Perishables are items that must be kept cool and protected from moisture to stay fresh. A perishable item is any food, drink, dairy product, or other product that becomes less appetizing as it ages or becomes wetter. This includes products such as special occasion cakes, hand-dipped chocolates, and homemade canned goods.
Even if your item isn’t affected by these effects immediately, the rate at which they happen increases dramatically with time. Here are a few things to consider when shipping perishable items.
Table of Contents
1. Moisture and Water Sensitivity
An item is considered water-sensitive when it begins to lose its appeal as soon as it has contact with water or moisture. This could be from a bit of water leaking into the air during shipment or from moisture penetrating the packaging.
2. Check the Temperature
If you are shipping perishable items, consider packing them in cool and dry materials to prevent them from these effects. Proper temperature control is essential for perishable shipping items. Extreme fluctuations in temperature can cause your perishable goods to spoil or suffer from condensation. Make sure that you do not eat spoilt food as it is unhealthy.
As a general rule, one degree of heat loss for every ten degrees of temperature change can cause perishable product problems.
3. Freshness is Not a Constant
The quality of perishable items will deteriorate at different rates depending on their packaging and temperatures. These factors can change over time, and once the perishable item has been exposed to sunlight, light, or air, it can cause irreparable harm to your product’s quality and appearance.
If you are shipping an item that might change in appearance quickly, please consider choosing an insulated cooler with interior dividers that can be stacked for utmost protection before shipping out your perishable goods. In most cases, insulated shipping supplies will last longer than non-insulated ones.
4. Check the Perishability Date
Since many foods spoil at lower temperatures than most people realize, it can be difficult to know exactly how long an item will last before it becomes foul-tasting or moldy.
Even before spoiling, if your item has a “Perishability” date on the packaging (a number that corresponds with a certain shelf life), then you should use this date to determine your product’s freshness.
5. Packaging Materials Matter
There are several things that affect the temperature inside of a package and how long it will take to reach its destination. The most important factor to consider when shipping perishable goods is the quality of the packaging material. The better it is, the more effectively air is prevented from migrating out of the package.
Keep in mind that materials, such as Styrofoam, can keep your food from travelling safely. Avoiding these materials will help ensure your shipment makes it to its destination without any damage or spoilage occurring when opened by the recipient.
Conclusion
Getting your perishable products from their origins to their final destinations often requires a little assistance. Fortunately, there are many options for safely and hygienically shipping perishable items.
Perishables are anything that can spoil if they’re left too long without some type of treatment. Foods like meat, dairy, and frozen goods are all considered perishable because they tend to go downhill quickly once they’re exposed to air or moisture at the same time.
Whether you are running a food service business or need to ship perishable items for your home, you must consider the above aspects.