Methods for Shipping Perishable Food

Perishable goods are goods that have a short shelf life. These products can quickly spoil or expire. Examples of perishable goods are vegetables, fruits, flowers, dairy, seafood, and meat.

It is common knowledge that these items deteriorate quickly, so they must be stored and transported in the correct storage conditions. 

Consumption of improperly stored products can affect satisfaction and also cause food poisoning. Food poisoning can significantly impact quality of life and can lead to significant liabilities.

This is why presisidable goods must be stored and transported correctly to maintain their condition and prevent spoilage.

If you're a business that sells food online, you'll want to know these methods for shipping perishable food! Here is what you need to know.

Three methods to ship Perishable Products

Shipping perishable goods fall into three primary classifications. A business's exact method depends on the goods' nature and the shipping and destination locations.

1. Ground Transportation

Ground shipping involves using ground vehicles such as trains, trucks, or delivery vans. The car needs to have a unique compartment that regulates temperature. 

The manufacturers may fill the container with ice or dry ice. It may also have an integrated registration system to store the internal temperature.

2. Air Transportation

Air transportation involves the use of aircraft for perishable goods. It is considered the best method for transporting perishable goods due to its fast delivery time. 

There are typically refrigerated chambers and freezers within airports for storing perishable goods.

Although preferable, the business still needs ground transportation to deliver the goods to the final consumer.

3. Sea Transportation

Sea transportation involves using refrigerated ships to transport perishable products in reefers – refrigerated containers that are refrigerated. 

The type of sea vessel used primarily for perishable shipping goods is reefer ships. These are shops that have refrigerated cargo.

Vessel operators must constantly monitor the cargo to ensure the goods are at the appropriate temperature.

How to Ship Perishable Food

Shipping perishable goods requires the proper methods. Aside from selecting a means of transportation, businesses must ensure the products are well packaged.

Here are steps to ensure products are shipped correctly.

1. Obtain proper knowledge

Some perishable goods may be refrigerated, while others must be refrigerated. When shipping refrigerated food, you must cool frozen food for about 30 hours before shipping. It is also a fantastic idea to work with partners who can help.

2. Choose the proper coolant

For refeed foods, you need to maintain the right temperature. There are many solutions for this requirement. These include insulated boxes, dry ice, and ice packs.

3. Package the goods properly

The proper packaging for your goods depends on whether they should be non-refrigerated, refrigerated, or frozen food.

You should wrap non-refrigerated foods in breathable packages and place them in a corrugated cardboard box. You can use common padding materials like bubble wrap or tissue paper to fill in any empty spaces.

It would help if you had waterproof or airtight bags for refrigerated and frozen foods. Place the bag in an insulated container and pack it with dry ice. It would be best to store the container inside a corrugated cardboard box.

4. Use appropriate labeling

Seal and label your packages correctly. You should engage the shipping box carrying the "perishable" in bold font. You can also indicate the box orientation with "This End Up" markings and arrows. 

If it contains fragile objects, include "Fragile" markings. International shipping regulations demand that you label your boxes "Dry Ice" or "Carbon Dioxide Solid" and "UN 1845" if you are shipping with dry ice.

Have Questions or Concerns with Food Storage? Forte Frozen Is Here to Help

Forte Frozen has extensive experience helping our various clients with effective cold storage solutions that make a difference for them. 

Each of the locations that Forte Frozen offers to clients comes with value-added services that can certainly improve peace of mind when it comes to food safety concerns.

If you have questions or concerns about food storage or shipping and want to know how our team at Forte Frozen can help, reach out to us today.