Is peanut butter a liquid? That is the question. At first consideration, most would probably agree that no, peanut butter is not a liquid. You can pick it up with a spoon or even your hands, and it’ll stay put just like a solid should. The Transportation Security Administration, however, would not agree.
This debate kicked off with a tweet by Patrick Neve, which has now amassed 10.4 million views, 144,000 likes, and over 6,500 retweets. In the tweet, Neve explains how he had to give up his beloved Jif peanut butter jar at airport security while on his way to a speaking engagement.
“I tried to take peanut butter through airport security,” Neve wrote. “TSA: Sorry, no liquids, gels or aerosols. Me: I want you to tell me which of those things you think peanut butter is.”
Without an ounce of hesitation, TSA playfully responded with an Instagram post the next day.
The image of the post defines peanut butter as a liquid since it “has no definite shape and takes a shape dictated by its container,” but creative commenters pointed out that many objectively solid items fit that same definition.
“What about cats?” Instagram user @ranger_hans asks. “They check a lot of the ‘liquid’ boxes.”
“Then why is jellied cranberry sauce considered a liquid?” @carsonsieving pondered. “It holds its shape outside of the can.”
Is peanut butter a liquid? The answer seems to be that peanut butter is “spreadable,” which makes it fall under the liquids, gels, and aerosols category, as both TSA spokesman R. Carter Langston and Instagram commenter @sageandsunsaltandspirit have reported, prompting the TSA social team to jokingly offer the latter a Transportation Security Officer position for their expertise.
No matter your stance on peanut butter — whether it’s liquid or solid or should be crunchy or creamy — it’s clear the TSA is not here to shut down peanut butter lovers but to keep us all safe while we travel. I think I’d rather grab some peanut butter once I reach my destination than mess with the safety protocols of airport security.
And for those who need to travel with an emotional support peanut butter jar, maybe try contacting your favorite brand to come out with a travel-sized version. You might just inspire a whole new nutty product launch.