The mail-order beef industry has grown by leaps in bounds in recent years as families across the nation strive for healthy protein options free of added hormones and artificial ingredients. This demand has in turn created the need for shipping options to ensure that the high-value product arrived to the customer still frozen.
While more traditional insulated packaging solutions, such as molded EPS containers, have long been available, the industry clamored for a solution more in-tune with the high demands of their customer base. This meant finding insulated packaging that not only provided the necessary level of protection, but that was more earth-friendly compared to the more traditional EPS solutions.
Proposal
IPC is tasked to determine a logical solution that allows mail-order frozen meat companies to extend their non-air parcel shipments (ie, via ground transport) to all 2-Day Transit and 3-Day Transit destinations.
By relying on ground transport, the shipping costs will be greatly reduced, while minimally increasing the overall cost of the packaging required.
IPC Recommendation: PopupLiner with Dry Ice
By relying on ground transport alone, the shipping costs would be greatly reduced with a minimal increase to the overall cost of the packaging required.
The PopupLiner Insulated Box Liner is IPC’s highest performing insulated shipping box, and is available in any custom size. When used with dry ice, PopupLiner box liners are perfect for 48 hour frozen shipments of sensitive products such as food and pharmaceuticals.
PopupLiner Insulated Box Liner
PopupLiner Insulated Box Liner Panels
”These liners have been our go-to liners for shipping beef, pork and lamb direct from our ranch since 2014.
MaryFive Mary Farms, Fort Jones, California
”As far as the available products on the market, nothing compares with the performance of the IPC PopupLiners. We have shipped thousands of them and to all 50 states. We even have customers send them back to us and we use them over and again for our frozen goods boxes.
DanielBallerina Farm, Kamas, Utah
Testing
IPC tested two 1” PopupLiner Box Liners loaded with 5 lbs of frozen meat: one packaged for 2–day transit with 10 lbs of dry Ice, and one packaged for 3–day transit with 15 lbs of dry ice.
The temperature profile was programmed with the ISTA 7E Summer Profile, and each of the test samples were loaded into the chamber with temperature recorders.
From Boston, MA to Charleston, SC
| Expenses Shipping Cost Shipping Charges Total |
Ground Shipping $11.75 $10.00 $21.75 |
Standard Overnight $8.25 $52.00 $60.25 |
SAVINGS – 74% cost reduction with PopupLiner and 2–Day ground shipping
From Boston, MA to Miami, FL
| Expenses Shipping Cost Shipping Charges Total |
Ground Shipping $14.00 $13.00 $27.00 |
Standard Overnight $8.25 $60.00 $68.25 |
SAVINGS – 70% cost reduction with PopupLiner and 3–Day Ground
This comparison clearly shows how using the 1” PopupLiner and shipping with dry ice can increase profits and expand the reach of frozen meat companies wishing to ship products via ground transport.
As shown in the two figures below, the graphical temperature data shows that both the 2-Day and 3-Day pack-outs succeeding in providing their required level of protection, and even provided additional hours of protection beyond the required 48 and 72 hours.
A quick comparison of shipping costs versus packaging costs can be useful in analyzing these solutions to confirm that they are indeed logical and useful for mail-order beef companies.
Using this map, we will compare parcel shipments for 5lbs of frozen meat from Boston, MA to both Charleston, SC and Miami, FL. These are 2-day and 3-day transit times by ground, respectively.
