Shipping food parcels: what you need to know

If your e-commerce store deals in food products and you're wondering what the best way to ship food is, in this article you'll find all the answers you're looking for.

We'll look at the most affordable carriers depending on whether you need to ship abroad or within Italy. We'll look at what it means to ship food to the UK after Brexit, importing food into the US, and the dedicated services of the main carriers.

As always when it comes to online shipping, giving a single answer for every need is impossible.

It all depends on how much food you have to ship, whether it's perishable or not, and the destination.

But we've done our best to make this guide useful for every kind of need.

If you're looking for specific information about a carrier for food shipments, just click the table of contents below to jump to the carrier you want.

• Shipping non-perishable food parcels

• Shipping perishable food parcels

• Packaging for food shipments

• Shipping food parcels within Italy

  • Food shipments with BRT

  • Food shipments with Poste Italiane

  • Food shipments with SDA

• Shipping food products within the European Union

  • Food shipments with DPDgroup and EuroExpress

  • Food shipments with GLS

• International food parcel shipments

  • Food shipments with DHL

  • Food shipments with FedEx

  • Food shipments with UPS

• Shipping food products to the United Kingdom

• Shipping food parcels to the USA

• Shipping food parcels: the all-in-one Sendcloud solution

Shipping non-perishable food parcels

Non-perishable foods are all medium- to long-shelf-life items that don't require a specific storage temperature (pasta, oil, canned goods, preserves, etc.).

These kinds of products can be shipped as if they were general goods and are transported without any problems by most carriers.

Depending on the type of goods, such as liquids for example, there may be quantity limits per shipment.

Non-perishable foods make up almost all of the food-product traffic that circulates via individual parcels around the world.

This is due both to carriers' limitations and to customs.

Most carriers aren't equipped to offer a constant-temperature transport service dedicated to food.

And the customs legislation of some countries (like the United States) doesn't allow the import of parcels containing perishable goods.

Shipping perishable food parcels

So what should you do if your e-commerce store deals in perishable products or, like frozen goods, ones strictly dependent on temperature?

If that's your case, let's look at what can be done.

There are 3 different types of shipment for perishable food goods, varying according to the temperature the load requires:

• Transport at -18°C (frozen goods)

• Transport between -2° and 15°C (meat, cheese, fish, etc.)

• Transport between 15° and 25°C (medicines, semi-fresh food, etc.)

Most road carriers don't guarantee any of these temperatures.

Some of the larger carriers (like DHL or UPS) have so-called constant-temperature services that can range from 4° to 15°C.

However, since the rates are quite high, their services are generally used for transporting medicines.

But they can also work for food goods with high sales markups.

That said, for anything that needs a refrigerated truck, conventional shipping lines aren't adequate.

You'll therefore need to turn to companies specialized in the refrigerated-food sector with fleets of refrigerated trucks.

Since these are extremely specialized channels, the rest of the article will mainly deal with shipping non-perishable goods.

Packaging for food shipments

When it comes to food shipments, one of the most important aspects is care in packaging.

The quality of the packaging ensures that food goods can't be damaged or contaminated during transport.

But there's more. Food packaging is regulated by EC standards, so it's essential to make sure you're informed and compliant.

Failing to meet the minimum legal requirements can lead not only to damage to the load but also to fines and penalties.

Fortunately, carriers are perfectly aware of this, and every carrier will be able to provide detailed instructions on how best to package your products. So it's always best to check directly with the customer service of the carrier you choose to use.

Shipping food parcels within Italy

If your e-commerce distributes food products mainly within Italy, in this section we've gathered information on the carriers that operate primarily on Italian soil.

This doesn't mean they operate only in Italy or that you can't use other carriers (like FedEx or GLS); the ones listed below are those with the best price-to-network-coverage ratio.

Food shipments with BRT

BRT is one of Italy's shipping giants, so we can't help but mention it first.

It has a large fleet of trucks and combines affordable prices with good reliability when it comes to delivery times. It can deliver quickly and cheaply across the whole country.

However, despite powerful vehicles and affordable prices, BRT doesn't take exceptional care in handling parcels.

For this reason, in addition to meeting the minimum legal standards, it's a good idea to use sturdy packaging.

Especially if you deal in delicate goods, perhaps stored in glass.

Unfortunately, BRT doesn't offer a temperature-controlled shipping service, so you'll only be able to ship non-perishable food parcels.

Food shipments with Poste Italiane

Poste Italiane also allows the shipping of non-perishable food goods.

That said, all the usual limitations of their services regarding parcel weight and size still apply.

For this reason, Poste Italiane is probably not the first carrier that comes to mind for handling an e-commerce's shipments.

In particular, the unreliability of the service is rather alarming. What are simple annoyances for personal use become financial losses the moment you move to a commercial perspective.

However, the postal network can reach any point in the country at extremely reasonable prices and doesn't require signing any contract.

So… you never know. It can be useful to keep this option in mind, especially for hard-to-reach locations.

To find out more, you can read our article on hard-to-reach areas.

Food shipments with SDA

SDA is the commercial service of Poste Italiane.

Unlike the public service, SDA has good reliability and far fewer limitations.
The level of their services (especially when it comes to non-bulky shipments) is comparable to BRT's.

However, SDA too accepts only non-perishable foods aboard its trucks.

Shipping food products within the European Union

If your e-commerce is dedicated to exporting the taste of Italian food across Europe, this is the section for you.

Here we'll examine the most affordable options for shipping non-perishable food within the European Union.

Thanks to the single market and the absence of customs, shipping in Europe isn't very different from shipping in Italy; it's just a matter of figuring out which carrier is right for you.

Food shipments with DPDgroup and EuroExpress

DPDgroup and EuroExpress are international carrier networks.

BRT has a partnership with both of these networks to cover all road shipments outside Italy.

This is good news because it means that by using BRT you can access the services of both networks.

The bad news is that, exactly like BRT, both networks accept only non-perishable food goods that don't require a controlled temperature.

However, for all foods that aren't sensitive to temperature, both of these networks are an excellent compromise between low costs and service quality.

Food shipments with GLS

GLS specializes mainly in transport within the European Union. It combines good reliability and affordable prices with good territorial coverage.

GLS has a specific service dedicated to food goods, but it's aimed exclusively at non-perishable food that isn't affected by temperature changes (for a change).

The service covers only the cleanliness of the vehicles and the dedicated warehouse areas. They also guarantee safety measures designed to ensure food is perfectly preserved (such as avoiding contact with other potentially contaminating goods).

International food parcel shipments

As we've seen so far, most carriers in the low-to-mid price range only allow the movement of non-perishable foods that aren't sensitive to ambient temperature.

If the goods you deal in must be transported at a controlled temperature, the only solution is to turn to the industry giants.

Only the large international transport companies have the kind of vehicles and organization needed for this type of work.

And this tends to translate into higher shipping costs, which, according to our 2020-21 E-commerce Report, are one of the main problems for people who buy online.

To help you here too, we've written a guide on cheap shipping, where you might find a trick that's right for you.

Also, if you're having trouble making sense of customs procedures and documentation, you can find the answers you're looking for in our article on international shipping.

Food shipments with DHL

Its coverage at the individual-country level isn't always at the level of its competitors, but they make up for it with two big advantages:

• their immense fleet of company-owned aircraft.

• their tracking system

DHL's tracking, besides providing real-time information, offers a parcel-monitoring experience that other carriers struggle to match.

On top of this, DHL also has a service specifically dedicated to transporting food to optimize preservation and maintain its quality.

DHL Express for Food

This DHL service can be very useful for exporting food made in Italy.

In addition to handling shipments of non-perishable foods, DHL Express for Food can also take on goods that need to travel at a controlled temperature.

The service is suitable for goods to be kept between +4° and +8°C, but that aren't damaged up to 14°C to allow for possible temperature fluctuations during transport.

Food shipments with FedEx

FedEx is an excellent international carrier with a fairly well-established presence on Italian soil too.

It doesn't offer a service specifically dedicated to food, so the only goods you can ship are non-perishable ones.

However, if you happen to ship internationally only occasionally, FedEx shipping centers could be right for you.

Shipping from a FedEx center doesn't require signing any contract and will let you deal with shipping experts to sort out all the details.

Food shipments with UPS

UPS is one of the most widely used carriers in the United States, so it could be a good option for exports destined for the US.

UPS is one of the most organized carriers when it comes to managing the cold chain, with temperature-maintenance services and constant monitoring.

Given the high costs, these services are designed for the medical and pharmaceutical market.

However, if you sell food products with a high markup and want to give your customers a premium experience, it could be worth getting in touch and seeing what offer you can secure (rates depend on the type of contract you sign).

Another thing to consider when shipping valuable goods (food or otherwise) is insurance. If you're considering it and would like more information, our article on insured shipping might help you.

Shipping food products to the United Kingdom

As you probably know, since 2021 Brexit has been in full effect, so the United Kingdom is no longer part of the European Union.

This means that, even though no duties are planned for now, goods entering the UK must go through customs.

In general terms, this translates into an increase in the documentation to produce for each shipment and longer times for customs clearance.

If you want more detailed information on this topic, you can take a look at our article dedicated to shipping after Brexit.

As for food shipments specifically, the British government hasn't yet placed any restrictions.

Meat, dairy, and other animal products (like eggs and honey) can enter the country freely; the only restrictions concern quantities.

To check the quantities for types of products, you can consult the guide drawn up by the British government for importing food products.

Shipping food parcels to the USA

In the United States, everything considered food (including medicines) falls under the direct approval of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

So, for food goods to be admitted into the US, you need to do a bit of research and prepare all the documentation the FDA needs to identify your products.

The FDA works by product category.

By consulting their website you can find all the categories for every kind of importable food product.
And each of these categories has a code associated with it.

That code must be included in the commercial invoice to allow US customs to recognize and classify the incoming goods.

In the past you could use the label UNK (unknown), but that's no longer an option.

And it will lead to a failed shipment.

In addition, for food products bought online and destined for a private individual, you'll need to submit a Prior Notice (PN) if the waybill shows a company name.

There are also food goods that US customs doesn't allow through normal shipping channels, in particular:

• perishable goods

• alcohol

For more information you can consult the FDA guidelines directly on their website.

Shipping food parcels: the success of Falorni

We've reached the end of our article. We hope the information it contains was exactly what you were looking for and can help you solve your problem or perhaps clear up your doubts.

If you're looking for a platform that simplifies the entire process of shipping your food parcels, discover how Sendcloud allowed the Falorni butcher shop to go from a small local meat shop to an international e-commerce with shipments across Europe.

In our case study you'll also find the right information to book a free 15-minute demo with our team and discover the benefits of Sendcloud for yourself. (Want to jump straight to the demo? Great idea: book it here. Discover the success of Falorni)