Whether you want to ship a loved one frozen meals or considering starting a business that requires shipping temperature-sensitive products, shipping perishable items can be a process.
For many people, the idea of shipping food brings up the image of wet boxes, smashed cupcakes, or rotten meat. However, shipping cold items is no longer so perilous.
How to ship cold items
There are four major steps to shipping temperature-sensitive items. There is packaging, cold storage, shipping, and finally the delivery.
Depending on what you’re shipping, packaging can be a two-step process. For example, if you’re shipping baked goods, you want to wrap them in an airtight seal and freeze them before packaging them for transit. You also want to pad the container to minimize movement.
The process of cold storage comes next. Once your item is securely packaged, it’s time to look into cold storage solutions. Whether you use insulated mailers, gel packs, or EPS coolers, there is a solution for every product.
The third step is the shipping process, which can be tricky. It’s best to ship temperature-sensitive items earlier in the week so they do not get stuck in transit over the weekend. It is important to monitor your shipment so you can see where it is in every step of transportation. For some shipments, it’s also possible to see the ambient temperature inside the shipping vehicle and individual packages to ensure that your cold items are within the appropriate temperature range throughout travel.
The last step is delivery. Because the smallest error can render perishables unusable, it’s important to take control of the process. Shipping cold items has come a long way in the last 50 years, but errors can still be made in the process. Following up with your customer and monitoring your shipment are the best ways to stay in control of the cold chain shipping process.
