The food and beverage eCommerce market is predicted to increase from $25 billion in 2020 to $67 billion in 2025, with shipping proving to be one of the most difficult issues for newcomers.
Whether you offer ice cream, baked goods, fish, meat, or any other perishable item, your product must get the client fresh and contamination-free. This necessitates mastering the art of frozen food packaging and shipping.
We’ll teach you how to pick the correct shipping carrier for your frozen food in this article.
What is the procedure to ship frozen foods?
To ship frozen foods, you must employ insulation and refrigeration to keep your frozen meals fresh and avoid staleness or spoiling before shipping them to your clients.
A customized packaging, shipping, and monitoring method will make transporting perishable commodities to your clients easier.
To make frozen meal delivery as straightforward as possible, we’ve produced a step-by-step guide:
Step 1: Product preparation and packaging
Your food item should be frozen before shipping to avoid condensation. If you’re going to package baked goods, make sure they’re completely cool. Warm or hot food should be carefully wrapped to minimize mold growth or deterioration before delivery.
The following item to consider is the packaging. Your packaging must be long-lasting and capable of retaining the food’s temperature for a long time. When it comes to objects that come into contact with food, be sure they’re safe and non-toxic.
Step 2: Put food that can melt in waterproof plastic bags
Before choosing a coolant for your food, consider whether your cargo contains liquid that might leak during transportation. When your shipment box arrives at the customer’s house, you don’t want it to be moist and leaking.
Use absorbent things like paper towels or cellulose wadding at the bottom of the container to avoid a leaky box. You should double-bag the insulated container with 2-mil waterproof bags and fold-over seal each bag. Green Cell Foam, VestaEco, and eco-friendly heat seal bags are excellent plant-based plastic alternatives.
If you’re bringing live food like oysters or crabs, keep the bag open to allow air to circulate.
Step 3: Use dry ice or gel packs to keep your meal chilled
During shipping, food is frozen utilizing gel packs and dry ice as the primary coolants. Gel packets keep food cool but not frozen, whereas dry ice keeps it frozen.
Dry ice is used instead of ordinary ice because it is too heavy and would dampen the container when it melts. Dry ice, created from frozen carbon dioxide, is colder at -109.3 degrees F.
On the other hand, dry ice is a hazardous item, so if your shipment weighs more than 5.5 pounds and you’re flying it, you’ll face additional limitations.
When handling dry ice, always use gloves and wrap them in newspaper before placing them in your shipping box.
Gel packs are ideal for food that has to be chilled between 32 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit. To keep the food from freezing, place it in a sealed plastic bag before enclosing it in gel packs.
Step 4: Pad and load your merchandise into the insulated box
Fill the box halfway with coolant and place the food item inside. To protect the products from shifting, fill the space with cushioning.
Use tissue paper, peanuts, or bubble wrap replacements to provide at least 3 inches of protection around your food.
To shut the box, use a whole corrugated cardboard box using the H tape technique. It’s a procedure in which you cover the box’s seams with at least three pieces of pressure-sensitive packing tape.
Step 5: Use the proper labeling and classification
Mark your shipment box as perishable and adhere to all IATA standards.
The IATA’s hazardous goods requirements are very critical when transporting perishable food preserved using dry ice.
All dry ice shipments must have the following marks on the exterior package, according to IATA:
“Carbon Dioxide Solid” or “Dry Ice”The net weight of dry ice in kilogramsThe shipper’s name and addressThe recipient’s name and address
When processing your cargo online with your carrier, choose “dry ice.”
Step 6: Select a shipping provider that has no limits on your merchandise
The ideal carrier for you will be decided by the item shipped, the coolants used, and how quickly you need your products delivered. Perishable foods should not be transported for more than 30 hours.
Check to see whether the frozen item you’re delivering is subject to any limitations from your carrier. You can’t send more than 5.5 pounds of dry ice per package with most carriers.
If you’re shipping something overseas, the destination country may have restrictions on what you may send. Vegetables and fresh meat, which deteriorate fast, cannot be transferred to another country. In international mail, dry ice is likewise forbidden.
Step 7: Select quick delivery
Choose a 1 or 2-day delivery option once you’ve chosen a carrier. Overnight delivery is also a fantastic option. When moving temperature-sensitive objects, you need to move quickly.
Choose the one that delivers the best balance of speed and cost among the carriers’ many quick delivery options.
If your carrier does not provide weekend delivery, consider sending early in the week to avoid holiday delays.
Conclusion
Delivery of frozen meals doesn’t have to be a burden if you utilize the proper packaging, adhere to carrier labeling regulations, and choose expedited shipping to guarantee your items reach on time.
Use the knowledge in this article to begin profiting from the fast-expanding food and beverage eCommerce business.
