Every country has foods that visitors discover and immediately become obsessed with. For Americans traveling abroad, it might be stroopwafels, poutine, or Tim Tams. But for many international visitors coming to the U.S. for the World Cup, the unexpected culinary obsession appears to be something much simpler: ranch dressing.
Years ago, we had some friends from the UK who used to visit Florida every year. Besides enjoying the sunshine and visits with Mickey Mouse, they always made a stop at one of our local supermarkets.
Part of the reason for the visit to Publix, Albertson’s or Winn Dixie was to pick up supplies while they were living in a hotel for two weeks – snacks, beverages, etc. But they also wanted to buy what they considered to be a year’s worth of ranch dressing.
You see, they loved the stuff and although our friends had searched, they couldn’t find it at home. So they’d stock up on their annual visits.
Fast forward to today, and thanks to the World Cup, several U.S. host cities are seeing an influx of international visitors who are here for the games. They’re also apparently enjoying some very American stops along the way, including places such as Buc-ee’s, Waffle House and, of course, Walmart.
Anyway, many of these visitors are apparently also discovering the joys of, you guessed it, ranch dressing. And some of them are stuffing their carry-on bags with the stuff.
Except, of course, the Transportation Security Administration’s 3-1-1 liquids rule still applies. Therefore, all travelers passing through a U.S. airport must keep all liquids, gels, and aerosols they bring aboard in containers of no more than 3.4 ounces or 100 milliliters.
“If you’re visiting for a very large sporting event & you happen to discover RANCH while you’re here… pls pack it in your CHECKED BAG on the way home,” the government agency posted on social media platform Threads.
The responses were as humorous as the original post:
Meanwhile, The Next Day…
The cool part? TSA kept up with the joke. The next day they posted this:
And y’all, that’s NO JOKE. I asked AI what would happen if you chugged a whole bottle of ranch dressing. It doesn’t sound pretty at all:
Oh, and other possible issues?
- If you’re lactose intolerant, the dairy can make symptoms much worse.
- If you have gallbladder disease, a very high-fat load can trigger an attack.
- If you have pancreatitis or certain digestive disorders, it could cause significant symptoms.
- The sodium content is high, but not usually high enough in a single bottle to cause acute salt poisoning in a healthy adult.
So yeah…chugging ranch dressing is definitely not recommended.
Enter Kraft’s response
And then there’s Kraft. Well, officially, The Kraft Heinz Company, since big boy companies are well known for mergers and spinoffs.
Anyway, Kraft is well known for its ranch dressing. I’m not sure if they’re known for their sense of humor, but it was shining the other day, when the company essentially trolled TSA and promised its new international fans that better days were coming.
Kraft: 1, TSA: 0.
Of course, TSA wasn’t actually trying to ruin anyone’s newfound love affair with ranch dressing. The agency was simply reminding travelers that a 16-ounce bottle of America’s favorite condiment is still considered a liquid. But that didn’t stop Kraft from turning the moment into a marketing opportunity—and a pretty funny one at that.
As for the international visitors heading home after the World Cup, they now have two choices: check their ranch dressing or wait for Kraft’s promised solution. Either way, if the reactions on social media are any indication, ranch may have just gained thousands of new fans from around the world.
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