Can you bring yogurt on a plane? Rules by country

Yogurt on flights in and from Japan

On a domestic flight the 100ml liquid limit does not apply. On an international flight it does.

Yogurt and pudding: carry-on and checked baggage in Japan

Where	Allowed?	What applies
In the cabin	Yes, within limits	Yes on domestic flights. On international flights yoghurt and pudding are on Japan's liquids list, under desserts: each cup or bottle must be 100ml or less and fit in your one clear resealable bag of 1 litre or less.
In checked baggage	Yes	Yes. A larger cup or a bottle of drinking yogurt goes in checked baggage.

Domestic flights in Japan: The 100ml liquid limit does not apply.
International flights from Japan: Each container 100ml or less, all of them inside one transparent re-sealable bag of 1 litre or less, one bag per person.

The same list entry covers jelly, drinking jelly, drinking yogurt and smoothies. Narita Airport's FAQ answers the boxed yogurt question directly: on an international flight, put it in checked baggage.

Carry-onChecked bag

Carry-on liquid limits: exemptions, connections and the rule in each countryCarry-on: conditionsChecked bag: yes

Yogurt, pudding and jelly cups: the dessert row and quarantine

Japan's liquids list treats a cup of yogurt as a dessert, and on arrival the same cup is a question for animal quarantine.

Pudding and drinking yogurt share one row: Japan's liquids list keeps milk, soy milk and lactic acid drinks in a Milk-based Drinks row. Yogurt is not there: it sits in a row headed Dessert, Yoghurt, with pudding, milk shake and smoothie as the English examples. The Japanese edition of the row is longer, naming bavarois, mousse, drinking yogurt and Yakult, so a cup of pudding and a bottle of drinking yogurt are read the same way.
Spoonable in the cup, still covered at security: A thick yogurt does not pour, but that does not take it out of the rule. When the restriction began, Japan's transport ministry explained that foods such as pudding and yogurt are covered because they are semi-liquid: they cannot keep their shape without the container. The English list gives the same test in its first note.
Konjac jelly and jelly drinks: Jelly snacks follow the yogurt answer. South Korea's aviation security list gives konjac jelly a row of its own, worded like its yogurt row: allowed in the cabin and in checked baggage on domestic flights, with the liquids, gels and aerosols control in the cabin on international flights. Japan's dessert row names mini jelly cups and drinking jelly next to yogurt.
Food for a baby on board: South Korea's yogurt row carries its own exception: with an infant, baby milk, water, juice, breast milk and food in liquid, gel or porridge form are allowed above 100ml, in an amount suited to the journey. Japan's list keeps a separate row for baby food and drink, permitted in the cabin only for customers traveling with babies or infants.
Bringing it into Japan: fermented milk is an excluded article: On arrival, yogurt is a matter for Japan's Animal Quarantine Service, not airport security. Its exclusion criteria list articles that clearly pose no risk of spreading monitored animal diseases. Standard 49 covers a product that falls within the category of fermented milk or lactic acid bacteria beverages as specified by the Milk and Milk Products Ordinance, and gives yogurt as its example.

Into Japan

Milk, cheese and dairyInto Japan: yes Baby formula and liquid milkCarry-onconditionsChecked bagyes HoneyCarry-onconditionsChecked bagyes

Yogurt: the rule country by country

The carry-on answer for yogurt is the same in all 6 other places we checked. The limits themselves are not identical, so read the row for the country you fly from.

Yogurt and pudding: carry-on and checked baggage rules by country

Flying from	Carry-on	Checked bag	What the authority says
JapanCivil Aviation Bureau	With limits	Yes	On international flights yoghurt and pudding are on Japan's liquids list, under desserts: each cup or bottle must be 100ml or less and fit in your one clear resealable bag of 1 litre or less. Source
United StatesTSA	With limits	Yes	Yogurt is allowed in carry-on bags in containers of 3.4oz/100 ml or less. It can go in checked bags. Officers may ask travelers to separate foods from carry-on bags for X-ray screening. Source
European UnionEuropean Commission, EASA	With limits	—	Gels, pastes, liquid/solid mixtures and other items of similar consistency count as liquids: containers of 100 ml or less in one transparent re-sealable bag of one liter or less. Source
United KingdomUK Government	With limits	Yes	Yoghurt is a liquid or semi-liquid food. At most airports containers larger than 100ml cannot go through security; some airports may allow up to 2 litres. Pack liquids in hold baggage if possible. Source
South KoreaMOLIT Aviation Security 365	With limits	Yes	Yogurt is listed. Domestic flights: allowed in carry-on and checked baggage. International flights: the same for checked baggage; carry-on containers of 100ml or less in 1 clear 1L zip bag per person. Source
Hong KongCivil Aviation Department	With limits	Yes	Foods with a high liquid content and items of similar consistency are LAGs: in cabin baggage, containers of 100 ml or less in a clear re-sealable bag of 1 litre. LAGs not needed for the flight should go in hold baggage. Source
AustraliaHome Affairs, CASA	With limits	Yes	Yoghurt is listed as a gel on international flights: carry-on containers of 100 mL or 100 g or less. The limits do not apply to checked baggage or most domestic flights. Source

Each row comes from that authority's own page. Airlines can be stricter, and the screening officer has the final say.

If security in Japan will not let yogurt through

What to do: Move yogurt to the bag you check in before you reach security. Narita Airport states that anything given up at the checkpoint is discarded and cannot be returned.

Frequently asked questions

Can you bring yogurt on a plane?

On flights in and from Japan: Yes on domestic flights. On international flights yoghurt and pudding are on Japan's liquids list, under desserts: each cup or bottle must be 100ml or less and fit in your one clear resealable bag of 1 litre or less. In checked baggage: Yes. A larger cup or a bottle of drinking yogurt goes in checked baggage.

Can you take pudding on a plane?

Yes, within the liquids limit on international flights. Japan's list names pudding in the same Dessert, Yoghurt row as yogurt, so each cup in carry-on must be 100 ml or less and go in the transparent re-sealable bag of 1 liter or less. Pudding with more in the cup goes in checked baggage.

Does the 100ml limit apply to yogurt on domestic flights?

Not in Japan, South Korea or Australia. Japan's transport ministry says the liquids rule applies to international flights only. South Korea's yogurt row allows it in the cabin and checked baggage on domestic flights. Australia lists yoghurt as a gel and says the restrictions do not apply to most domestic flights.

Can I take yogurt bought after security onto an international flight from Japan?

Yes. Japan's liquids list excepts items purchased within the restricted area, past the security check, from the 100ml limit. For international transfer and transit passengers, the list warns that liquids may be confiscated at security checkpoints under the rules of other countries.

Can you bring yogurt into Japan?

Yogurt is named in Japan's animal quarantine exclusion criteria. Standard 49 covers fermented milk and lactic acid bacteria beverages as defined by the Milk and Milk Products Ordinance. The Animal Quarantine Service asks importers who are unsure whether an article meets the criteria to consult it before import, with an ingredient list and a description of the manufacturing process.

Does the TSA allow yogurt in carry-on bags?

Yogurt is allowed in carry-on bags in containers of 3.4oz/100 ml or less. It can go in checked bags. Officers may ask travelers to separate foods from carry-on bags for X-ray screening.

Can you put yogurt in checked luggage?

Yes. A larger cup or a bottle of drinking yogurt goes in checked baggage.

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