Can You Bring Meat On a Plane? 2024

Flying with meat are allowed on planes in both carry-on and checked luggage.

however; there are some important points to keep in mind:

According to the TSA fresh meat and seafood are good to go in both carry-on and checked bags without any restrictions, but If you plan to keep your meat cool during the flight the ice should be completely frozen at time of the screening process, milted ice is not in carry-on because it exceeds the total liquid limits allowed in the cabin baggage.

Let’s dive in more into the regulation of traveling with meet in carry on and checked baggage in domestic and international flights.

Can you bring meat on a plane-01
The Lamb Co Fresh New Zealand Lamb Rib Chops/ Amazon courtesy

Bring Meat through the security checkpoint

The TSA does not have any restrictions when traveling with meat. The only thing you should remember is if you are traveling with frozen meat with ice, if the ice partially melted then you will not be able to bring it through the security checkpoint. The TSA liquid rule allows only 3.4 oz of liquids in a single container.

Here is what they say about traveling with fresh food.

Can you bring meat on a plane-03

@Doug asked the TSA if meat is okay to bring in carry-on baggage and the TSA replied that meat is good to bring in the cabin without any restrictions.

Can you bring meat on a plane-05

Though, if think about bringing peanut butter to slather on a steak, you need to follow the TSA liquid rule, but Gordon Ramsay would probably give you a hard time doing so as he did to this TikToker.

Bringing Meat In Carry-In Luggage

The TSA 3-1-1 rule does not restrict solid items in carry-on luggage. Fully frozen meat or fresh meat will be treated as a normal solid item when going through the security checkpoint so you can bring any quantity you want.

This means that you can bring meat on a plane but you should not exceed your airline carry-on weight.

If you have a long flight, maybe the best way to do it is to bring a cooler , but the ice should be totally frozen by the time you are in the TSA security checkpoint. You can just double check your cooler before you head to the security line and empty it from any liquid left only by the ice block.

Related: Can You Take a Thermometer On a Plane?

Bringing canned meat in carry on baggage

My friend James in Travelinglight asked the TSA if Armour potted meat is considered liquid, and if he can bring the 5 oz/ 141 gram can in carry-on or only a 3 oz / 85 gram can in a toiletries bag.

Can you bring meat on a plane-04

The TSA replied to him that spreadable canned foods must be 3.4 ounces or less in carry-on bags. They must also be placed in a quart-sized bag with other travel-sized liquids, gels and aerosols. Larger cans must be packed in checked bags.

Bringing Meat In Checked Luggage

You can pack meat in checked luggage without restriction. It doesn’t matter if they are frozen or partially melted.

This means if you are using a cooler to transport your meat in checked baggage there is no worries if the ice is melted.

You can put as much as you want of ice in your cooler and keep your meat cool and fresh during your flight.

How Much Meat Can You Take On A Plane?

Most airlines do not specify a certain allowed weight for carry-on baggage, but your carry-on must be light enough so you can place it without any help in the overhead compartment, and most of the time your cooler will be counted as your carry-on bag depending on the size.

Though; there are no limits to the amount you are allowed to take on a plane however, most airlines have luggage weight restrictions and limits for checked baggage, for example when traveling with American Airlines  you will not accept your bag if it is over 100 lbs / 45 kgs.

How Do I Pack Meat For A Flight?

When traveling with frozen meat, a cooler is recommended;you can easily place your frozen meat in zip-top freezer bags. use sturdy ones with thick walls. remove the air as much as you can before you place the meat inside.

Place  some ice pack in the bottom of the cooler, solid ice pack could be better to avoid the TSA liquid rule, reusable ice packs are designed to last long so you can place them in your cooler knowing that your meat will stay cool and fresh until you get to your destination.

For better results it is better to take multiple ice packs also to freeze them the night before you travel.

Place your meat tightly in the cooler and arrange them to fit the bottom so they don’t move in the cooler when transporting them.

You can also fill the bottom of your cooler with a frozen bottle of water to cover the space, meanwhile keep the meat frozen and cool.

Read next: Can You Bring Frozen Food On a Plane?

Can You Bring Meat On An International Flight?

Traveling internationally with meat will require knowing your destination country’s rules about importing products, most countries have some serious restrictions when taking meat and animal products.

For example you can take meat to the UK from EU countries , Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. But traveling to Canada from the United States you can bring meat products , fresh, frozen and chilled with some restrictions like proof of country of origin must indicate U.S, and the packages must have identifying marks, indicating what the product is.

Summary: can you bring meat on a plane?

There are no restrictions on traveling with meat on domestic flights, as long as you don’t take your meat with ice or inside a cooler you are just good.

When traveling with meat inside a cooler, make sure that your ice is not melted, because if it is, the TSA liquid rule will apply, which is no more than 3.4 oz of liquids in carry-on baggage for a single container.

Ice should be completely frozen when transporting it in carry-on baggage, except for a few reasons like medicinal purposes or infant food.

We hope this helps

Happy travels

People also ask: