Send Your Food Gifts in Small Shipping Boxes

With the holiday season approaching, many of us will begin collecting boxes for shippingin order to send out holiday treats and other food gifts. Whether you’re sending a box across the country or just a short distance, it is important that you properly package its contents in order to ensure that the contents make it to their final destination without damage. Some tips to help you ship your food gifts safely are outlined below.

Tips to use Small Shipping Boxes to mail your Food Gifts

• Ensure that canned and bottled items are sealed tightly and are placed in thick containers. This will help to prevent breakage during transport.
• Never mail foods that are highly perishable, including meats or soft cheeses. Instead, try sending aged, hard cheeses or dry sausages if you are making a meat and cheese package. Baked goods are also a great option, such as fudge, cookies, muffins, breads, flavored nuts, and candies.
• Use tins to package cake items, and separate items with parchment or waxed paper. You can also utilize disposable foil pans in order to bake and wrap loaf breads and pound cakes, and then seal them with plastic wrap. Fill unused space within your shipping box with crumpled paper so that the items do not move or shift while being transported.
• Make sure that your food items are sealed within airtight wrapping prior to placing them in your gift container and small shipping boxes for transport. Moist foods should always be wrapped separately from other foods, as this can help to preserve their texture.
• Put your heaviest items at the bottom of your shipping box during packaging, and ensure that there is enough space between all of your items. Give the box a shake in order to ensure that there is no extra space remaining.
• Use Styrofoam, bubble wrap, or rolled up newspaper to properly protect any glass items that you might be shipping.
• If you are shipping fragile oil bottles or vinegar, ensure that they are sealed tightly, and also place them in a zip-sealed bag. However, leave the bag full of air in order to provide the item with extra cushioning.
• Always choose the fastest possible shipping method when mailing food items.

Choose a waterproof marker in order to write out your return labels and shipping address, and make sure that you print the destination in clear, legible print. Never rely on glued labels to remain in place.

[11/14/2013]