Tips on Proper Refrigerated Food Shipping
Posted on Wednesday, February 17th
Shipping food between destinations is one of the trickiest tasks encountered within the shipping industry. Therefore, it only makes sense that the solutions be numerous so as to cover whatever needs consumers may have in this sense, failure to ship food in ideal conditions causing a variety of highly significant risks. Using a reefer truck, for instance, when shipping refrigerated food to supermarkets or large stores in order to prevent food poisoning is just one of these many solutions to be considered in such cases.
Preparing refrigerated food for shipping
Surely, the first aspect you should consider when planning to ship any kind of refrigerated food is the packaging. Proper packaging is essential to the safe shipping of refrigerated food items and the prevention of any potential contamination of the cargo in question. First and foremost, you should always choose a large container over a small one in order for the food to be aired properly and reach the destination in good condition. Next, make sure you have labelled all the containers properly to avoid any unpleasant surprises. Note that labelling and packaging go hand in hand, whether shipping refrigerated food items or any other kind of cargo.
Note that wrapping the containers in packaging material is one of the most effective ways to avoid food contamination. The choice of material is up to you. However, if you are looking to minimise the costs, what you want to use is plain paper used for printing. Note that this kind of paper will also provide proper insulation. However, you should check the containers to see whether they have been sealed properly before wrapping them.
Securing the food containers is another aspect you need to take into consideration with this particular kind of shipments. This involves ensuring both that it is refrigerated and fixed in place properly. Normally, the food containers to be shipped are fixed onto pallets so as not to tip over or slide during transportation. Bungee cords may also be used to secure them further if necessary.
In the event that you are planning to deliver refrigerated food to any food store chains, you need to take additional precautions. Normally, reefer trucks provide the safest solution in such situations for they are designed particularly to transport refrigerated food.
Actually shipping refrigerated food
As far as the actual transportation of refrigerated food is concerned, always make sure you choose the fastest shipping option in order to minimise the risks of food alteration. To this end, you need to provide the driver with very clear instructions as to the final destination of the cargo being shipped. Also, you should have an idea of what the delivery time should be, particularly if planning on running a promotion at the destination.
These tips should act as a starting point as to how to preserve refrigerated foods or fruits in good condition during transportation and thus help you eliminate some of the most basic risks involved with this particular kind of shipments.
