Usps Food Shipping (Can You Ship It, Price, Steps + More)

USPS has been a major player in shipping and is well-known for offering the most flexible shipping solutions when shipping unusual or more traditional items.

So can you ship food with USPS, and if so, how much does it cost, and how would you do it? If you’d like to find out more, keep reading this article to see what I learned!

Will the USPS allow you to send food in 2022

USPS in 2022 has changed its regulations depending on whether food is to be shipped. It’s possible to send items such as pre-packaged food or potato chips without having to take extra measures. Shipping perishable food is more costly and will require special packaging and labeling.

Continue reading this article to find out more facts about USPS and frozen food.

Does USPS Ship Refrigerated or Frozen Food?

The USPS allows perishable foods such as frozen and refrigerated food to be shipped. However, the responsibility of the shipper is to make sure that food doesn’t spoil during transit.

Refrigerated and frozen perishable food products are generally more expensive to ship as they require quicker delivery and use cooling tools, such as dry Ice (which is labeled as a hazardous substance in the USPS Handbook).

Important to know that USPS doesn’t use coolers or refrigerators for shipping food. If you plan on sending perishables that will need to keep cold, then you need to consider the additional weight of cooling products that may be included with the shipment.

Are You Looking for USPS Shipping Services To Ship Foods?

The USPS shipping services you should use when shipping food depends largely on whether or not you’re shipping perishable items, such as produce, meat and similar foods.

For non-perishable items such as chips, beefjerky, and other snacks you can use almost every USPS shipping option.

If you are shipping perishable food items, however, you are much more limited depending on what you’re shipping.

The biggest issue with shipping perishable food items is making sure they stay in a refrigerated or frozen state, meaning you’ll need to have some method of cooling the contents of your package.

Dry ice is used to cool food packages. It can be only used for 5 pounds or less of perishable goods.

Priority Mail Express delivers perishables quickly and efficiently. This service is available in most cities, as well as rural areas.

Priority Mail, First Class and Express Mail are options. But these options will only work for packages that weigh 5 lbs or less. These items must be shipped onto airplanes.

Keep in mind that the faster you can get your perishable food items to their location, the less likely it is for them to spoil in transit, so it’s always best to go with the fastest shipping option available.

What is the shipping cost for food with USPS?

USPS shipping costs are calculated by considering the overall package size and travel distance.

Shipping food can prove difficult because of the variable information. It depends on both the item and its quantity.

To get an idea of how much the shipment will cost, however, it is possible to do calculations prior to bringing it to USPS.

Priority Mail Express Express and Priority Mail Express will be your best options.

Priority Mail Express would be $102 if the package is to be shipped from Texas to Florida. It will arrive within 24 hours.

For Priority Mail shipping from Texas to Florida, it costs $35. The package is delivered within two to three days.

You should remember that every package is different in terms of weight, dimension, and distance. Therefore, the package prices may be slightly different.

This page from the USPS will give you a better estimate of what it might cost to ship perishable items. Be sure to look at the box for hazardous substances if you are shipping dry ice.

What is the best way to ship food with USPS?

USPS shipping perishable food can prove difficult, particularly since the perishable item itself and the dry Ice used to cool them are restricted items.

To ship perishable goods with USPS there are several requirements.

The first thing you should do is to get a container sturdy enough that it’s both leak-proof and provides insulation. This will help protect your contents from being damaged or lost during transport.

The best choice is to use thick polystyrene boxes. They are strong enough to prevent burst and leaks, but also lock in smells and moisture.

You can then place the perishable items into any container you already have.

Your perishables should be packed in lightweight material such as bubble wrap. After that, dry ice can be placed on top or around perishables.

Make sure you use quality packaging tape. You must leave some space for condensate and dry ice gas to escape when sealing the package.

After sealing your parcel, label it appropriately.

Since both perishable food and dry ice are restricted items, you’ll need to have a declaration of dangerous goods on the package, as well as a label declaring what food is being shipped and the net weight of the dry ice that’s being shipped with it.

You’ll also need a Class 9 DOT warning label for the dry ice to warn postal workers that your package needs to be handled with extra care.

This site provides information about dry ice as well as the various shipping rules USPS enforces.

This page is also available on the USPS website. If you’re interested in more information about how USPS ships perishable items, click here.

To know more about USPS shipping services, you can also see our posts on whether or not USPS delivers to door, if USPS delivers on Sundays, and USPS book shipping.

Conclusion

USPS allows for food to be shipped, but there are different shipping services and rules for shipping available depending on whether the food is perishable or not.

Dry ice is required to ship perishable foods. Priority Mail can be used if the dry ice weight exceeds 5 lbs.

.Usps Food Shipping (Can You Ship It, Price, Steps + More)