The TSA declared peanut butter a liquid and people are going... nuts
It's been nearly two decades since the Transportation Security Administration's "liquids rule" was introduced, and the policy is still causing confusion among people going through airport security.
Nearly two years ago, travelers found themselves in a bit of a frenzy when the TSA reversed its decision to allow full-size sunscreens in carry-ons. They were even more perplexed when they discovered that frozen beverages over 3 ounces are allowed through airport security. And now there's an even nuttier reason air travelers are in a tizzy over the TSA's rules.
The debate over whether TSA considers a liquid has resurfaced after a user on Twitter conducted an experiment in which they attempted to take a jar of peanut butter through airport security. The peanut butter was not allowed to go through security. On the plus side, it did garner a response from TSA, who cheekily put the debate to rest.
"You may not be nuts about it, but TSA considers your PB a liquid. In carry-on, it needs to be 3.4oz or less," read an Instagram caption from the TSA's official account.
Although we hate to admit it, the TSA's declaration does sound pretty legit. To decipher if peanut butter is a liquid or not, we took it all the way back to fifth-grade science and the encyclopedia. According to the , a liquid "can flow and take on the shape of the container in which they are placed — characteristics not found in solids. Like solids, liquids have a fixed volume, whereas gases do not."
It looks like we're gonna have to go with science on this one.