Every single day millions of people rely on frozen food products for meals, snacks, and even to feed the family dog. The cold supply chain ensures everything from pharmaceuticals to help an aging grandmother get better to luxury packs of caviar make it safely to their target destinations.
The problem is, what happens if the cold chain packaging materials you have don’t get the job done?
The last thing any business wants is to risk compromising product quality due to heat or light exposure. When you have quality packaging materials in place to ensure a cold item remains at the right temperature range, you maintain revenue streams and can scale in response to market fluctuations.
To help you find the best possible cold packaging materials, our MP Global Packaging team has compiled a quick guide.
Why Protect Cold Chain Shipping?
Delivering temperature-sensitive products is challenging. Degradation can and will happen as trucks, trains, and planes move through higher ambient temperatures. Without thermal packaging, the transit of your more sensitive items will lead to disastrous outcomes. You use cold chain packaging to protect against:
• Temperature Fluctuation: Uncontrolled temperature change causes problems. A truck moving lobster from Maine to California has to move through deserts, plains, mountains, forests, and more. Items can spoil quickly, especially if you have cold warehouses and hot tarmac product touchpoints.
• Humidity: Temperature isn’t the only consideration. Mold, spoilage, and damage all occur whenever humidity shifts too quickly, one way or the other. Ensuring the packaging materials have moisture resistance is a big feather in the cap.
• Physical Protection: One of the added benefits of premium packaging materials is that they reduce damage from crushing, vibration, or punctures. The added insulation protects the contents, adding shock resistance when you need it most.
• Light Exposure: Plenty of meat, cheese, medication, and luxury items are harmed by prolonged UV exposure. Light sensitivity can be reduced with cold chain packaging because of protective wraps, multi-layered items, and opaque liners.
Most importantly, you’re using cold supply chain packaging materials to ensure the longer shipping duration of items from cold climates or distant manufacturers maintain integrity as they move to further away points on the map.
What Materials Offer Protection?
Choosing the right packaging materials is the challenging part. You probably already understand the importance of protection, but with so many suppliers out there, it can be rough landing on the specific choices perfect for your unique needs.
Insulation Type:
Start by looking for insulation type. Thermal packaging uses traditional EPS foam, but there are more sustainable and efficient options available, like MP Global Packaging’s Chillin’ Liners, which are made from recyclable, renewable fiberboard. The results show a higher R-value, which reduces thermal bridging and external heat infiltration.
Phase Change Materials (PCMs):
Next, you want to consider PCM. You typically find these in gel packs or pouches that absorb or release energy as they change from solid to liquid (and vice versa). Seek out PCMs that meet your product’s temperature range and the duration of the shipping.
Packaging Design:
Cold chain packaging is more than the materials. You don’t want to overlook packaging design. Whenever there is an issue with internal airflow or cushioning. The goal is to work with a team like MP Global Packaging that engineers all the solutions to fit local, state, national, and international regulations and logistical needs – while also supporting your unique branding guidelines.
Sustainability:
Traditional cold supply chain packaging is not very eco-friendly. Mountains of cardboard, insulation, and paper get wasted on packaging materials that could be made from recyclable, biodegradable, or reclaimed sources. At MP Global Packaging, our materials not only boost functional integrity but also curbside recyclability, which reduces waste.
Packaging Weight:
The higher the weight of your packaging materials, the greater your shipping cost. You have to strike a balance between quality control and shipping efficiency. Look for lightweight packaging with advanced thermal reinforcement that will not stack too much expense on your shipping bottom line.
Moisture Resistance:
Finally, be sure you have cold chain packaging that reduces condensation. There should be moisture-resistant liners, absorbent pads, or specially treated surfaces so sogginess and mold are not concerns.
How to Tell if Your Cold Chain Packaging Materials Help
The good news is that you’ll know pretty quickly if your cold chain packaging materials are doing their job or not. Temperature outcomes upon delivery will indicate how well the items are holding up. Data sensors can help track shipments and conditions, but you want to look at PCM placement and where items are put on different modalities.
Make sure your recipients conduct a visual inspection upon delivery. You want items to be dry and intact at the right temperature. Even if you have to replace a few deliveries at first, stakeholder feedback is crucial to getting the right recipe for cold packaging materials so you don’t continue losing items to hundreds of other clients.
How We Can Help
At MP Global Packaging, we specialize in providing well-engineered and tested thermal packaging that works harder, lasts longer, and aligns your brand with modern sustainability goals. We offer everything from thermal box liners made from 100% post-industrial, pre-consumer cardboard fibers to Chillin’ liners that maximize temperature control using eco-friendly design.
Whether you’re shipping freshly caught cod to restaurants, clinical samples to the CDC, or meal kits for your new custom Asian fusion startup, our cold chain supply packaging materials are the best solution. Each product is third-party tested to ensure insulation performance, and we offer fast prototypes of custom solutions upon request.
Our goal is to be your long-term solution, partnering closely with your needs and scaling whenever the market trends or seasonal demands shift. Contact us today to learn more about our cold packaging materials.
Final Thoughts
Cold chain packaging materials have to be more than a system checkbox to meet compliance issues. It is necessary to lower the risk of spoiled items and lost revenues. Your customers rely on your brand. Do them the favor of ensuring product quality each and every time.
Working with providers like us at MP Global Packaging ensures you have a premium quality solution for shipping temperature-sensitive items while meeting sustainability goals and local regulations. That is how you grow your food service, pharmacy, or other crucial businesses.
FAQs
What are the materials used in cold chain packaging?
There are many options available, from traditional expanded polystyrene (EPS) to polyurethane (PUR), paper, and paperboard. We tend to use 100% reclaimed and recycled materials that boost temperature control and reduce waste.
What are the examples of cold chain packaging?
Think of thermal insulated shippers, curbside recyclable shippers, insulated pouches, and even items shipped with dry ice. It really depends on the types of products you have, the volume of shipment, and PCM needs.
What are the criteria for choosing packaging materials?
Start with your product compatibility, marketing, and cost, and then view sustainability options and product quality outcomes. There may be a little trial and error upfront, but talking with the manufacturer should give you a good sense of potential outcomes.
