For businesses that sell food and are considering taking the plunge to ship food, such as meal kits, insulated packaging should be one of the first things considered when planning out the viability of this move. Shipping raw food ingredients can be done safely, occurring daily worldwide. However, this means taking certain precautions, especially against exposing food to the “danger zone” of sustained high temperatures.
Food Is Vulnerable
Everyone knows that raw ingredients are sensitive. This is why many types of foods, such as meat and vegetables, are stored in fridges until they are ready to be used, or even freezers if they won’t be required for a long period of time. Food left to its own devices at room temperature will, given enough time, eventually rot and no longer be safe for consumption.
Worse than this, however, is when food is exposed to heat higher than even that of room temperature. The moisture of food, combined with warmer temperatures, creates an ideal breeding ground for bacteria and other organisms, such as mold, which can render food not just inedible but unsafe and hazardous to consume.
Avoid The Danger Zone
A range of different bacteria rapidly multiply when in their “ideal temperature range,” creating a definite “danger zone” for temperatures in food storage. Insulated packaging can play a major role in preventing this, but refrigeration temperatures are ideal for people wanting to ship food. However, any food left in the danger zone of 40-140℉ may be at risk of bacterial infection, depending on the duration of exposure.
As a general rule of thumb, food exposed to this temperature range for two hours may have already begun multiplying bacteria. There may not be any visible signs of degradation, but that doesn’t mean the food will not negatively affect people who consume it now.
Take All Precautions
Unfortunately, delays can happen at any point in the logistics chain. So even if food has been carefully stored in refrigerated environments, such as reefer units, that protection does no good if the food shipment is removed and left sitting on the tarmac due to a delay in its transfer to an aircraft for the next leg of the journey.
Insulated packaging is the added precaution that keeps food at its original and intended shipping temperature for hours or even days. Always take the extra safety measure of using insulated packaging to protect your food shipment when environmental control systems are no longer present.
If you’re shipping temperature-sensitive products and want more protection, contact Protek Cargo with your needs and get a quote.
