Airport travel often requires a fair bit of waiting around, especially for those who panic about missing flights and like to get through security early.
But once you are past those scanners, you are at the mercy of terminal prices. And they are rarely cheap for food and drink.
Of course, with drinks, you have little option to save money, as you are not allowed to take more than 100ml of liquids, due to security issues. There are different rules for food though.
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A post on Newcastle International Airport's Facebook page even highlights that you can take some food through security.
The airport's official account uploaded a customer's photo of their Greggs' steak bake and sausage rolls next to their airport pint and prosecco. As any visitor to that airport knows, Greggs is before security, not after.
"I did not know that you could take Greggs through," replied one Newcastle passenger.
"We flew on Thursday and I could have had a bag full of vegan sausage rolls!"
What are the rules for taking food through airport security?
You can take food through airport security as long as it's solid. If you are taking food with you, airports advise allowing yourself more time to get through security.
Food is allowed in your hand luggage, Newcastle Airport confirms, although it does recommend putting food in your hold luggage. But depending on where you travel to, you may not be able to take fresh food in your hold luggage (see the section on Brexit below).
The rules allow you to take food bought before security on board, as long as is not "liquid or semi-liquid" like yoghurt, jam, soup, honey or syrups.
A sandwich, salad, cake or pasty should be fine. Essentially, if it's got a lot of liquid, don't bring it.
Newcastle International Airport says: "Food or powders should be packed into hold baggage where possible. Although these items are permitted in hand luggage, they can obstruct images on the X-Ray machine, or may be mistaken for suspicious items – so putting them in the hold will help reduce the need for additional checks. Passengers who need to take these items on board should therefore allow extra time at security."
Gov.UK confirms the rules for British airports. Again, they say you can take food through security in your hand luggage, but they advise that it may cause delays as your bags will be more likely to require manual checking.
The UK Government says: "Food items and powders in your hand luggage can obstruct images on x-ray machines. Your bags may need to be checked again manually by security. You can put these items in your hold luggage to minimise delays."
London Heathrow Airport says: "Food or powders should be packed into hold baggage where possible. Although these items are permitted in hand luggage (except flights to the US), they can obstruct images on the x-ray machine, or may be mistaken for suspicious items – so putting them in the hold will help reduce the need for additional checks. Passengers who need to take these items on board should therefore allow extra time at security."
Airport security reserve the right to confiscate anything they consider dangerous, even if it plays by the rules.
"Airport security staff will not let anything through that they consider dangerous - even if it’s normally allowed in hand luggage," says Gov.uk.
While you can't take water, many airports - including Newcastle - say you can bring an empty bottle and fill it up in the departure lounge.
"Our catering outlets are more than happy to re-fill bottles for passengers," says Newcastle International Airport.
What food can you NOT take through airport security?
You can not take liquids past security if they are in containers that hold more than 100ml.
Gov.uk says that includes "liquid or semi-liquid foods" like soup, jam, honey and syrups. So if your food is liquid based or runny - potentially including items like hummus - then it shouldn't be allowed through airport security. There are exceptions for this for baby food.
As mentioned above, security staff have the right to confiscate anything they consider potentially dangerous. Pease Pudding has even been confiscated before as it resembled plastic explosive!
Can I take baby food past airport security and onto a flight?
Yes, you can. Gov.UK says:
You can take liquid containers larger than 100ml through security if they:
- are for essential medical purposes
- are for special dietary requirements
- contain baby food or baby milk
It adds: "When travelling with a baby you’re allowed to take enough baby food, baby milk and sterilised water for the journey. There is no legal limit to how much you can take however check with your airport before you travel.
"You can carry breast milk in hand luggage even if you’re not travelling with a baby. You cannot carry frozen breast milk in hand luggage.
"Individual containers of breast milk must hold no more than 2,000ml. Each container will need to be screened at the security point. Airport staff might need to open the containers to screen the liquids."
Can I take food I've bought into the EU after Brexit?
While the airports and Government say they would prefer you to put food in your hold luggage, doing so may bring a risk of a fine if you bring banned items into other countries. Since the UK left the EU, there are new rules about what you can bring from Britain to EU countries, including the likes of Spain, France, Portugal, Netherlands and Italy.
"If you travel to the EU from a non-EU country, you are not allowed to bring any meat or dairy products with you," says the European Union.
You can bring up to 2kg of fruit, vegetables or non-meat/dairy products in your hold luggage, under the EU rules. So, if you're bringing a sandwich or pasty on the plane, eat it before you land - although you might get away with a Greggs Vegan sausage roll.
Those who do not declare those products and are caught face a potential fine.
