How to ship refrigerated items?

Are you planning to send a homemade cake for your daughter’s birthday celebration? Are you a bit confused about the shipping procedure?

Many of us want to surprise our loved ones with homemade food. But we do not find an appropriate shipping option to ship refrigerated items.

We think here at NNT Transportation that food will perish during shipping. It might happen without following the required precautions.The refrigerated items need to be temperature controlled to be shipped safely.

Besides, you will have to take care of the packaging, material, and delivery time to avoid spoilage. To help you out, here are a few tips to ship perishable items. 

How to ship refrigerated items

- Choose appropriate packaging material 

While shipping refrigerated items, it is essential to choose the right packing material.

You need to pack them into an airtight container to prevent any contact with outside air. You can choose any airtight container including zip-top, Tupperware, and even vacuum sealed bags.

The next step is to get a thick styrofoam cooler. The cooler needs to be minimum 1.5 inches thick for proper insulation. 

- Get correct cooling material 

Once the refrigerated item is packed with an airtight box or container, you need to get right cooling material to ensure proper coolness during shipping.

For frozen ship items, you can use dry ice and for refrigerated items, gel freezer packs will be ideal. Both these cooling materials are effective.

But they are not absolutely safe and cannot ensure the best result. The gel packs will start damping as they melt.

Besides, you need to focus on the right amount of cooling material. For example, you will need 5 -10 lbs of dry ice for twenty-four hours shipping.

While using gel packs, you can use one pound per cubic foot per day. This amount will ensure proper cooling through the shipping time. 

- Focus on right packaging 

You can choose any of these two cooling material. You can combine them as well.

Once you have the packaging and cooling material, now you need to package them correctly.

First, place the gel pack or a container of dry ice on the bottom of the styrofoam cooler and then place the item into the cooler.

It needs to be followed by one more layer of coolant on the top of it.

After getting it done, you will have to seal the cooler with a tape. 

Get a heavy duty shipping box to ship the cooler. Keep the sealed cooler inside and fill empty space with newspapers to retain the container temperature for a long time.

Tape the box to secure the package and label it with “refrigerated or perishable items”.

- Choose the right time

The proper shipment timing is critical. Just imagine what will happen if you ship perishable items on weekends. The items may take two days more than anticipated.

Besides, you need to ensure that someone is available to receive the items. Any delay might cause a problem. 

Conclusion 

Shipping refrigerated items require proper planning. NNT Transportation Services will have to choose the:

  • right packaging material
  • cooling material
  • packaging method
  • arrival time

In addition to the above, you need to inquire about the shipment rules. Do you still have any doubt?