You've found the perfect holiday gift, something that anyone would love - food. Just about anything can be shipped these days - even home-cooked meals or mail-order meats. How can you be sure that it will arrive safely? Follow these tips:

• If you are sending something perishable (something needing to be kept cold or frozen), be sure it is packed with frozen gel packs or dry ice. Dry ice is actually frozen carbon dioxide, a gas we exhale. Do not handle dry ice with your bare hands, and don't let it come in contact with the food. Be sure that the food is packed in foam or corrugated cardboard to help insulate it.

• Have the food delivered as soon as possible, ideally overnight.

• Write "Perishable" or "Keep Refrigerated" in marker on the outside of the box.

• Make sure the person getting the gift is available to receive the package when it arrives.

• Don't have the gift delivered to a business address. Don't send it at the end of the week or it could end up sitting in a warehouse overnight.

• When possible, send foods that do not need to be refrigerated or frozen. Such foods include hard salami, hard cheese, jellies, country ham and fresh breads.

Perishables should not be left in temperatures between 40 degrees F and 140 degrees F for more than two hours because bacteria can develop and grow quickly. You probably won't notice a difference in taste, appearance or smell, so you can't tell if the food has been mishandled.

If you are the one receiving the gift:

• Open it immediately and refrigerate or freeze it right away. Even something that has already been fully or partially cooked, roasted, cured or smoked should be put in the refrigerator or freezer immediately.

• If the food arrives warm, do not eat or taste it. Notify the company that sent you the item.

• Check the food's temperature when it arrives. It should be cold or have ice crystals on it.

If you have questions about the food you received or sent, you can call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline. The hotline is staffed by food safety experts on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Eastern time. Food safety recordings can be heard 24 hours a day.

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External Source U.S. Department of Agriculture

This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.