Tips to Deliver Food Safely using Gel Packs

Many home delivery services are now the new norm. So, they are using Gel packs for shipping food in Perth. The demand for temperature-controlled solutions has also increased. Home delivery could be the salvation for the business. However, it is essential to consider its risks if not done correctly.

Using Gel Packs

Before you start preparing your first shipment, you should spend time analyzing your existing process. You may need to consider which packaging and transport option adapt best to the product’s needs.

Keeping your cold chain safe starts with suitable packaging. Temperature-sensitive goods need to be handled with proper care. They should be packed with gel packs to prevent dramatic temperature losses.

Gel packs are sealed panels of eutectic gel that can be frozen to ensure effective insulation while transporting. They can be packed along with your consignment easily to avoid temperature loss which can damage the freshness and quality of your food.

The correct preconditioning of these plates is an essential part of any temperature-sensitive product handling process. However, some businesses use freezer cold rooms or holding freezers to reduce the temperature of these plates. But the recommended and best solution to efficiently precondition the gel packs is using a special blast freezer. The freezer rooms don’t have the cooling capacity to pull the heat quickly from eutectic plates. So, these units are designed to maintain the temperature. They will be working out of their design specifications if used for blast freezing gel packs or other products. However, the blast freezers are specifically designed to freeze goods efficiently.

How to Precondition Gel Packs?

Gel packs are safe to use with food. It can be utilized repeatedly. Following the correct procedures when freezing them will ensure their longevity for years. These are some tips on freezing them properly to comply with health and safety regulations using a blast freezer.

• The correct position. You need to Make sure as many plate areas as possible are exposed to the cold air to accelerate the process.
• Keep the gel packs separated using trolleys. Storing plates on top can reduce the surface exposed to the cold air stream.
• To increase air circulation in the blast freezer. it is convenient to use ventilated pallets or ventilated shelving systems
• Make sure the air circulation within the blast freezer is not blocked.
• Open the loading door not much to prevent temperature changes. The moisture in the warm air can turn to ice and will slow down the cooling process.
• Remove products from the blast freezer when the optimal temperature is achieved. If the plates are not needed, it is best to move them to a holding freezer for storage to reload and start the process again.
• Knowing the cooling times will also help you implement a smooth process. For example, if you always load the plates the same way, cooling times should be consistent.
• Defrosting your blast freezer will also become an essential part of the process. It will allow you to remove any excess ice formed inside the unit to keep the air circulation up to the optimal standard. Again, we recommend doing this daily to prevent any blocks of the cold air stream.

Having an efficient way of preconditioning the gel packs will be essential to prevent any potential damage to your food deliveries.

If you need a gel packs solution to start your home delivery services, we recommend using a blast freezer with a temperature monitoring system. Now you can request a free consultation with one of our cold storage experts, and we will be in touch with you to help you with the best solution for your business.