Ice cream is one of the most popular treats in the world. It is always part of celebrations like birthdays and anniversaries but receiving a melted tub of this creamy confection in the mail can ruin a fun occasion. Here are some tips on how to pack and ship ice cream and keep it fresh, frozen and yummy.
The key to successfully shipping ice cream is to keep it frozen. You can do this by packing the ice cream with dry ice.
Dry ice falls under “Class 9 Miscellaneous Hazardous Materials” so it must be handled properly and must be declared when used for shipping.
Make sure that the ice cream you are shipping is well-frozen before packing and is in an air tight container. Also, wrap the container in a plastic bag to avoid direct contact with the dry ice.
Get an insulated container that can accommodate the tub of ice cream and allow for extra space for the dry ice and other packing materials. These containers are available in most shipping supply stores.
Place the ice cream container inside the insulated box and put dry ice on all sides and top of the ice cream. The extra space can be filled up with newspapers or Styrofoam pieces. The idea is to prevent the contents from shifting when the box is moved around.
Close the insulated box and seal with packaging tape.
Attach addresses and labels such as “perishable” and take to your local post office. Choose overnight shipping or the fastest shipping option possible.
Notify the recipient about the shipment so they can properly unpack the contents.