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The linkto the allowed substances and those that have to be in 100ml containers that meester 69 posted is a useful guide, but it applies to LHR only. I see that talcum powder is on the list of allowed substances, but in an airport that was not LHR my talcum powder was confiscated and declared to be a liquid.

My biggest beef with security checkpoints at airports is that there does not appear to be any list of allowable stuff that is recognised worldwide, and thus there is no consistency in enforcement.

Bolding mine.

That is the money quote that no list exists and it is up to the discretion of the security checkpoint operator what objects get passed and which get confiscated. This in no way makes for a secure checkpoint.

The UK rule is liquids, gels and pastes. Nutella clearly is not a liquid, but it clearly *is* a paste in terms of its appearance and consistency. So I'm not sure why this is newsworthy.

Neil

Liquids, Gels, Paste�s, Lotions, and Aerosols. Oh, and common sense, but I hear that is in real short supply now days anyway, so getting it before you get to the checkpoint is difficult for many.

I had to Google the term "Nutella" to find out what it is, but now that I know I can say with some certainty that it is not a liquid.

It does seem to have the consistency of peanut butter, and as such would be considered a paste. Therefore it would not be allowed. But I have to say, it sounds like a very good product. I�d like to give it a try sometime. Is it available here in the USA?

Nutella is a wonderful product, I hope You can find it in the States! In Italy You can find it in very small portions, sometimes in hotel breakfast s. Wait a minute, there's a USA site: http://www.nutellausa.com/

Nutella beats peanut butter any day. It is actually also a lot more solid than peanut butter - it goes totally hard if refrigerated, and is completely "unspreadable". It is usually warmed slightly before serving, since room temperature is usually not enough to keep it "spreadable".

That brings back the inevitable question of what the TSA defines as a liquid, paste or gel. I already asked this multiple times, but still have no answer. For example, after how many days of aging would you consider that Brie cheese has ceased to be a solid and become a paste?

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As for the liquid question, common sense would normally be the best guideline, but as so many here point out common sense isn’t all that common on the checkpoint. From either side of the tables. The best answer I can give you is that if you can misconstrue something to be a liquid its best to put it in your checked baggage. If you don’t check baggage then you take your chances. There is no comprehensive listing of what is or is not a liquid, and its not possible to make one.

Perhaps we could learn from Britney's last encounter with the TSA- in my personal experience, if you so much as refrigerate Nutella it becomes solid (about as solid as chocolate, at least). So freeze it before taking it through? Maybe in a bag so as to not get it denied out of hand.

Anyway, back on topic here. I have learned that Nutella is one of the lethal weapons of mass destruction the Bush Administration was so adept at (not) finding.

I feel sorry for the hapless traveller who had his Nutella confiscated. Perhaps they were in glass jars and that's why he didn't pack them in checked luggage. Or perhaps he only had carry-on. Whatever ... I feel sorry he wasn't able to bring home a present for the children he obviously loves.

Yes, the Nutella was in glass jars. And yes, it is very possible that the offender did not have checked luggage, given the range of other items pulled out of his hand luggage in searching for the dangerous contraband.

My new question: If the TSA saw Nutella, would they know what it is, and how would they classify it? Would they have to open it (all four jars, of course, because ya nehva know) and sample it (ummm...these terr-rrists are livin pretty high on the hog...) and then make up the rule -- sorry, I mean make up their minds -- right there?? Or would the perp have to be taken in for further questioning?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Has anyone ever tried to put the Nutella jar in the freezer the night before the departure?
Nutella will be solid by the time of the luggage control. Does it pass the scan?

I just did it today at DUB, they said "it's gonna melt" and throw it away. It was worth trying.

Depending on where you live Nutella can be quite liquid at room temperature. I've had it in both India and South Africa and depending on the time of year it is quite liquid (although very viscous). However given the restriction usually being cited as LAG (Liquid Aerosol and Gel) I'd definitely classify Nutella as a gel, and as someone stated that pastes are also not permitted that pretty much settles it.

I don't actually know what the definition of a liquid is but at room temp in India most of the year you can hold a spoon of Nutella sideways and it'll drip down in long strands, whereas in most of Europe most of the year it'll remain in a solid glob (but still paste-like).

A confiscation worth noting, but I think ultimately justifiable within the rules. Whether the rules of forbidding liquids are justifiable to begin with is a different question.

Doesn't Nutella contain roughly 50% palm oil and 50% sugar? The high palm oil content makes it semi-fluid at room temperature.

Also, I don't think the rules are strictly based on scientific definitions from physics and chemistry. E.g., they probably allow you to go through with glass, even though its aggregate state is well-known to be liquid at room temperature.