Tips For Shipping Food In Holiday Care Packages

Tasty festive treats like homemade sugar cookies, brownies, molasses squares, and dried snack mixes are always popular and welcome gifts during the holidays. Sometimes nothing’s better than Grandma’s ginger snaps this time of year. But shipping these goodies can be tricky.

When sending food domestically and internationally, the key thing to remember is to label the package correctly. This is particularly important when sending items to the United States.  Food can only be shipped to the U.S. if it is being sent from one individual (not a company), to another individual. Customs forms must clearly be marked “gift” and state that the food is for personal consumption. You will also require a full list of the ingredients to be included for Customs.

Here are a few other tips when it comes to shipping food during the holidays:

• Send items that will travel well. Avoid food that can’t withstand heat or other extreme temperatures, such as chocolate or anything that requires refrigeration.

• Make sure all food is sealed in an interior airtight container or plastic bag before putting them into a gift box and shipping box. If air pockets are in these containers, items may vibrate, break and/or crumble.

• Fill any air gaps in any container with squares of bubble cushioning to soften the vibration and prevent cookies or brownies from breaking.

• If sending cookies, use a potato chip canister as a cookie cutter and then use the same container to ship the cookies; this ensures that they will stack perfectly and won’t crumble.

Visit The UPS Store in your neighbourhood to learn more and ensure your gifts arrive safely and on time.