A maker of Vietnamese grilled pork sausage is trying to cool down airline passengers worrying about new restrictions that could prevent them carrying the popular food on board.
Starting June 22, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) will limit the quantity of liquid that passengers can carry onto flights to 100 millimetres per container, and a maximum of 1,000 ml in total, as part of new safety regulations.
That could prove difficult for lovers of Vietnamese grilled pork sausage, better known in Thai as nam nueung. A bag of the sausage dip in a takeaway box is currently between 200 ml and 400 ml, depending on the whether the box contains five or 10 sausage sticks.
Vietnamese grilled pork sausage is one of the must-buy food items for passengers visiting Udon Thani, a province famous for selling the spicy dish. Many are used to buying it in town or at airport shops, which offer several brands, and taking it on board the aircraft without any problem. Nam nueung is also sold at shops in other big northeastern airports, including Khon Kaen.
Airlines at Udon Thani have posted notices reminding nam nueng lovers that they will have to place the item in their checked luggage because the quantity of the sauce is over the 100 ml carry-on limit set by the CAAT.
The new restrictions have sparked dismay on social media.
The chief executive of VT Namnueng Co, the most popular brand in Udon Thani, said the company plans to reduce the quantity of the dip for Vietnamese grilled pork sausage to 100 ml per bag so that buyers can still carry the food onto planes.
