A Mental Checklist for Food Deliveries

The mail order food industry has a good safety record. However, ordering food by mail always brings up issues of safety.
Therefore, the USDA warns to develop some mental checklists for how both food and packaging should look when perishable mail order foods arrive. This is especially true for meat, poultry, fish, and other perishable foods such as cheesecake, which must be carefully handled in a timely manner to prevent foodborne illness.

The following food safety tips will help the purchaser and recipient determine if their perishable foods have been handled properly:

1. Make sure the company sends perishable items, like meat or poultry, cold or frozen and packed with a cold source. It should be packed in foam or heavy corrugated cardboard.

2. The food should be delivered as quickly as possible -- ideally, overnight. Make sure perishable items and the outer package are labeled "Keep Refrigerated" to alert the recipient.

3. When you receive a food item marked "Keep Refrigerated," open it immediately and check its temperature. The food should arrive frozen or partially frozen with ice crystals still visible. Even if a product is smoked, cured, and/or fully cooked, it still is a perishable product and must be kept cold. If perishable food arrives warm, notify the company. Do not consume the food. Do not even taste suspect food.

4. Tell the recipient if the company has promised a delivery date. Or alert the recipient that "the gift is in the mail" so someone can be there to receive it. Don't have perishable items delivered to an office unless you know it will arrive on a work day and there is refrigerator space available for keeping it cold.

Receiving Food in the Mail

According to the USDA, here are some guidelines for receiving food in the mail:

1. Open the package upon arrival
2. Make sure the food is still refrigerator cold
3. Immediately refrigerate or freeze the food
4. If it is not cold, do not eat it and notify the shipper. Or contact the USDA by calling The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Food Information Line at (888) SAFE-FOOD.

Cost of Shipping

When figuring out how much your food delivery is going go cost to ship, consider the weight and how quickly you need the product. If you have your food shipped express or if you choose a company that charges you according to the weight of your item, your $39.95 gourmet dessert can end up costing you $75 or more after shipping. So be careful of what method of shipping you choose.

Some companies will charge you 10 percent of your order for shipping if your order is, say, more than $300. Others will offer free shipping if you've spent that much money with them.
Shipping to places like Alaska and Hawii can cost extra.
You can pay for your order with most major credit cards.

Shipping Materials Matter

Great food products shipped using cheap materials can arrive in poor shape. So make sure that the company sending your food delivery uses quality packaging materials.

It's a plus to have your meal protected from the bumpy ride by corrugated boxes. Dry ice is a must for frozen foods. Ask the company to explain to you the materials it will use to ship your meals so they arrive safe and edible.