TSA weighs in on huge controversy dividing the internet

When it comes to flying, the Transportation Security Administration is the ultimate authority on what is — and is not — allowed aboard a plane.

In recent months, the agency has dealt with numerous serious issues, including an increase in guns at security checkpoints and odd, yet dangerous, findings such as a knife hidden inside a cane.

TSA agents have been top-notch at neutralizing these threats and avoiding disaster aboard commercial flights.

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Considering the fact that the agency screens around two million people daily, there is a lot of pressure on TSA to get things right in the high-stakes world of airline security.

And the agency also has public opinion to contend with, including ongoing anger over certain rules seen as “security theater,” like the rule about removing shoes, which was only recently changed.

Now, however, TSA has weighed in on a huge controversy that has long divided the Internet — and shared some helpful information in the process.

TSA has weighed in on a debate that's dividing the internet.

Image source: Getty Images

TSA tackles a key source of conflict online

Anyone who has spent time online in recent years knows there are a few controversies that have gone viral and led to extensive debate.

There was one famous instance in 2015, for example, when a photo of a dress was posted online, and people were very divided regarding whether the dress was blue and black or white and gold.

However, one of the longest-standing conflicts regards a certain food item that has come up time and again.

In fact, this controversy even left the confines of the internet, with Stephen Colbert asking the question of former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg when she appeared on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.”

The debate boils down to a simple question that is more complicated than it seems: Is a hot dog a sandwich?

Fortunately, the TSA addressed the question on its Facebook page, and it had some pretty solid reasoning to back up its answer.

According to the agency’s Facebook page on July 16, 2025, “Hot dogs are just bologna that hit the grill and decided to reinvent itself. Same meat, different presentation.”

This means the TSA falls squarely in the “sandwich” camp.

Does TSA allow hot dogs on board?

While the TSA has the definitive word on a lot of issues, the agency’s ruling that a hot dog is a sandwich is unlikely to settle the long-standing debate or to convince others of its sandwich status.

In fact, many people with arguably more authority on this issue have weighed in, including celebrity chefs, and have taken the opposite position, including Rachael Ray, who said, “I think a hot dog is a hot dog.”

And hot-dog eater extraordinaire Joey Chestnut took a similar position, stating, “You start considering a hot dog a sandwich, and you’re like ‘oh, because there’s carbs around it,’ then you have to start, kinda, is a gyro a sandwich? ‘Cause that’s kinda like … no. You have to keep division. disagreed as well.”

So, while the TSA may be taking a minority position, it can't make others follow suit.

The agency can, however, make a definitive ruling on one key hot dog-related issue: whether you are allowed to bring hot dogs (and other sandwiches) aboard.

That’s a little more complicated to answer, because as TSA’s Facebook page makes clear, solid foods like hot dogs are allowed to fly, but sauces and condiments could fall within the liquid category, which means they must be under 3.4 oz to go in a carry-on.

So, before you head to airport security with your sandwich (hot dog?) and condiments in tow, make sure you know this key rule. Once you get there, you can expect that the TSA will treat your food in a uniform manner, no matter what form it takes.

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“We screen hot dogs and sandwiches the same,” the TSA explained on Facebook. “What do you call them? That’s your journey.”