Farmers and food processors who deal with non-GMO food need to procure shipping services to handle frozen or chilled foodstuffs, especially when shipping internationally. The food has to remain cold throughout the shipping process until it reaches its destination. There are such services available, and they offer both refrigerated ocean and air freight. Of course, you don’t want to overspend on shipping, so you should demand cheap freight shipping — the cheaper, the better.
Ocean freight uses refrigerated containers that come in standard sizes of 20 or 40 feet. Usually, you can only secure a container by paying for a full container load (FCL). Not all destinations are available to ocean shippers, so you will have to check the specifics of each company you use. You want to identify a shipper that has an experienced staff in matching the available carrier options to the goods you are transporting. They will ensure that your ocean shipment arrives at its destination in the fastest transit time and the lowest possible cost. You will find that different vessels have different cost structures, so they will closely match your requirements to the appropriate type of vessel.
If you are shipping perishables, you probably need the speed available from air freight services. The service you choose will be expert at dry ice and gel packing to maintain cool temperatures. They must be able to deliver your foodstuffs quickly while maintaining their integrity and quality. The audience for non-GMO food tends to have high standards and you certainly don’t want to disappoint. Therefore you need to research your choice of air freight shippers carefully. Make sure they can handle large or small sample shipments, regular shipments that are just-in-time, and specialized giant orders that require the chartering of a jumbo jet. Perishable foods require constant attention and must be handled with the utmost care.
If you need help choosing shippers, be aware that there are online sites that act as intermediaries. You describe your requirements and they search through their roster of vendors to match you up with the most appropriate shipper. While this may add a little cost to the shipping process, it is well worth it when you are first getting started and don’t know the landscape. These online expediters can also provide you with other services, such as refrigerated warehousing, relabeling, pick and pack, packaging, USDA services and more. For international shipments, a full service provider will help you with customs, insurance, letters of credit, documentation; claims processing and alike. You can also arrange to use refrigerated rail and trucking services for domestic shipments.