Can You Bring Protein Powder On A Plane? What Regulations Say

If you are a fitness enthusiast getting ready to travel, you may be wondering: can you bring protein powder on a plane? Let's see what the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has to say.

You can bring protein powder on a plane in your carry-on or checked luggage, and in any packaging. You can even store it in multiple containers. There is no limit to how much protein powder you can bring in your carry-on but you must place all containers exceeding 12oz of protein powder in separate bins for X-ray screening.

This is the answer in a nutshell.

Keep reading if you want to have a better look at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) regulations, ideas on how to pack protein powder for air travel, and more.

Let's get started.

TSA Regulations: can you bring protein powder on a plane?

The TSA is pretty straightforward with this one.

Protein and other energy powders can be brought on a plane in both carry-on bags as well as checked bags. However, all powder-like substances exceeding 12oz (or 350ml) must be placed in separate bins for X-ray screening.

In certain cases, security personnel may do additional screening and even open the containers.

So if you want to place your protein powder in a container exceeding 12oz...

We recommend you to place it in your checked bag if possible.

How to pack protein powder for air travel?

Picture of a shaker full of protein powder to take on a plane

As far as packaging is concerned, there are no regulations here. You can leave the protein powder in its original packaging or choose to add it to other containers.

Each option has its own benefits:

Original packaging. Leaving the protein powder in its original packaging for air travel may save you the hassle of additional screening and make security less likely to be skeptical. Furthermore, this way you are sure it didn't go in contact with air or water, thus preventing your protein powder from going bad.
Ziploc bags. This option is ideal if you want to transport smaller quantities of protein powder or if you want to portion your servings in advance. Ideally, you may want to label each individual bag as "protein powder".
Shaker bottle. You may opt to put your protein powder in a shaker bottle. This is convenient because you can pass it as a personal item. Therefore, you won't need to put the shaker in the luggage.
Protein funnels. These are an option not many people know about. Basically, these are little funnels which you can use to store your protein powder. (ziploc bag with extra steps if you ask us)

Our favorite option is the ziploc bag. However, speaking from experience, we recommend you to have additional bags on hand. Security may poke one of the bags to check the contents, then it may slowly leak inside the bag.

Forget the mess. The last thing you want is to not have enough protein powder for each day of your vacation.

FAQs

This is everything you need to know about taking protein powder on a plane.

Now let's see some of the most common questions people have in regards to this topic:

How do you carry protein powder when traveling?

You can carry protein powder both in your carry-on bag and your checked bag.

However, for carry-on bags, the TSA apply their rule on powder-like substances: any substance greater than 12oz (or 350ml) must be placed in different bins for X-ray screening. Also, they may be subject for additional screening and the containers even opened.

If you want to avoid this issue, place containers over 12oz in your checked bag.

How much protein powder can you take on a plane?

You can bring as much or as little protein powder you want on a plane.

However, you have to take into account the TSA regulations discussed in this article if you plan on transporting the supplement in your carry-on bag.

Conclusion

Can you bring protein powder on a plane? Sure thing.

You can bring as much as your luggage allows (even though that wouldn't be too practical), and in whatever container you want. However, there are some regulations that apply for carry-on luggage.

To avoid any hassle, we recommend you to pack protein powder for air travel in your checked bag.

Over to you.