Shipping Perishable Products

The shipment of perishable and heat-sensitive foods and beverages on warm-weather days or to warm-weather regions requires some extra care and expenses. Due to global climate change, days with temperatures exceeding 78° Fahrenheit become increasingly more frequent throughout the year. Here is what you need to know before placing your order:
 
Perishable Products (Sausages, Cheese, Pretzels)

We ship perishable products (sausages, cheeses, pretzels) all year long. During warm Spring and Summer months (May - October) we use thermal insulation and ice packs to keep the products cool as long as possible and label the shipping box accordingly. In most cases, based on many years of experience, the products will arrive just fine at the destination within Two Day or Next Day shipping time. We require this shipping method during hot temperature months. During cool Winter and Spring months (November - April), ground shipment will suffice to ship perishables to cold-temperature destinations that are 1-3 days away from Washington DC.

Shipping and Delivery

During warm-temperature months, we ship perishable products only on Mondays and Tuesdays to areas West of the Mississippi, and the South.  For destinations that are 1-2 days away from Washington DC, we also will ship on Wednesdays. Regretfully we have no control over the shipping process. Ground shipments may get delayed and guaranteed delivery shipments may arrive late during the day. Perishable orders cannot sit out on the porch, so the recipient needs to be at home, when packages arrive.

What if sausages or pretzels arrive warm?

All of our sausages are pre-cooked and stored at frozen temperatures. Pretzels are also kept at frozen temperatures. These products will thaw during delivery and may arrive cold, cool, or even warm. The sausages will still be safe to eat if you refreeze them upon arrival and fry/grill sausages at a minimum of 160°F. Pretzels can be refrozen and baked for 5 minutes before consumption.

Very hot temperature areas

We strongly recommend that you choose Next Day Air for orders with Perishable Products going to regions with temperatures exceeding 95° in humid weather (for example, Florida) or 100°F in dry weather (for example Arizona).

Net Weight.

Due to the fact that water may evaporate as they unfreeze during transport, some sausage or pate products may have a slightly lower net weight than stated on our website.

Heat Sensitive Products (Product Containing Chocolate)

We ship heat-sensitive products (chocolates) all year long and use thermal insulation and ice during the Summer season (May to October) when or where temperatures exceed 75°F.  Boxes are labeled accordingly. We strongly recommend (but do not require) that you choose 2nd Day Air shipment during hot temperature month ot to warm weather regions. In some cases, chocolate products may arrive melted. Melted chocolates are still safe to eat and can be frozen. We will not provide any refund for melted chocolate products.

Refunds

All sales are final and we will not refund your payment or ship replacement products for any orders with perishable or heat-sensitive products for which you did not select Guaranteed Next Day or 2nd Day Air (2nd Day Air AM or Next Day AM shipping options to very hot regions). We also urge you to select Route Insurance during checkout. If a mail carrier misses a guaranteed delivery date or time, please take a picture of the package and request a re-purchase or refund from Route Insurance.

Severe weather situations

Hurricanes, blizzards, severe thunderstorms we may delay shipments to the affected regions until the weather has normalized. In some instances, we will delay the shipment of products to areas with known weather hazards. If mail carriers chose to delay deliveries, we will not provide any refund, if packages are delivered late.

Please call us at 1-800-881-6419 if you have any questions.