The ‘Cool’ Guide to Shipping Frozen Foods

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The ‘Cool’ Guide to Shipping Frozen Foods

10/17/2024

In our fast-paced modern lifestyles, frozen ingredients have become indispensable household essentials, offering consumers unparalleled convenience, variety, and freshness. From ocean fresh salmon to freshly picked cherries, juicy pork joints to crunchy green beans, consumers expect nothing less than the best produce– regardless of season or location.

Because of this, frozen food transportation has become a pivotal component in meeting consumer expectations for food accessibility and choice. But it is not without its challenges: maintaining packaging integrity, precise temperature control and adhering to proper handling and storage are all pivotal to ensuring efficient and reliable shipping.


Efficient frozen food shipping solutions are the key to ensuring produce reaches its destinations fresh, intact, and high-quality. They help to minimize food waste and contribute to environmental sustainability, while also supporting supply chain efficiency and giving your frosty freight a competitive edge in the market.

Battle of the Chill: Frozen Vs. Non-frozen Food Shipments

Frozen and non-frozen food shipments are both subject to high customer expectations as well as regulatory compliance and unique logistical challenges. While they share some commonalities, there are some key differences between them.

 

Shelf life

A key difference between frozen and non-frozen food shipments is in their shelf life. Fresh foods have short shelf lives, typically lasting from days to weeks. Subsequently, they are more susceptible to spoilage due to delays or changes in their environment. Frozen foods, however, have longer shelf lives and are more resilient to fluctuations.

 

Packaging

Another key difference between these shipment options is in their packaging requirements. Fresh produce typically requires packaging to preserve freshness and prevent physical damage, such as modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) & vacuum sealing options. In contrast, frozen foods require more specialized packaging, such as insulated containers and dry ice, to maintain low temperatures.

 

Handling

These shipments also vary in their handling procedures. Fresh products require careful pallet placement, stacking, loading, and unloading processes to mitigate their vulnerability to damage. Frozen produce is usually sturdier and more resistant to damage.

 

Storage

Lastly, these shipments differ in how they are stored throughout transit. Frozen food shipments require specialized storage facilities and temperature-controlled environments to maintain their integrity. Non-frozen foods may be less demanding of or sensitive to temperature fluctuations and may be stored in refrigerated warehouses or at room temperature.

Moreover, businesses that ship frozen goods can leverage the opportunity to improve inventory management. As frozen goods have longer shelf lives and are less prone to spoilage, monitoring and restocking operations are needed less frequently, unlocking resources and capital for other initiatives. And of course, minimizing waste and optimizing operational efficiency contributes to sustainable supply chain practices.

With fresh produce flash frozen within hours of being picked, harvested, or butchered, your customers enjoy fresh, nutritious, and high-quality ingredients reliably. Customers benefit from year-round availability of seasonal produce for greater mealtime versatility and convenience. Frozen food shipping also ensures your customers can stock up on ingredients confidently, knowing that your produce has an extended shelf life and will contribute to reduced food wastage in their households.

Reefer Shipping for your Frozen Food Transportation  

When considering the best way to ship frozen items, it’s essential to focus on optimizing packaging, insulation, temperature control, handling guidelines and storage. Frozen food shipping companies will be able to design tailored reefer shipping solutions to address these factors and by extension, ensure the safe and efficient transport of your goods.

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Packaging and Insulation

Packaging and insulation play a vital role in ensuring the integrity of frozen items in transit. Depending on the commodity, the use of moisture-resistant and insulating materials, dry ice and gel packs, alongside careful loading practices, will help to maintain airflow and mitigate temperature fluctuations. These measures will prevent thawing and freezer burn and preserve the quality of your goods.

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Temperature Control

It goes without saying that meticulous temperature control is vital to the effective shipping of frozen goods. To prevent bacterial growth and maintain product integrity, cargo must be pre-frozen and then consistently kept at below 0°F (-18°C) temperatures. Working with shipping companies with advanced reefer container fleets can help you prevent temperature fluctuations through precise temperature controls, mitigate risks with continuous monitoring systems and prevent losses through fail-safe backup systems.

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Handling and Storage

Lastly, proper handling and storage are crucial to reefer shipping of frozen goods. Careful loading and unloading procedures need to be implemented to both prevent physical damage and to maintain ventilation and temperature requirements. Frozen food shipping companies will provide a range of guidelines around cargo configuration, load heights and ventilation to prevent temperature shocks throughout your supply chain.

Keep your Cool:
Ship Frozen Foods with MSC

In our modern society, where frozen food is an indispensable household essential, employing effective frozen food shipping solutions is key. They will improve your operational efficiency, reduce waste, and ensure your customers consistently experience your brand at its best.

At MSC, our reefer shipping solutions are second to none. With our decades of experience and expertise, we will ensure your supply chain freezes out the competition. Contact us today to find out more.

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