Warning: This purse contains snacks, treats

TSA in Colorado testing policy requiring food screening

I recently took a flight out of Colorado, and was surprised by some of the changes.

The first is the fact that now, any electronic device larger than a cell phone must be removed from your carry-on, including iPads and other tablets.

That’s really not a big deal, but it’s one more step in the process.

Then, the TSA agent asked if I had any liquids or food. And for whatever reason, probably habit, my brain only processed the “liquids” part of the question, so I answered no.

Five minutes later, my daughter and I were pulled off to the side, and TSA agents are inspecting our bags because something about them triggered a closer examination. The culprit? Mini-Oreos in her bag, crackers in mine.

Remember that “food” part of the question? It turns out that now, in some airports, one also has to pull any food out of one’s bag and put it in a separate bin to go through screening.

It should be noted that one can still bring food along. However, at some airports, food has to be pulled out of the carry-on bag, which is a new policy. I asked the screening agent about it, and she told me it was being implemented at just a few airports in a trial run.

When I went online later that night to learn more about it, I couldn’t find any reference on the TSA site to the policy — only the electronics rule.

The process wasn’t that big of a deal, although the agent did wipe down my food containers with something. If that is to occur, the agent should disclose what’s happening and what fluid is being used.

However, the bigger issue is this. I pack our carry-on bags with comfort and light travel in mind. I’m an unpleasant person when I’m unfed, and so I carry snacks, an empty water bottle to refill past security, my wallet and something to read. Everything else gets put in the checked bag. Yet under this policy, I essentially have to unpack the bag at security — out goes the snacks and the iPad, which is going to take time. As it is, TSA lines can be rather long, and this is one more thing to slow travelers down.

And the alternative — buying snacks once one gets through security, is an expensive proposition that I’m not willing to cover. Imagine for parents of small children — snacks on a plane are a life-saver, but paying for airport snacks would be pricey.

Hopefully, the TSA realizes this food policy doesn’t make sense.