As people have become busier and the cost of eating out rises, a new hybrid form of home cooking service has arrived. “Meal kits” are recipes meant to be cooked at home that bypass the usual need to keep a recipe in mind, buy ingredients at a grocery store, and then bring everything home to prepare. Instead, meal kits include the correct proportions of ingredients along with the recipe, so couples or families can prepare them at home once the kit is delivered to their door. However, there are two major factors to consider for meal kits to arrive at doorsteps still safe to consume and one factor is why you should use insulated packaging.
Temperature
Insulated packaging is one way to help address this issue. Meal kits consist of raw ingredients like meat and vegetables. To retain freshness, they must be chilled to an appropriate temperature and remain there for the duration of the trip. Insulated packaging acts as a critical protective layer for moments during shipping when a meal kit is not in an environmentally controlled area.
For example, if it’s a hot day, and the meal kit is left sitting outside. At the same time, the truck that was supposed to arrive is delayed; insulated packaging provides crucial protection that keeps the raw ingredients at a safe temperature for preservation.
Cross Contamination
Another major issue is preventing different ingredients from interacting with each other. Meat, for example, contains microbes that may have negative effects should those microbes mix with other meats or vegetables. Until it is time for food preparation, ingredients should be sealed in discreet containers or other packaging that ensures they make no physical contact.
As long as these two issues are addressed, meal kits can safely be shipped to customers and retain freshness and the necessary separation to prevent cross-contamination. This is essential in building up trust with customers and turning trial periods into repeat business. A successful meal kit business is one that customers trust to ship fresh, safe ingredients.
