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Shipping ice cream requires keeping it cold and getting it there quickly. Use a Styrofoam container and dry ice to keep it frozen, and choose overnight shipping for best results. Hot warehouses in summer can cause problems.
Ice cream typically needs to stay below a certain temperature or it will melt. This can make shipping ice cream difficult, since after it’s melted and refrozen it tends to be harder and less palatable. The two main tips to keep in mind when shipping ice cream are to make sure the product stays cold in transit and to get there quickly. A fast shipping speed can help ensure ice cream doesn’t melt before it reaches its destination, regardless of the method used to keep it fresh. Guaranteed overnight services are typically the best choice when it’s important that an item arrives on time, as is the case with perishables like ice cream.
There are several concerns that can arise when shipping perishable products, although frozen products like ice cream create even more potential problems. The first tip to keep in mind when shipping ice cream is that the product must always remain cold. Pure water has a freezing point of 0 °C (32 °F) at sea level, but the water in ice cream is typically in a sugar solution with a much lower freezing point. As ice cream begins to melt, the physical structure of the ice crystals and fat molecules in the cream can change, resulting in a different texture after the product cools. A completely melted container of ice cream can also lead to a mess if the right precautions aren’t taken.
To keep ice cream frozen during shipping, you need to use the right type of container. A Styrofoam container will tend to impede heat transfer, especially if it is taped up and tightly sealed. In addition to the right type of container, it may also be necessary to add something to keep the inside cold. Dry ice is a good choice for this job, as it will deteriorate into carbon dioxide rather than water as it melts. It’s important not to touch dry ice with bare skin, and when it melts in a confined space it can displace all transpiring oxygen; so whoever is on the receiving end should know about this.
Once you’ve set up the right type of container, the next factor to consider when shipping ice cream is transit time. Even the best Styrofoam container and a hefty amount of dry ice won’t keep ice cream cold for several days at a time. Depending on how well the container insulates and how much dry ice it holds, it could all melt within a day of packing it. This means that expedited shipping that takes two or three days is sometimes sufficient, although overnight is the best method to ship ice cream. It may also be best to avoid shipping frozen goods during the summer months, when they may have to sit in hot warehouses in transit; the use of refrigerated vehicles and storage facilities can help.
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