Shipping food is easier than ever, thanks to the more highly developed and robust logistics infrastructure that the modern world currently enjoys. This allows both large corporations and smaller entrepreneurial ventures to send out food shipments to either other distributors and retailers or even directly to consumers.
However, food is a delicate, perishable item and is extremely vulnerable to prolonged exposure to temperatures other than those specified. If you’re shipping food, particularly raw foods and ingredients, here are a few things to consider.
Cold Chain Packaging Matters
Because raw food items are temperature sensitive, cold chain packaging is essential for food safety. Cold chain packaging is a crucial tool for safe food shipment. Cold chain packaging is specially insulated packaging, such as insulated box liners or box covers, that can maintain the initial temperature of the food when it is placed in the packaging.
This can act as either a “backup” precaution should the food be prematurely removed from a refrigerated shipping unit, or it can be the primary maintainer of shipping temperature if food is being shipped for shorter durations and distances.
Meat Must Be Kept Separate
Another important consideration when shipping food pertains specifically to meat. While it is fine for fruits and vegetables to come into physical contact with each other, the same is not true for ingredients like raw meat. Cross-contamination is what happens when the bacteria in raw meat infects other food that the raw meat is in contact with. Vegetables and even other cooked meat are vulnerable to this cross-contamination, and it can result in food poisoning.
Because of this, businesses that are shipping raw meat should, in addition to considering temperature maintenance, also ensure there is proper separation between the meat and other ingredients.
Cooling Agents
A final factor to think about is the addition of a cooling agent to a food shipment. While the traditional solution has been to include ice, there are more modern alternatives, such as gel packs for shorter shipments, cold packs that consist of frozen water or saline solution, and even dry ice packs if there’s a need to keep a product extremely cold during shipping.
All of these cold chain packaging solutions mean that even if a food shipment isn’t kept in a reefer unit, it will readily maintain its optimal shipping temperature and do so for hours or even days. This can be important in situations where relying on reefer unit storage is not always a given.
If you’re shipping temperature-sensitive products and want to know what kind of cold chain packaging will safely transport them to their destination, we can help. Contact us to explain your shipping needs and obtain a quote.
