpoints

• 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 ‘n 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, greens
• Fresh fruit. Apples, pears, pineapple, lemons, limes, cranberries, blueberries, strawberries, bananas, kiwi
• Candy
• Spices

These dishes should be carefully packed with your checked baggage

• 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. It’s got liquid in the can, so check them
• Preserves, jams and jellies. They are spreadable, so best to check them
• Maple syrup

Can't forget the soup! Slurp up this travel tip that will warm your heart when you fly home this holiday season. If you're bringing back some of Mom's homemade soup (obviously, it's the best) you can place it in your checked bag, or, freeze it solid and bring it in a carry-on. pic.twitter.com/JvahxbdiQS

— TSA (@TSA) December 6, 2023

To see if dishes not listed can fly, be checked or neither, travelers can check the TSA’s “What can I bring?” tool, or inquire with @AskTSA on Facebook Messenger or X, formerly known as Twitter. 

Click here for more FDA tips and guidelines for traveling safely with food this holiday season.