It’s safe to say that almost every raw food item is perishable, including fruits, vegetables, meats, fishes, seafood, and other similar items. Understandably, if you have clients in some of the major cities, and if you’re going to deliver your goods to your customers based three hundred miles away, then you can’t avoid organizations that offer the frozen courier service. Refrigerating perishable food items is crucial to ensure that they reach their destination in perfect condition. Perishable items are extremely susceptible to temperature changes. Even the slightest alterations in the temperature can spoil these products. This topic will highlight a few points that you must consider before delivering perishable food items.
Insulated packaging
According to the providers of temperature controlled transport services, one of the most vital criteria for delivering frozen food is the packaging. It will work to keep the food within the specific temperature range during transportation. For long-distance deliveries, the drivers of transportation and logistics organizations usually set out for their destination at night. Once they enter the city, they have to put up with heavy traffic. Understandably, using insulated packaging will aid in maintaining the perishable food items in appropriate conditions. It will also ensure an optimal shelf life of the products. Therefore, if you want to maintain standard temperatures, you must choose insulated bags or containers fabricated for perishable goods.
Materials to add
When it comes to transporting food over long distances, the packaging isn’t the only thing that will affect the condition of the goods. You need to consider what’s inside those packages. The specialists working with frozen courier service organizations suggest relying on a combination of dry ice and frozen-gel packaging to ensure fresh and safe shipment. Dry ice is the best cooling agent that you’ll find, especially for perishable products. It will keep the packaged items cooler for longer than regular ice packs. Generally, dry ice can remain intact for eighteen to twenty-four hours. Gel packs, on the other hand, are reusable inserts for transporting refrigerated perishable and semi-perishable food items. Pliable gel packs can keep the goods frozen between twenty-four and thirty-six hours inside a sealed and insulated cooler.
Checking and labelling
You have to make sure that you made no mistake in the packaging process. For that purpose, you must label all food items and mot only the insulated package. Improper packaging of frozen food will inevitably lead to bacterial contamination during temperature controlled transport. Depending on the food products, you have to pick the right materials, such as foam, plastic, Styrofoam lining, or insulated bubble-wrap liners for perfect insulation. Therefore, make sure that every item has the appropriate label on it, including “perishable,” “semi-perishable,” “keep refrigerated,” “This Side Up,” etc. Don’t forget to include any notes on necessary storage requirements and the receipt on the package. These things will help the delivery organization perform safety checks.
Select the right logistics organization
Perishable food items usually need temperature-maintained transportation services, apart from temperature-controlled packaging based on the size and type of shipment. Hence, it’s vital that you check with your refrigerated transportation service provider to ensure that they can maintain the temperature range required for your items.