Originally Posted by ESpen36

My bet is that the contract security agent just thought it was unusual that somebody would travel with a big bag of salt. Why go to the trouble of traveling with salt when it is easy to purchase this condiment/spice virtually anywhere in the world? It could mean you have something to hide.

Remember, those contract agents are used to seeing the same kinds of stuff in people's luggage over and over again, all day long. They know what is "normal" or typical for somebody to have in a suitcase when departing from that particular airport. Anytime they see something unusual or out of the ordinary, they are paid to be suspicious, even if it is not a threat.

Furthermore, customs agencies across the world sometimes find prohibited goods/items concealed in consumer dry goods like powdered milk, infant formula, spices, etc. Sometimes smugglers even use the packaging of dry goods because it looks so innocuous at a glance. There are lots of episodes on YouTube showing it. Basically, anytime they open bags and see a large quantity of a random food item/ingredient that can be easily purchased locally upon arrival, they wonder why somebody would go to the trouble of shipping it or traveling with it from far away.