Home
How To Ship Frozen Turkeys
Opening up a pack of frozen turkey is just as good of an experience as opening the packaging of a new iPhone, particularly when you are a bird meat lover. And if you are shipping frozen turkeys, you will have to make sure that you are using the right packaging supplies before dispatching your package.
The first thing will be to make sure that your turkey is as frozen and intact at the time of delivery as it was sent out. Then, you will have to work on the appropriate branding of the package to make it appealing to your customers.
Here are some steps to help you with the process.
Prep your turkey for shipping
Since turkeys need to survive shipping, you have to prep them before sending them out. You can consider shipping them cooked but only when they have to cover a short distance. Even then, there is a risk of spoilage. The best approach is to ship those birds frozen to avoid their perishing.
To prevent their spoilage, you will have to refrigerate your turkeys at 4-degree Celsius. It will prevent the growth of bacteria. You may need to use machinery to blast cold air across your turkeys to freeze them faster. This procedure results in the formation of small ice crystals inside frozen products. As a result, they remain in ideal condition even after thawing.
You can use a standard freezer if you are sending just one turkey or you do not have access to a blast freezer.
Gathering your packaging supplies
The next step in shipping perishable products such as turkeys is to make sure that you are using the right packaging supplies. You will undoubtedly need to start with corrugated cardboard boxes. Getting new boxes is recommended because used boxes are more prone to getting damaged. Make sure to approximate the dimensions of the turkeys you will be shipping.
After getting your packaging supplies, you will need to deploy measures to maintain the temperature inside the box during the shipping process. For this purpose, you can use foam packaging containers, cold packs, and insulated liners.
Although foam containers and cold packs are not harmful to the product in case of incidental contact, the best practice is to add a layer of protection to avoid this direct contact. For this purpose, you can consider using a large, food-grade plastic freezer bag.
After placing everything in the box, now you need to seal the outer packaging properly. If your entire packaging has to sit at a controlled temperature, it’s best to use cold temperature tape. Another option is to use water-activated tape.
Packing and labeling your boxes
After you have got the supplies, start packing everything according to the requirements. Make sure to follow the sequence while adding packaging layers. Use cold packs inside the foam container to keep your turkeys chilled through shipping.
After taping, use labels to add shipping information to the packaging. These labels can also be used for branding purposes. Depending on your business volume and requirements, you can use pre-printed, customized, or hand-written labels.