If you were wondering if you can send food in the mail, yes you can! Delivering frozen food without problems is a challenge as there’s a chance it will spoil. A damaged reputation will cause lost sales. Keeping this in mind, expedited shipping will likely be your choice of shipping.
So how can you prevent frozen goods from spoiling during transit?
- Properly Wrapping Food
Make sure your food is well packaged in watertight bags and the food itself is thoroughly frozen. This is especially important for items that are prone to leakage and also because we will be working with dry ice. Adding an extra layer of bubble wrap around the bag can also help. - Choose an Insulated Box
A well insulated box ensures that your food stays cool during transit. A styrofoam box works or you can purchase a cold shipping box. You want to make sure the box is well padded. - Use Dry Ice
In order to ship frozen items, you will need dry ice. Dry ice is hazardous and can explode, so it’s crucial that you handle it well.- First, always wear thick gloves when working with dry ice to prevent burns. Confirm that the dry ice isn’t touching the actual food as it can also cause freezer burn. Wrap your dry ice in newspaper and place it carefully in the box. For the best results, place your food between the blocks of wrapped dry ice.
- If there is any empty space, fill it with filler material such as packaging peanuts or crumpled paper.
- Watch this video from UPS for further instructions.
- Tape, label and ship
Now, put your insulated box into a shipping box and tape it. Lastly check that you label the package as perishable and clearly indicate that there is dry ice and the weight of the dry ice.
Different carriers also have other requirements on what needs to be written on the package. Make sure you go over these requirements before shipping out your package.
Shipping frozen goods comes with lots of risks. Always double-check that you’re packaging the food well and safely handling the dry ice.