The Department of Transport (Aviation Security Domestic Branch) has replied to my query about air travel and baby food. I asked why all baby food had to be opened at security when it was potentially dangerous (baby food should be disposed of within two hours tops). The reply says:
The liquids requirements were introduced on 6 November 2006 to comply with EU legislation and apply equally across all EU Member States as well as the USA, Canada and others. Ready-made baby formula is not exempt from airport security checks. Although liquid baby food or sterilised water, sufficient for the journey, may be permitted in quantities greater than 100ml, the accompanying adult will be required to verify each by tasting before they can be taken airside. A small amount may be decanted from bottles for testing purposes.
Unfortunately, that isn’t true. The US rules are here, and in pretty much every other EU country the rules are that baby food “may” be tested – not that it *must* be tested, let alone that all of it must be tested.
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0 responses to “Baby food bollocks from the department of transport”
I’m never quite sure which is the bigger problem with the EU: that the unelected Commission gets to overrule Parliament, or that the Government gets to bypass the electorate by falsely claiming that the Commission has overruled Parliament.
If it’s ok to taste baby food, then why is not just acceptable to prove that your bottle of water that you bought from the kiosk not 100m away from security is not liquid explosive by tasting it?
I’m not being facetious, I’m just a bit thick, see. I really want to know so if anyone can tell me…..
Because the rules are nonsense?
What bugs me about this is that the department of transport chap doesn’t know what the rules are in the countries we fly to. Which is slightly scary.
Bonus fact: the actual EU rules on what you can take through security are secret (although they were leaked to a spanish newspaper). If you download the appropriate regulations, you get the law – but the detail’s in the annex, which is classified.
But, is being armed with the rules any help anyway, when you’re actually at security and at the mercy of an underpaid, undertrained, overworked uniformed moron with a gun, the power to stop you from making your flight and who might be having a bad day? I think not.
Oh, indeed. Arguing with airport security must be one of the most pointless and counter-productive things you can do. Isn’t it great that an underpaid, undertrained, overworked uniformed moron can really ruin your day because of inviolable rules that don’t actually exist?
Oh well, it gives something to moan about…