Your Guide To Shipping Perishables

Food is a big business, and it has only gotten bigger as meal delivery kits surged in popularity. If your business works with perishable items or you’re thinking about expanding to include perishables, there are a lot of things to keep in mind. Keep this guide handy so you can pack perishables like a pro!

Types Of Food

The way you ship perishables, and if you can even ship them at all, really depends on the type of food you want to send.

If you want to ship:

Baked Goods are probably the easiest perishable item to ship. You won’t have to be as careful with temperature regulation for these items. You will have to consider how to ensure the baked goods keep their shape and how to stop icing from smearing or melting.

Meat can be a challenge to ship but luckily as long as your product meets USDA regulations you will be permitted to ship it. Meat is one perishable you will likely overnight every time.

Produce may be the trickiest of all. You are allowed to ship it, but condensation will likely spoil your produce before it arrives, so you have to be careful and make sure it ships dry.

The Packaging

• Choose the right insulation. There’s a lot of options for keeping temperature sensitive items safe from heat. Insulated shipping containers include a box for shipping, foam for temperature control, and a tight fitting lid. Thicker walls means you’ll need less ice packs or dry ice.
•  Cool shield bubble mailers and insulated mailers are also a good option for shipping perishables. As they aren’t protected by the sturdy walls of a box you’ll want to use these for less sensitive food products.
•  Keep your packaging as small as possible. Not only will this help you save on shipping costs, but it makes a big difference when it comes to the amount of cooling products you will have to use for the package.
•  Make sure your packaging comes stamped, or stamp it yourself with the word “Perishable”. The last thing you want is for your product to spoil because it is mishandled during shipping.

Staying Cool

• Ice packs are the standard when it comes to shipping perishables. They are made with non-toxic materials and some are even designed to reduce condensation. You can buy reusable ice packs, but one-use styles are the most popular.
•  Dry ice is considered a hazardous material, which adds added complications to your packaging and shipping. It offers extra climate control, but also extra planning. We recommend sticking with ice packs when possible.
•  Do your research about how many ice packs you will need and how long they will keep your perishables cool. Some last only a day, some can last two weeks. Pay close attention to this when doing your packaging.

Shipping Logistics

• Rules will vary depending on what carrier you ship with, so it is best to do your research ahead of time and choose one to stick with.
• You don’t have to overnight your perishable shipments, but it is best not to let them linger in transit for days, either. Two day shipping is much more affordable than overnight shipping, so try to make that your target.
• When researching carriers don’t forget to look into specifics. What are the prices of 2 day ground VS air shipping? What about overnight shipping? Are there service guarantees? This all becomes very important once you start shipping products out.
• Keep an eye on the weather. Winter shipping presents different challenges than summer shipping, and inclement weather can lead to delays. Make sure customers know that shipping times may vary due to weather conditions. If mail service may be cancelled, wait to ship the product.

Pricing

• Shipping perishables is expensive. Instead of displaying a lump sum shipping charge, add some of it to the price of the product. Customers may turn away from high shipping costs, but they are less likely to do that when it comes to the product price.
• Analyze your orders and shipping costs. Make changes as needed. Remember that you will probably have to re-work the pricing as you go.
• Estimate how much air mail you will have to use. Keep track of where most of your orders are coming from so you can adjust your marketing accordingly.
•  Buy your insulated shipping supplies in bulk. You’ll often receive a quantity discount, decreasing your overall shipping expenses.