Shipping edible gifts is a tad more difficult than shipping other non-perishables. You will have to be double-sure about the delivery time and logistics. It becomes a nightmare when you have to deliver it internationally.
But all that pain and confusion is worth it because there’s nothing like receiving a pack of homemade cookies as your holiday gift, right? So here’s a detailed guide on how to ship edible gifts the right way and the mistakes to avoid, to ensure that they reach the consignee in the perfect form.
5 Best practices for packing edible goods to endure shipping conditions.
Make the edible foods just before the packing time
If you are planning to send a homemade plum cake to your loved one during the holiday season, make sure you bake it an hour or two before you pack it. Bake the cake, let it cool down completely, and immediately pack it. The first thing to remember is, to pack the food in some butter paper and then put it in an airtight container. The butter paper can keep moisture at bay, providing extra protection for your baked goods.
Avoid any kind of liquid items in your package
Avoid frosting your cake or for that matter, any kind of moist, sticky, or liquid items inside the container. The moisture might get completely absorbed into the baked item and destroy it by the time it reaches there.
Pack the crispy treats with a filler material
If you are planning to send some homemade fresh and crisp cookies, then either pack them tightly inside the container or fill in the empty space with some butter paper. This ensures that the cookies don’t move around and won’t be crumbled by the time it reaches the destination.
Include an interior form box
Place the food container in an interior form box and then inside the main package box. This acts as a shock absorbent and prevents the food from getting mushed or crumbled during the logistics.
Use ice packs for sending cold foods
If you are sending some homemade casserole and want it to reach the destination in an edible form, you can consider packing it in some cold packs. The larger the size of the cold pack, the longer the food stays cool. With that said, if you do increase the size of cold packs, you will have to pay a hefty shipping fee as it increases the overall weight of the parcel.
An alternative to this would be dry ice. Dry ice can easily keep your food items cold for a long time. Instead of melting, this turns into vapors. So no additional mess there. But the problem is dry ice is quite expensive and some carriers aren’t particularly fond of this material.
2 Mistakes to avoid while shipping the edible items
Not putting appropriate stickers on the container.
If you are packing edibles, let the courier agency know. Further, if the food requires refrigeration, put the “Keep Refrigerated'' sticker on top of it. If you have packed the food in a glass container, put on the “fragile” sticker on the main container box.
Not adding the allergen information
Whether it's a personal package or if it's a part of your business, make sure you include allergen information.
Also, hand over the same to the courier agency as well. While this may not be the norm, remember that the people who handle the food items also have allergies and if any of the contents were to spill accidentally and if they come in contact with it, it could lead to a life-threatening situation.
Further, make sure you don’t include banned or illegal products as ingredients in your dish. The ingredient may be allowed in your place, but it may not be welcomed in the recipient’s place. Be double sure of that!
Final Thoughts
Well, that’s some of the best practices you can follow to ensure that the food items reach their destination in their best form, that is as edible! Always go for priority shipping options if the food is perishable or home cooked. Home Cooked food items may not have the right preservatives and therefore, they might not last long, especially without proper ventilation/cooling.
