Diwali and New year around the corner, are you thinking of sending food items to your relatives, Friends and loved ones in USA UK Canada from India?
At NilSi Express, we understand that nothing reminds us of home more than home-made food items like Sweets Snacks, Spices etc….
But before you send food parcels abroad, it’s important to know about the dos and don’ts. This will ensure that the food item arrives in a safe-to-consume condition without being delayed.
Packaging Your Food Item
Packaging is the first line of defense when shipping food internationally, choose the right packing material to ensure your food item doesn’t pick up any bumps or bruises along the way.
Wrap baked goods to create airtight seal: Use plastic wrap to seal in the freshness of your just baked food items.
Pad and pack to minimize movement: It avoids crumbling cookies and bruise fruit by filling extra space with bubble wrap or crumpled paper.
Cold Storage
Temperature-sensitive food delivery is a high stakes world. For many perishable items, a couple of degrees is all that separates delicious produce from becoming a spoiled mess. That’s why insulation and refrigeration are so important.
Select appropriate insulation for food that must remain cold: Use sturdy, insulated foam containers for ice cream, seafood and other frozen items.
Package items that can melt or contain liquids in watertight plastic: Line the inside of your container with thick, plastic liners to avoid sogginess, leaking boxes.
Choose the best refrigerant for cold or frozen items: Try dry ice for products that need to keep frozen or gel packs to keep food between 32°F – 60°F.
Avoid holding perishables for longer than 2 hours in the danger zone: Pathogenic bacteria can grow with no effect on taste, smell or appearance, so make sure perishables aren’t held in the danger zone for too long.
Additional Tip for Handling Dry Ice
Dry ice can be a volatile substance if it isn’t handled correctly, so it’s really important to follow the proper safety precautions:
Wear gloves and goggles.
Be sure to label the package appropriately.
Check the shipping regulations.
Shipping Home-Made Food Items
Shipping homemade food items should be considered as any other type of shipping right? Well, actually no. Most of the homemade food and baked items fall under the category of perishable food. Perishable items are products that deteriorate quickly due to environmental conditions. Some of the most common types of perishable goods are dairy products, meat and meat by-products, fruits and vegetables.
Things to keep in mind before sending home-made food:
To retain freshness and avoid spoilage of the food, moist food items should be sealed in airtight containers and the dry items to be sealed in plastic food wraps.
It is also important that all the ingredients used in the food item are mentioned on the parcel.
To avoid delay, check whether the country you are shipping to has not categorized the food item as prohibited or restricted.
Shipping Store-Bought Food Items
Store brought items like masala, spices, canned food are comparatively easier to ship as compared to the home-made food item. But there are a few important points that you need to stick to ensure a smooth and hassle-free shipping experience.
Things to keep in mind before sending store-bought food:
The food item should be completely sealed.
The shelf life of the food item should be longer than 6 months from the date of shipping.
All the ingredients must be listed on the food label.
Avoid sending food items to countries where they are restricted or prohibited.