Shipping frozen food requires proper refrigeration and insulation to ensure your products arrive fresh. Proper packaging protects fresh food like fish or cheese from extreme temperatures and humidity. It also ensures temperatures are cool inside the packaging to avoid spoilage in transit, saving time and money.
Here's how to correctly package frozen food for shipping:
1. Properly Wrap Food in Airtight Packaging
Proper wrapping ensures that your food arrives at the right temperature and avoids spoilage. Airtight packaging such as aluminum foil, vacuum bags, and glass helps maintain this freshness.
Depending on the quantity of frozen food, choose a packaging material, like a cardboard box, that will hold your food after it is properly wrapped. Wrap the food into multiple plastic bags before placing them in an airtight container and then a cardboard box. Ensure the plastic bags are airtight, and squeeze out any air before sealing. The plastic wrappings should also be watertight to avoid leakage so that the outer cardboard box doesn’t get soggy.
2. Choose an Insulated Box of the Proper Size
Choose the right insulated box size when shipping frozen food. Make sure that the box can hold your food and the right amount of ice—it should not be too small or too big. A box that is too big has a lot of empty space, making your fresh products thaw quickly in the container. The extra space also causes a lack of structure and support, all of which can cause damage and overall, increase shipping costs.
3. Place Frozen Items in the Shipping Box
Arrange your fresh products in the shipping box the same way you would arrange them inside a cooler. Leave enough space to add dry ice, and finger room for the recipient to easily reach and remove the food. Ensure that the products are on a flat surface and arranged in a compact style.
4. Include Dry Ice Packs in the Package
Wear special gloves when adding dry ice packs to your package to avoid injuries. Dry ice is solid carbon dioxide that moves directly from a solid to a gas state; that's why it's good at bringing temperatures down and keeping products cold.
Depending on the size of frozen food you want to send, ensure you get the right ice packs. The right amount of ice will depend on the season and climate of the package’s destination. A hot climate might mean more dry ice, and a cold climate might require less dry ice.
5. Ensure Correct Labeling and Classification on the Box
Correct labeling and classification are essential when shipping your products for various reasons:
- It helps in keeping track of packages.
- It helps the recipient know when the food expires.
- It allows you to assign priority to packages.
Marking your package as a high priority will ensure that it is delivered first, reducing the chances of spoilage. It's also important to know the correct classification of your package when labeling according to the shipping service you are using. It is also required that you label the shipment as perishable. If your shipment has required the use of dry ice, indicate accordingly and include the net weight, name, and address of the sender and recipient.
Ship Your Fresh Foods
Proper packaging techniques ensure that your food arrives safely and in good condition. When your products reach their recipient safely, it also saves you time and money. If you need help shipping your frozen food, experts at PostalAnnex can help. Stop in today and ask about our services.