How to send food items

Company specializing in shipping overseas

rcamaine — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 14:13:52 GMT

I just sent a whole box of groceries to a navy ship in the gulf. It looks like they pre-screen what can be shipped. The site is http://www.militaryfoodex.com

Sending liquids

Marty Horn — Sun, 13 May 2007 12:33:37 GMT

First tip is to avoid a liquid product and go for a gel or other non-liquid product if possible. Failing that, if a product has any ability to leak (and this includes cans) then please use one of two packing methods:

1. Zip-Loc bags. Use two of them, one upside-down over the item, then the next right-side up over the first bag. Squeeze all the air out of both bags before sealing them. This will trap leaks and keep the other items in the box from being ruined. Also, it keeps the items fresh longer for the soldier. Keeps sand out of the rings on a can, moisture from flimsy packages, etc. The plus here is this leaves a zip-loc bag for the soldier to use for other things...

2. Use a food vacuum sealer, such as FoodSaver. Tip on this however. Never vacuum out ALL the air. If you put something 'squashable' in a vacuum bag, the machine will squash the heck out of the item. Vacuum most of the air, but leave just a bit of looseness to the bag. FoodSaver-type machines are THE best idea for all food items.

I got the boxes, Custom forms, Food...........

vita — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:47:58 GMT

Ok,I am a newbie, and I am still asking questions, sorry. I know I keep the food and hygenic items in different boxes.So Far I have 3 boxes that I am ready to shut and tape like so godzilla will handle it.I want to ship all three out, but I can only do one a week at this point.I read so many requests of different soldiers, that I bought the usual requested items asked for.This will be my 1st care package I send out.I want to do one 1st , so I know I am doing it right.So I click on the link where the soldiers address will be given , correct?Then copy down on the customs form , along with another address label, am I right?I will not tape the box shut until I listed all items on Customs form.I have no pork products either.I do have chicken vienna sausages, that have no pork in the ingredients.Will the soldiers like this??I also have chicken and tuna by Bumblebee.Will that work?Crystal light etc.

And how do I add "AE" since I am on the East coast.Where do I write that at?

Any other important things I should know, please advise!!

I would def appreciate it

Vita~

About girl scout cookies.... help!!!!

Sumara — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:56:53 GMT

Our local Girl scout council had extra boxes from last years sale that ended in the late spring and donated about 30 cases for our little volunteer group to send over to the troops. Has anyone had any experience shipping the cases? How much did it cost? Did you have to repackage them?

Chocolate

Mags — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 12:55:19 GMT

Ooops, I was not thinking the other day (Friday 4/18/08) and sent some little Debbie snacks and one of them was the Nutty Bars (choc). Do you think they made it ok. Or were they melted all over the place?

Best way to ship Girl Scout Cookies?

alphagam7 — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:24:25 GMT

Hi everyone! Been a while since I've posted anything as I've been quite busy lately. I have a quick question for anyone who has shipped Girl Scout cookies in the past. In all the years I've lived in Santa Fe, can you believe this is the first year that I've been able to get my hands on this sugar-addicting treats! Crazy, I know, but I have about 2 cases now! HA HA.... I'm trying my best to stay away from the priority mailing boxes when shipping as my funds are getting a little tighter than usual, but I'm having a really hard time getting these Girl Scout cookies packed..... each flavor is packed in a different size box and I'm really getting frustrated. Is it okay to take the sleeves out of the original box and then pack them in the shipping box or is this a bad idea? If I remember correctly, the chocolate covered peanut butter ones come in a tray so I can't open those boxes. What's the best way to ship these? Any ideas or suggestions? Trying to get some boxes out to a group I have who is on the border of 2 countries and it takes 3 weeks for them to get ANYTHING and would like to get them in the mail by Wednesday. Any help you guys can give me would be great! Thanks alot!

Sending food & other items in general: leave in packaging? no?

nissus — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 05:55:25 GMT

Hiya,

This is my first time posting (and will be my first time sending a box once I get everything figured out), and I have a question about whether or not I should leave items in their original packagings?

For instance, a jumbo box of Rice Krispy treats, or granola bars. Or even just boxes of pens (like a dozen per box). I read on a thread that some people take the drink flavorings out of the boxes and put them in baggies. But I wasn't sure about these other items. If it is reasonable to un-box them so they take up less space in the big box, or if it would be safer to leave them in their original packages -- ie. make them less likely to get mushed, mangled, or otherwise destroyed. (especially the treats.. although I imagine pens and pencils could make quite a mess if they broke somehow.. but I'd rather the treats came through whole, if you know what I mean)

Sorry if this is a repeat and I didn't find it with the search utility.

Thanks!

//Mary (nissus)

P.S. If folks think it is better to leave them in their original packages -- is it still ok to break them down (I mean take them out of the package) if you are making smaller boxes for individuals and you just want a few of each thing to go in the box? Thx.

Sending food items and non-food items together in a box?

nissus — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 06:00:29 GMT

This is a completely silly question, but I have to ask.. in the FAQ it says to not do it. And I totally get not sending soaps or deodorants or other similar type items in with food items.. but what about things like ink pens, and mechanical pencils, stationary, magazines, and books? Those things are ok to pack with food and vice versa, right? Or should I really just *not* mix them at all?

Thx,

//Mary (nissus)

Sending drinks

Soupmom88 — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 18:09:56 GMT

I was just wondering (as I'm still pretty new at sending packages).... some of the soldiers request pop, and even other drinks. But I'm concerned with sending pop in fear that it will burst during shipment. Gatorade and such not so much, but the pop concerns me. Does anyone else send drinks and if so, how to you package it up? Plenty of bubble wrap or something? Thanks!

Duh!

itsmesheila — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 20:44:32 GMT

I call this my "Duh" moment.... and figured maybe I am not the only one who didnt figure this out but the single serving drink packets really can be sent without the box! I put the packets in a baggy and they took up so much less space! Maybe this was obvious to everyone else.... but it wasn't to me!

DVDs/ Books ~ Media postage

STL — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 00:59:09 GMT

Did ya know that if you are sending only DVDs or Books that you can use a special class of postage called "media" and it's WAYYY cheap!! : )

Shelly

RE:>Video
ann — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 16:16:52 GMT

Couldn't find this on another thread - but if it's been posted then apologies.

Found a box this morning at Walgreens - just in time AND on sale - 2 for $1.50 - bigger than the large video box, smaller than the FRB size. Perfect for stuff that's just a little too big for the video box - like the one lb box of candy I'm trying to ship in between regular care packages. It also takes a musical card - that pesky little thing that doesn't seem to fit in anything!

It's a 'Scotch Mailing Box' - 9.5 x 6 x 3.75.

You can even double zip-lock bag the boxes of candy and still have room left over for small paperbacks and stationery, cigars, big bags of M&MS, ...

Ann

Chips and salsa

Pat Hodges Furth — Sun, 13 May 2007 15:18:16 GMT

One of my contacts wrote, they wished there was a way to send chips with out them arriving crushed......I was able to send it by packing the chips in a separte box inside my box, or, I bought some of the plastic stackable drawers and put the chips in them...the chips made it fine, and after repeated shippings they had a chest of drawers too...The salsa was wrapped in bubble wrap,vacum sealed,double bagged, then put it in a separte box inside my box, and it was fine too...Pat

Food items and some hygeine

Kaitlin07 — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 20:40:12 GMT

well most of the stuff i'm sending is food related or hygeine items that dont have a strong scent (ex: toothpaste and razors) well i wanted to send some soap with it and i was wondering how can i insanely package the soap so that the food doesnt end up tasting like the soap. thanks everyone! i hope that made sense

How to send popsicles

lburg7 — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 01:25:50 GMT

I know that I have read on this site that the popsicles that are sold in liquid form to be frozen later are popular with the soldiers. I picked up a couple packages of these popsicles recently, 100 pops each, but I am having trouble getting them packaged in a way that makes me confident that they will reach their desination without having a "malfunction" in transit.

I have read Marty's post re: sending liquids and I have followed most of those pointers already, with the exception of removing excess air from ziplock bags. There did not seem to be a good way to do that without risking rupture of some of these popsicle sticks. I have taken each ziplock bag and gently taped it to help steady the cargo inside and I have filled my shipping box, (flat rate), with enough of these so as to not have them flopping around in transit. I placed all of the packaged pops in plastic grocery bags after securing and wrapping them in the ziplocks and taping them. Any dead space in the box was gently filled with old plastic grocery bags. The pops are the only items in the box. I feel that I have done a pretty good job of packaging these things, but I have a bad feeling and I am not going to send them out until I resolve this one way or another. Any suggestions from the pros out there?

I am thinking that a box within a box might be my next best move. I wanted to leave these pops in their original box, but it would not fit in any of my other shipping boxes, particularly my favored flat rate boxes. Thanks for any suggestions, I want to get these items on their way because my soldier knows that they are coming!