Shipping Frozen Food — USPS vs UPS vs FedEx

Frozen Shipping

Shipping perishable items like frozen food presents unique challenges for eCommerce businesses. With the rise of online grocery shopping and meal kit deliveries, choosing the right shipping carrier is crucial for ensuring that your frozen products arrive at their destination safely and still frozen. In this blog post, we’ll compare USPS, UPS, and FedEx for shipping frozen food, helping you make an informed decision for your business.

Shipping Frozen Food — UPS

Shipping frozen food is allowed with UPS, but packages must also be packed properly to prevent thawing and leaks. They recommend using a shipping service that has a maximum shipping time of 30 hours, offers shipment tracking, and lets the recipient know when to expect the package.

Shipping Frozen Food — FedEx

Same as UPS and USPS, there are no refrigeration options for FedEx shipping as well. Packages containing frozen food have to be packed properly to ensure they stay frozen and do not leak. FedEx also recommends a shipping option that does not take longer than 30 hours for delivery. Thus, the best shipping services to use with FedEx are First Overnight, Priority Overnight, or Standard Overnight.

Shipping Frozen Food — USPS

Unfortunately, USPS shipping does not offer any specific refrigeration services. You can send frozen food with them but at your own risk. You will need to use one of their fast shipping options and make sure that the package is packed properly, preferably in a polystyrene box with ice packs or dry ice, and wrapped with plastic mailing wrap. It must be packaged well enough to prevent any leaks and/or odors.

Tips for Shipping Frozen Food

Shipping frozen food to your customers can be tricky. It’s important to ensure these perishable items stay within a certain temperature range, as even a small amount of time outside of this range can result in spoilage or even food poisoning. Here are a few things to keep in mind when shipping frozen items:

1. Use appropriate packaging: Use packaging that is designed to maintain the temperature of the product. This may include insulated containers, dry ice, or gel packs. Use frozen gel packs when shipping food items that need to be between 32 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Although gel packs will become moist as they defrost, they will last much longer than dry ice. Overall the packaging should be sturdy enough to withstand handling and transport.
2. Keep the product frozen: Make sure the food is frozen solid before packaging. If the product is not fully frozen, it may thaw during transport and spoil. Pre-cooling the box you are shipping food in will keep it frozen for longer.
3. Wrap the product: Do not allow the food items you are shipping to come in contact with the dry ice. Instead, wrap the frozen food in plastic wrap or foil to prevent any moisture from seeping in during transport.
4. Label the package: Clearly label the package as containing frozen food and include any special handling instructions. Include a label with the weight of the dry ice or gel packs and the net weight of the product.
5. Handle dry ice safely: Make sure not to touch or handle dry ice without proper gloves.
6. Use a reputable shipping carrier: Choose a shipping carrier that has experience shipping frozen food and can provide tracking information. Make sure the carrier can meet your delivery requirements, such as overnight or two-day shipping.

Conclusion: Choosing the right shipping carrier for shipping frozen food requires careful consideration of factors such as packaging requirements, transit time, shipping costs, tracking and visibility, and customer service. While USPS, UPS, and FedEx all offer shipping services for perishable items, each carrier has its strengths and weaknesses.