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How to Store And Ship Food Storage Containers

You’ll likely face movement issues even if you only ship standard products. Therefore, the logistical challenges associated with sending delicate items like food may not be surprising. However, this challenge is also apparent that shelf-stable items aren’t spared. Once they’re not stored in appropriate food storage containers, they’re liable to damage and spoil during shipment.

Foreign importation of some food commodities involves careful consideration of custom regulations in the destination nation. Regardless, using cushioned, temperature-controlled packaging, delivering as swiftly as possible, and paying great attention to the unique requirements of carriers are the best options to avoid spoilage during shipment.

In this article, we’ll not only explain the conditions through which you can ship food.  We’ll also discuss how to store food storage containers during shipment.

Perishables: The Need For Food Container Storage During Shipping

If a product has a short shelf life or is vulnerable to temperature fluctuations while in transportation, it’s termed perishable. Fish, meat, vegetables, dairy products, flowers, as well as some medications and chemicals are all included in this category.

While perishables don’t necessarily need to be kept in a frigid environment, they may spoil due to the high temperatures that can occur during shipment. Therefore, expedited shipping using dry ice or gel packs is perfect for problem-free shipment.

Even if a food undergoes treatment or preservatives application, it remains perishable. Therefore, if you’re considering sending a food item, ensure you check the product label for information on storage temperatures.

In order to avoid bacterial development and food spoiling, consider transporting perishable edibles in a refrigerated food shipping container or temperature-controlled packaging. This need is precisely essential if the product label recommends a storage temperature.

Shipment of 3 Major Classes Of Perishables

See the following everyday perishables and what it entails shipping them:

Delivering Shelf-Stable Food

Foods you can keep at room temperature because of their contents and packaging are known as shelf-stable. And intense movement or harsh temperatures are bad for these foods.

Many shelf-stable foods come in thin cardboard boxes. Therefore, you need to ensure that they’re cushioned well. For example, powders like cake mixes are liable to damage in transit. Consequently, they should be plastic packed.

If they aren’t well packed, shipping companies may delay a cargo if they notice a leak of an unknown substance. And that delay isn’t something you want for your goods.

Baked Goods Shipping

Although baked products may appear simple to ship, they are quite delicate and may grow stale if they aren’t properly wrapped. To keep baked products fresh, they must be packaged in airtight bags or hard plastic containers.

Some people argue that packing baked food the above way is quite expensive. But this packaging is necessary since it isn’t always cost-effective to send baked products via the fastest means of transportation.

Using biodegradable packing peanuts to cushion baked products is a smart way to keep them fresh. In addition, inflatable air cushions in bigger enclosures are also a viable type of food storage container.

Transporting Veggies and Fruits

Fruits and vegetables are highly susceptible to damage when exposed to temperatures beyond their survival threshold. This position is valid because plants release more ethylene gases in response to elevated temperatures, hastening their ripening and spoilage.

Additionally, they may be susceptible to bruises if they’re not adequately cushioned. Also, bubble wraps prevent air from reaching the fruit. Therefore, if you must use it for packaging, sparingly use it.

Also, fruits may be less likely to sustain damage if the foam is placed below them. Therefore, you should search for foam with indentations around the same size as the fruit you are packaging. This protection also serves to demarcate the produce for optimum ventilation.

Related Article: Where to Buy Large Storage Containers In Toronto

transporting veggies and fruits

3 Major Ways To Ship and Store Food Storage Containers

Food storage containers can be shipped and stored in the following ways:

Use Containers With Tight-fitting Lids

Before shipping a food container, it must have a lid on it. This precaution won’t only prevent infection. But it’ll also keep your food from splattering all over your car backseat or shipping vehicle.

Due to the weight and difficulty of locking the lids on disposable pans, many caterers wind up having half of their meals spilled inside their insulated transport units. However, this drawback shouldn’t happen to you.

You can buy a good food storage container grip lid and a food pan to keep your edibles safe. GripLids, which have a polyurethane gasket built into the cover, keep liquids from leaking out of your food pan.

Maximize the Amount of Time Of Food Storages Container Temperature Stability

In order to move and store containers with perishables at the proper temperature, find food storage containers with insulated transport units. Although there are ways to extend the life of insulated shipping containers, most of them last at least four hours.

Ways to maintain or even increase food storage containers’ insulation capacity include the following:

  • Before you package food in an insulated food storage container, be sure it’s preheated or chilled.
  • Choose a size that you can fill to the brim. Then, keep your unit stable at a definite temperature, depending on how filled it is. Finally, you can use a ThermoBarrier® to focus hot or cold air on your food when you can’t fill it. This method is ideal if the quantity of your orders varies significantly.
  • Also, you can add a storage chiller or a warmer. In other words, add a chiller to the top of your unit to keep cold food colder for longer during transit. Then, all you need to do is freeze your chiller overnight.
  • Use a Warmer in the same way. In a 350°F oven for about 45 minutes, heat the warmer. Then add it to the bottom of your storage unit. Both the Chiller and the Warmer are capable of restoring temperatures that have been lost.

Determine Storage Content

Reducing the times you open your insulated food shipping container before servicing, the better it’ll be for you. And to avoid opening and closing your insulated transport units more than required, you need to tag them.

On the front of units like Ultra Pan Carrier®, Pro Cart Ultra®, and UPC300 units, there’s a dedicated area for a label or message.

There is a plastic ID label slot on the front of the Ultra Pan Carrier UPCS400 and the GoBox® Front Loaders. You may add plastic ID Labels to GoBox Top Loaders, or you can use the foolproof option of coloured lids. Offloaders can quickly identify which GoBoxes contain hot and cold items, thanks to the colourful covers.

Related Article: What Size Storage Unit Do I need?

determine storage content

Summary

Food storage transcends just the containers you use to store your food. Instead, food storage has various critical uses, beginning when you get your food and continuing when it’s transported.

There are different brands of food storage containers suitable for various foods. So you need a platform to choose the best for you. And we deal in the best food storage containers for domestic and commercial uses.

Our comprehensive catalogue at Toronto Trailers has different food storage containers available for sale. Simply choose your pick, and get it delivered to you.

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