Updated Guide On Frozen Food Shipping

October 13, 2024 Blogs

Online food transport requires the freezing of the food to ensure its quality and safety gets to its destination. In light of the increasing demand for frozen meals, various issues will be present for the businesses. Some of them are the right temperature, the right packaging issues, and timely delivery. Furthermore, knowledge of regulations and compliance does not allow the company to make expensive mistakes. Due to improved cold chain technology and tracking devices, organizations are in a position to deliver frozen products to consumers in the right state. To help you run your frozen food shipping business in the year 2025, this guide will cover everything you are likely to need to know on shipping, and what to expect in this expanding market.

How to Ship Frozen Food Safely?

Shipping of frozen food in custom frozen food boxes entails some level of planning as well as the necessary tools should be used. Here are some key steps to ensure your products remain frozen during transit:

Use Insulated Packaging: Select packages made from foam coolers or insulated boxes. These packaging assist in regulating low temperatures and exclude external heat.
Include Dry Ice or Gel Packs: There are coolant agents that maintain the contents of the freezers at the necessary temperature. Be sure to consider the guidelines for handling dry ice when shipping.
Choose Reliable Shipping Methods: Only deal with carriers who have expertise in cold chain business. Their experience will enable the products to reach their destination on time and under the right temperatures.

What Factors Need To Consider While Shipping Food?

When you are shipping food, there are a number of factors that must be considered to help keep your food safe and in a good quality state. It’s important to keep the temperature right, in particular with perishable or frozen items. It also helps your food not spoil when being packaged and your choice of a reliable carrier so that it does not get spoil and damaged in delivery. In the last, always consider food shipping regulations that have been approved by Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and enforced with FSC Certification. It helps us to keep out of legal trouble and the food stays safe.

Temperature control: Must use dry ice or gel packs and keep your food in an ice box to maintain temperature.
Packaging: Food pouches and other sealed packages to keep food safe from being busted by other things or becoming spoiled.
Shipping Speed: Finding a fast and reliable shipping method will cut travel time, especially with perishables.

If you keep these in mind, your food shipments will be delivered fresh and safe. It makes it safer from spoilage and food safety as well as customer satisfaction.

How to Pack Frozen Foods for Shipping?

Frozen food is complicated to maintain while shipping. It needs to be properly packed to maintain its quality.

Choose the Right Packaging Materials:

When packing frozen food for the purpose of transportation, it is then important to exercise a lot of caution to maintain the quality of the food. Choose the perfect packaging for all types of custom food boxes and best approach to frozen food shipping for instance insulated boxes or thermal coolers that prevent food from heat. Make sure that when packing the food items the vacuum-sealed bags are used to minimize the air content so as to minimize development of freezer burn.

Use Cooling Agents:

Use some effective cooling agents such as dry ice and gel packs that entails some components that deals with heat. When packing, put layers of paper or bubble over the bottom of a box to ease the impact of shock. Just put your frozen items in this box and pack more items around them to reduce their movement and close the box with a strong tape. Last, write “Perishable” on the box to ensure it is treated with concern by the delivery service agencies. Thus, by making use of these recommended steps, your frozen foods are equally as good as they were at the time when they were frozen.

Challenges and Risks In Frozen Food Shipping

Shipping frozen food will have its fair share of challenges and risks that affect the quality and safety of the products. These factors have to be taken care of so as to prevent failures in delivery due to temperature fluctuations, handling issues, etc.

Temperature Fluctuations: Keeping a low temperature all the way down to frozen is a difficult thing to do in frozen food shipping. Transit has any fluctuations that can cause the food to be busted and spoiled or affect quality. These considerations should be practiced while shipping the food in custom fast food boxes.
Shipping Delay: Weather, mechanical, or carrier inefficiency-related delays can significantly impact the timing of orders (referred to as shipping delays). Delivering frozen food in time is critical and the longer it takes the more likely the food can be spoiled.
Improper Packaging: Inappropriate or poorly packaged food can give up its insulation to allow heat to penetrate and destroy the state of frozen food. Bad packaging can cause spoiled or busted food.
Mishandling During Shipping: The handling of frozen food should be handled with care. The packaging can also be rough handled so that it’s damaged, leaky, or breaks refrigerants like dry ice or gel packs, which can alter the food’s quality.
Compliance with Regulations: When frozen food shipping, things are a bit stricter, especially when it comes to deliveries across countries. If you don’t have complete documentation to meet food safety standards can lead to delays or rejection of the shipment.

What kind of Frozen Foods Can Shipped?

Frozen food is shipped for a number of industries, including grocery, meal kit, and restaurants. The type of frozen food you can ship depends on the features of packaging, temperature control, and shipping method. Although frozen items do well in transit as long as they are packed properly, they are from fruits to fully cooked meals, many frozen items are suitable for shipping as long as proper steps are taken to keep them frozen.

10 Types of frozen foods that can be easily shipped:

Frozen Food Type	Description
Meat and Poultry	Beef, chicken, and pork cuts, in vacuum-sealed packaging.
Seafood	Shrimp, fish fillets, lobster, and other frozen seafood.
Fruits	Frozen berries, mango chunks, and other fruits.
Vegetables	Frozen peas, spinach, and mixed vegetable bags.
Ice Cream and Desserts	Ice cream tubs, frozen pies, and cakes.
Frozen Meals	Pre-cooked meals, such as lasagna or stir fry dishes.
Pizza	Frozen pizzas, including regular and gluten-free varieties.
Dairy Products	Frozen cheese, butter, and yogurt.
Breads and Pastries	Frozen bread loaves, croissants, and bagels.
Frozen Snacks	Frozen appetizers like mozzarella sticks or mini quiches.

Commonly these kinds of foods can ship, since they can remain in the same condition as before without the need for mechanical and other appropriate procedures. Carriers can save on packaging and shipping costs by using the right techniques to pack and ship these products to arrive without damage.

What Kind of Packaging You Need To Use To Ship Frozen Food?

One thing that is very critical to shipping frozen food is packaging properly so you maintain the quality and safety of the product. Moreover, packaging materials should be chosen properly so the food inside doesn’t get spoiled while in transit. And doesn’t wrap up in stress and temperature fluctuations. There are several ways to ensure that your frozen items arrive in optimal condition. including using insulated containers, cooling agents, secure outer packaging, and many others.

Insulated Containers:

Whenever possible, use insulated containers made out of expanded polystyrene (EPS) or polyurethane. This material forms a barrier from external heat to help keep the temperature inside the packaging down.

Cooling Agents:

Add units that cool the food to the desired temperature including such things as dry ice or gel packs. For longer shelf times, dry ice is perfect while for shorter transit times gel packs can be pre-frozen and work well.

Vacuum-Sealed Bags:

Food vacuum-sealed cuts the air out and helps keep the food fresh. Along with minimizing bulkiness, these packaging bags make the shipping experience more efficient and convenient.

Durable Outer Packaging:

Use sturdy and strong outer boxes like double-walled cardboard, for lots of rough handling while in transit. The outer packaging is clearly labeled as “Perishable,” alerting carriers to give it a good deal of attention.

Cushioning Materials:

Adding Cushioning materials increases the safety of food. Cushioning materials entail bubble wrap, crumpled paper, or foam inserts. They provide protection to the food items and save them from spoiling.

Top 5 Companies that Offer Frozen Food Shipping in the USA

Many companies in the USA are good at shipping frozen food. You should go with best frozen food shipping company for your shipping. Here are the top five companies known for their cold food shipping solutions:

FedEx:

FedEx is the first name that comes to your mind when you are thinking of a shipping company which allows delivery of frozen food. When transporting perishable components, their own FedEx Priority Overnight and FedEx Express Saver services are the ones they recommend. Key features include:

Temperature Control: They outline how to use dry ice in order to keep food frozen.
Real-Time Tracking: The benefit here is customers can now track their shipments to ensure they have peace of mind.
Packaging Support: With recommendations on neat packaging solutions for frozen food, FedEx offers unique packaging recommendations.

UPS:

There are also other trustworthy ways to ship frozen food, and UPS is one of them. They only do perishable items, such as UPS Next Day Air and UPS 2nd Day Air. Notable aspects include:

Insulated Containers: According to UPS, products packed in insulated packaging remain frozen during transit.
Reliable Delivery: With their extensive network means they have a dependable nationwide coverage.
Flexible Shipping Options: There are several different delivery speeds to choose from in order to meet the customers’ needs.

USPS:

There is a great way for frozen food shipping – in this case, the United States Postal Service (USPS) provides its Priority Mail Express service. This option is particularly beneficial for smaller packages and offers several advantages:

Cost-Effective: Customers are able to predict their shipping costs with USPS’s flat rate shipping option.
Speedy Delivery: The service of Priority Mail Express ensures that perishable goods make a quick transit.
Packaging Recommendations: They recommend using insulated materials and cold packs to keep food frozen during shipping

Ship Bob:

A fulfillment company specializing in e-commerce and providing frozen food shipping as per their temperature-controlled warehouses stands behind the name Ship Bob. Such businesses help businesses deliver products directly to consumers. Key features include:

Temperature-Controlled Warehouses: The frozen food gets stored and shipped correctly thanks to ShipBob.
E-commerce Integration: Their platform seamlessly integrates with online stores to make the business shipping process simpler.
Comprehensive Tracking: Customers get tracking info and reporting features used for order management, making it easy to place orders and get definite information on track.

Thistle:

Thistle became a company that delivers healthy frozen meals right to your doorstep. Quality and sustainability are the focus of the frozen food market. Notable attributes include:

Eco-Friendly Packaging: Their shipments use environmentally friendly materials.
Temperature-Controlled Shipping: They do have a different effective shipping method that makes sure meals arrive fresh.
Subscription Services: Convenience and consistency were promoted by customers by easily subscribing for regular nutritious meal deliveries.

How Much Does It Cost in Frozen Food Shipping?

Shipping frozen food can be costly depending on the shipping carrier, distance to the destination, package weight, and the type of service you choose. Some carrier companies charge additional costs in the account of designated packaging used in shipping frozen food.

Also, the delivery urgency makes a difference: the more it is necessary, the more expensive is overnight or two days’ service than for daily shipping. Freezing food makes it much more expensive to ship, costing customers between $20 and $100. When going over rates with other carriers, these services are tailored for perishable goods so it’s recommended to choose the carrier with the best rates.

Here are the estimated rates of the two top companies:

Company	Service Type	Weight (up to)	Estimated Cost
FedEx	FedEx Priority Overnight	5 kg	$50 – $100
		10 kg	$60 – $120
		20 kg	$80 – $150
UPS	UPS Next Day Air	5 kg	$45 – $95
		10 kg	$55 – $105
		20 kg	$75 – $140

Temperature Control and Monitoring Technologies in Frozen Food Shiping

Temperature control and monitoring technologies are important for delivering integrity and safety assurance of frozen foods while in transit and storage. They provide the necessary intelligent means to keep the right temperature in the supply chain. Key components include:

Temperature Loggers: Battery-powered devices that record temperature data at regular intervals, with real-time data and alerts for off-limits temperature variations.
RFID Technology: Provides wireless tracking of temperature sensitive products in transit for greater visibility and management.
Phase Change Materials: Advanced packaging solutions that allow temperatures inside shipping containers to stabilize and therefore extend the effectiveness of insulation.

International Shipping Regulations For Frozen Food Shipping

It is important for international shipping regulations for frozen food to provide safety, compliance, and quality of the product while in transportation. These variations of regulations differ between countries but generally consist of controlling temperature, keeping at appropriate labeling, and documenting. When businesses do this they understand the basics of these guidelines and prevent delays, fines, or spoilage of products. Key aspects of international shipping regulations include:

Temperature Control: Control the temperature range of transport to give safety to the food.
Customs Documentation: To facilitate smooth customs clearance, to provide accurate and complete customs forms (in particular invoices and certificates of origin).
Labeling Requirements: Properly label frozen food packages including the handling instructions the expiration date and allergen information.
Import Regulations: Meeting the importing country’s food safety requirements, such as inspections and permits.

FAQ’s

How to Choose the Best Carrier for Frozen Food Shipping?

For frozen food shipping, the best carrier is one with reliable options for temperature control, fast delivery time, and years of experience in handling perishable items. Choose between those that provide real-time tracking and calculate costs to strike the balance between quality of service and affordability.

How much dry ice do I need for frozen food shipping?

The quantity of dry ice depends on the weight and size of the packaging and the duration of shipping. There are a few steps you need to take as a general guideline for how much dry ice you should have to ship for 24 hours: You’ll want 5 to 10 pounds of dry ice for every 24 hours of shipping. But for longer shipments might need more dry ice.

Do I need a license to ship frozen food in the USA?

As a rule of thumb, in the USA you do not have to have a special license in order to transport frozen food within the country. But if you are a business, you have to put into practice food safety regulations imposed by the FDA and USDA. They include labeling, temperature control, and packaging standards. If you’re shipping across state lines, there may be other requirements as well. For more details, always double-check with local and federal authorities.