A few tips to send food items abroad
Food items are considered to be one of the most popular types of parcels being sent abroad. Whether it's friends or family members we are talking about, there's nothing more fun than to please another person with a tasty sweet or other food product.
However, many people have also raised concerns about sending such items. EU countries typically have pretty strict rules on what can and cannot be sent in the form of a parcel and food items often fall into the category of low shelf-life goods and so on.
The good news is that you can indeed send food items, albet there are some things to keep in mind in terms of properly packaging them and ensuring that they don't get spoiled on the way to the destination country.
In this article, we will give a few useful tips on how to send food items abroad the proper way.
Why does the shipment of food parcels get complicated sometimes?
Shipping food items is far different from your typical parcels. One should consider things like proper packaging, ensuring that the item is properly protected during the trip, is properly refrigerated and so on.
All of this can complicate things for some, especially considering that many countries heavily restrict the shipment of perishable goods like food items.
We reckon that this can be overcome with the proper knowledge on how to take care of your parcels prior and choosing the right courier partner.
Here are a few tips for taking care of your food items.
Make sure that they have the right container
Proper containers are considered to be the very basic element of food shipment. First of all is the appropriate size. A container that's too big might mean that your items will move around and shake heavily as they get loaded and unloaded during different checkpoints.
A zip-locked bag might also be a viable solution since it not only helps the item to maintain a proper temperature, it also ensures additional protection in case a package gets too shaken up and something like a spillage occurs.
Cool your items down
It's highly recommended that you cool your items before shipment, even if they don't normally require refrigeration. Let's say you want to send your family members some cupcakes or cookies that you've made.
Cool them down before packaging, as it ensures that the food doesn't get too soggy or spoiled before the trip has even begun.
For more sensitive items like poultry or meat goods, a good idea would be to attract a cold pack either to the bottom or on top of the item with something like a piece of duct tape. This way the item will maintain a cold temperature even as it's being shipped in your container.
If you're sending frozen items, you might want to even pack your item inside a cooler bag, with refrigeration that maintains the appropriate temperature for the item.
Put everything in a box
A container itself is not enough to ensure that your item is properly packaged. Naturally, the item shouldn't be too big to prevent items from rolling around and shaking up.
Typically, it's best to go for a box that has just enough free space for an additional protective layer of cardboard or foam inside. For maintaining the right temperature, foam is usually the best choice overall.
For especially sensitive items like a set of dishes made from glass, a good decision would be to coat everything in bubble wrap, all while still leaving some space for a protective layer in a box.
After you're done, seal the box with a set of shipping tape (not duct tape) as other alternatives can be affected by outside temperatures.
Choose the right courier partner
Food items are one of the most sensitive packages that a courier can handle. This usually means that a fast and safe delivery is a must in order to ensure that the packages arrive as intended.
However, not all couriers pay huge priority to these items and treat food deliveries as any other. To ensure the possible experience for both you and the receiving party, you must find a shipper that has the experience to handle such items.
After that, a good piece of advice in this case would be to send the item earlier in the week as for your package not to be delayed during the weekend and leaving a note on the box for the company that the package should be 'refrigerated' or 'is perishable'.
All in all
Today we've talked about how you should properly package your perishable goods and what can be done about making your items as safe as possible. Follow this advice, and we're sure your deliveries will be successful.
