Perishable foods, by definition, are foods that needs to be kept refrigerated or frozen in order to keep the food from going bad, growing bacteria, or developing a foodborne disease. In order to keep perishable foods from going bad, it has become commonplace for developed countries to utilize refrigerators and freezers in their homes. While using a refrigerator or freezer is an extremely effective method in preserving food, sometimes we are forced to transport food, with methods like refrigerated trucking and food ice packs becoming necessary for the transportation of perishable foods.

Whether food is being moved across the country or home from the grocery store (if you have a long commute), it is important to utilize tools such as food ice packs in order to maintain the quality and safety of the perishable product. In today’s blog, your reusable freezer pack company, Herolily, will be discussing some basic perishable food safety information.

Important Considerations For Perishable Foods

Below, we will begin to discuss some of the important considerations that should be made when shopping for and storing perishable food products.

Shopping

When you are shopping for perishable foods, cooled or frozen, it is extremely important to take precautions that address your particular situation. For example, if you live in Los Angeles and you are grabbing groceries on your way home from work, it is important to either shop at a grocery store closer to the end of your commute, or bring a cooler with flat ice packs so that the food does not become too warm on your route home.

Additionally, begin smart shopping practices like shopping for frozen and refrigerated products after you have already gotten your dry goods so that there is less time for the cold products to warm up.

Food Storage

Once you have completed your shopping endeavor, it is time to properly store the food. Ideally, you want to get the cooled food back into the freezer or refrigerator as quickly as possible, but no food should ever be left out for more than two hours in order to keep the food from developing bacteria or going bad.

Once the food has safely made it into its storage area, it is important to freeze or consume the food within a reasonable amount of time. According to the United States Department Of Agriculture, perishable meats like poultry, fish, ground meats, and mixed meats should be consumed or frozen within two days and meats like beef, pork, and veal should be within five days.

The ideal temperature for refrigerator storage is 40℉ or below, while freezer storage should be kept at 0℉ or lower.  

Keep Your Foods Safe With Herolily Ice Packs For Food

Keeping perishable foods stored at the right temperature is extremely important because it makes food less likely to go bad and become waste, as well as protects the food from growing harmful bacterias.  So how can you protect your food best?

Using a Herolily disposable cold pack or reusable freezer pack can greatly reduce the chance of perishment and bacterial growth in food. Our cold packs for shipping were designed to keep perishable products cool for extended periods of time, but using them as ice packs for food in the cooler is another extremely functional use of our product. If you have any questions about our food ice packs, please don’t hesitate to contact us today. Are you ready to keep your perishables cool? If so, check out our inventory of flat ice packs now.