Shipping perishables well
The fast-growing market for food and grocery delivery is full of opportunity. But shipping perishable items affordably while keeping them fresh is a real challenge. Mishandled shipments lead to chargebacks, put health at risk, and can mean substantial losses.
Your business depends on delivering products as fresh as the day they were harvested or made. Here are practical guidelines for shipping them safely and efficiently.
Ensuring food safety
Perishable food faces unique hazards in transit: extreme temperatures, humidity, staleness, and spoilage. Insulation and refrigeration are the answer. The aim is to keep heat and moisture out and cold in, for the whole journey.
Start from the temperature your product needs. U.S. food-safety guidance keeps refrigerated foods at 40°F or below and frozen foods at 0°F or below, and your product may need a tighter range. That target decides your coolant, your insulation, and how fast the shipment has to arrive. The options below make it easier to hit.
Shipping with dry ice
Dry ice is the coolant for frozen products and anything that has to stay frigid.
Dry ice is solid carbon dioxide. It turns straight into gas as it warms, without melting into a liquid, so it keeps products very cold without soaking the package. It does have drawbacks: it can be expensive, and not every carrier accepts it. If you use it:
- Follow your carrier’s rules for dry ice, and label every package to show it contains dry ice.
- Pack it so the gas can vent. Never seal dry ice in an airtight container.
- Handle it with insulated gloves and eye protection to prevent burns and injuries.
- Carbon dioxide is not toxic, but the gas can displace oxygen, so pack and store dry ice only in well-ventilated spaces.
- Do not use dry ice when shipping live animals such as lobsters or shellfish.
- Parcel carriers such as FedEx and UPS ask you to declare dry ice when you create the shipment, and the Postal Service has its own requirements. Check with your carrier and your dry ice supplier before you ship.
For freight shipments and the details of packing, labeling, and carrier acceptance, see shipping with dry ice.
Shipping with cold packs
For refrigerated rather than frozen products, cold packs are often the better coolant. They are reusable inserts that keep perishable and semi-perishable food chilled in transit.
Choose them based on the type and quantity of food, the temperature it must stay within, the temperatures it will meet on the way, and how long it has to stay cold.
Choosing the right cold packs
- Pliable gel packs suit irregular spaces, because they can be shaped to fit around the product.
- Plastic or foam packs work well against flat, well-defined surfaces.
- Test before you ship. With ice packs or freezer packs, test the size and number your products need, so they arrive fresh at every destination you serve, not just the nearest.
- Freeze packs completely before packing, and fill empty space so they stay in contact with the product.
Packaging materials
The right packaging materials are what get food to its destination safely. Glass preserves food well but costs more, weighs more, and needs careful handling. Flexible plastic is cheaper and tougher. And the shipping container itself, an insulated cardboard box or a foam or rigid plastic one, depends on how much cooling the product needs.
Glass packaging
Glass is fragile, so it needs packing that can withstand mild to moderate impacts: bubble-wrap each item and use a sturdy shipping container. For liquids in glass, seal each product in a watertight plastic bag and line the box with a plastic liner, so a break never becomes a leak that ruins the package or the freight around it. And because glass is heavier and more expensive than the alternatives, factor it into your transportation costs.
Plastic bags and wraps
Flexible plastic bags are an affordable, impact-resistant choice for solid food. Packed snugly into a shipping box, they absorb shocks evenly and protect the contents from dents and crushing. Consider biodegradable or other more sustainable plastics to reduce your packaging’s environmental impact.
Insulated cardboard boxes
A standard cardboard box with an insulated liner suits perishable and semi-perishable food. Size the insulation to the trip: as a rule of thumb, about 1 inch holds temperature for a 1 to 2 day transit, and thicker insulation extends that to as long as 5 days. For products that need less cooling, air-filled liners or foam cut-sheets cost less.
Foam or rigid plastic boxes
When the product’s cooling needs justify the extra cost, a foam or rigid plastic box gives the most insulation and protection.
Packaging preserves the quality and integrity of every food shipment. Weigh fragility, spill risk, cost, and weight when you choose between glass and plastic, and match the container to how perishable the product is and how long it must stay cold. Good packaging decisions bring food to your customers in top condition, and keep your reputation there too.
Shipping temperature-sensitive freight?
Tell us the product, the temperature it needs, and the lane, and we will quote it.
When it is time for a reefer
Once perishables move by the pallet rather than the parcel, they usually travel in a reefer: a refrigerated trailer that holds a set temperature for the whole trip. A few habits keep a reefer load safe:
- Load the product at its shipping temperature. A reefer is built to hold temperature, not to cool a warm load.
- Pre-cool the trailer before loading, and keep the dock doors open for as short a time as possible.
- Put the required temperature on the bill of lading, so the driver and the receiver both know it.
- Leave room for air to circulate around the pallets.
RS Group arranges refrigerated freight with partner carriers that specialize in temperature-controlled loads. Tell us the product and its temperature range, and we will match it with the right carrier and equipment.