Twitter Is Cracking Up At A Trader Joe's Shopper's TSA Mishap

If you've ever traveled on a plane before, then you know that your airplane meal probably won't taste like a 5-star entree. There's a reason airplane food tastes different, according to scientists, and it's mostly because the pressurized cabin dulls your tastebuds (via The Atlantic). That means that some people resort to bringing their own snacks aboard the plane, and while bags of pretzels, candy bars, and mixed nuts usually make it through security just fine, there are some other foods you should avoid taking in your carry-on, as some travelers have learned only when it was too late.

Take, for instance, peanut butter. According to Frommer's, any items that are spreadable are considered to be a liquid in the eyes of the TSA, so you can only bring on a 100 ml jar. But another item you might not think about are any powdered foods, including salt, sugar, and the Trader Joe's item that was flagged by security when one traveler recently tried to include it in their carry-on suitcase. 

Someone on Twitter shared a photo of their suitcase lying open on a metal table at the airport, as a TSA agent inspected their luggage while wearing gloves. The item that triggered the security check? Trader Joe's Ube Mochi pancake mix. The traveler packed four boxes of it into their carry-on, but according to the TSA website, "powder-based substances in carry-on baggage greater than 350mL or 12 oz. may require additional screening at the central checkpoint." If the powder can't be identified, it's conficated and disposed of, but in this case, the issue was resolved.

"I apologized to the TSA agent for the abundance of pancake mix in my luggage," shared the traveler on Twitter, "and he said, 'Never apologize for being who you are.'" Other Twitter users thought the exhange was hilarious, and some shared their own TSA food mishaps. One person shared their TSA agent's response when they disclosed that their bag was full of Japanese Kit-Kat flavors: "CAN I SEE??" Another person replied that their bag was pulled for extra screening after they tried to travel with a jar of Trader Joe's Everything but the Bagel Seasoning in their carry-on. And for others, the mystery of the Ube Pancake mix shortage seemed to finally be answered. "So YOU'RE the one who keeps buying it all up at Trader Joe's," they joked.