Mass. native, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ star Ellen Pompeo said she was detained by TSA over her sunflower seeds

The Everett native told Travel + Leisure that she almost missed a flight after a bag of sunflower seeds set off the airport’s security alarms.

“Grey’s Anatomy” star Ellen Pompeo says she had an unexpected run-in with airport security over her on-flight snack.

The Everett native told Travel + Leisure last month that she was trying to catch a flight in March when she set off the security alarms, leading them to bring in the bomb squad. The culprit? A bag of sunflower seeds.

“I had a bag of sunflower seeds, like organic sunflower seeds from Erewhon, so they were probably the most expensive sunflower seeds money can buy,” Pompeo said. “They literally held me for an hour, and they brought the bomb squad in. And I was like, ‘what is happening? Is this a joke?’”

TSA officials informed the actress it was most likely a chemical on the packaging of the sunflower seeds that set off the alarm, she told Travel + Leisure. She offered to throw out her snack so she could be on her way, but officials insisted that she wait for the bomb squad to assess the potentially dangerous bag of sunflower seeds.

“I almost missed the flight. It was really like no one would ever believe this!” Pompeo said. “I was texting my publicist saying, ‘I might not get on this plane, and you’re never gonna guess why.’”

Though the TSA allows passengers to bring snacks on board in both checked bags and carry-on bags, the agency’s website states that “TSA officers may instruct travelers to separate items from carry-on bags such as foods, powders, and any materials that can clutter bags and obstruct clear images on the X-ray machine.”