| Food Safety and Inspection
Service United States Department of Agriculture Washington, D.C. 20250-3700 |
Everyone loves getting packages in the mail. Sometimes they are gifts of food -- either homemade or from mail order. When it's baked goods or shelf-stable canned items, the lucky recipient usually knows how to tell about its safety and what to do with it. But what about smoked turkeys, cheese and sausage gift packs, and other perishable items? Whether you are giving or receiving, there are some food safety tips you need to keep in mind for these special gifts.
Ask the company how the food will be mailed. If it's a perishable item, it should be delivered as quickly as possible -- ideally, overnight. Make sure perishable items and the outer package are labeled "KEEP REFRIGERATED" to alert the recipient.
Will the food item come with storage and preparation instructions? Some mail order food gift items are of an unusual nature and some consumers may not know how to handle or prepare them.
Tell the recipient if the company has promised a delivery date. Or alert the recipient that "the gift is in the mail" so that they or a neighbor can be home to receive it. Otherwise it may sit unsafely on the front porch or at the post office for hours or even days. Don't have perishable items delivered to an office unless you know it will arrive on a work day and there's refrigerator space available for keeping it cold.
When you receive a food item marked "Keep Refrigerated," open it immediately and check its temperature. Optimally, the food should arrive frozen or partially frozen with ice crystals still visible, or at least, refrigerator cold to the touch. If perishable food arrives warm, notify the company if you think you deserve a refund. Do not consume the food. But remember, it's the shipper's responsibility to deliver perishable foods on time; the customer's responsibility to have someone at home to receive the package.
Refrigerate or freeze perishable items immediately. Even if a product is partially defrosted it is safe to freeze it, although there may be a slight loss of quality.
Perishable foods will stay at a safe temperature longest if frozen solid first. After frozen, pack your food gift with a cold source such as a frozen gel pack or purchased dry ice.
Pack your frozen food and cold source in a sturdy box, such as heavy foam or corrugated cardboard. Fill up any empty space with crushed paper or foam "popcorn." Air space in the box will cause the food and cold source to thaw faster.
Your package should be clearly labeled "Perishable - Keep Refrigerated." As in "Tips for the Purchaser," above, arrange a delivery date with the recipient. Ship your package by overnight delivery.
Contact List:
National Agricultural Library:
Food and Nutrition Information Center, 301-504-5719
Main Reference Desk, 301-504-5479
Mail Order Action Line, Direct Marketing Association
6 E. 43rd Street
New York, NY 10017, (212) 689-4977
For additional food safety information about meat, poultry or eggs, call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1 (800) 535-4555. It is staffed by home economists from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET year round. An extensive selection of food safety recordings can be heard 24 hours a day using a touch-tone phone.
The media may call Bessie Berry, Acting Director, USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline, at (202) 720-5604.
For Further Information Contact:
FSIS Food Safety Education and Communications Staff
Meat and Poultry Hotline: