If you have ever ordered with us before, you have probably noticed the option to add Dry Ice to your order. If you are
unfamiliar with dry ice and what it does, it can be a confusing decision if you want to add it to your order, especially if you are not sure if you even need to add it or not. On this page will be everything you need to know about dry ice: when to add it, when not, how we price it, why we add the amount we do, and what to do once you receive your order containing dry ice.
When should I add and not add dry ice to my order?
When you are finishing up placing an order through Giovanni's, you have the option to add dry ice to your order on the part page. Adding dry ice to an order is never necessary, but is extremely helpful in keeping your already frozen products frozen throughout transit to avoid spoilage. Whenever you order anything from us that is advertised as frozen, you can add dry ice to your order. Make sure to pay careful attention to the product information section because they will include information on how the product is shipped: fresh or frozen. But when should you not add dry ice to your order? Do not add dry ice to the the following orders:
Live seafood (live crab, abalone, lobster, oysters, mussels, clams) because the dry ice will kill the live seafood.
When you are ordering an order of all fresh fish. When you order fresh fish, you wan to keep it cool, not completely frozen. Our standard is to ship fresh fish with frozen gel packs, which keep the fish cool, like a refrigerator. If you want to order fresh fish but will not be enjoying it for a while, you can always freeze the fish once you receive it, as most fresh fish is vacuumed sealed when shipped.
Add dry ice to the the following orders:
Frozen seafood
Why does it cost $10.00 do add dry ice to my order?
Dry ice is much more complicated to manufacture than regular ice, and more hazardous to transport. Dry ice is made by liquefying carbon dioxide, which is then frozen at extremely freezing temperatures. This frozen product is then formed into blocks or pellets. If you have ordered dry ice from us before, you know that we use the pellet form of dry ice because that way, we are able to more accurately measure how much dry ice goes into each order. The image on the right will be on your box when it arrives, telling you and our shipping companies how much dry ice is inside the box.
How do we calculate how much dry ice is added to an order?
Because dry ice is much colder than regular frozen water, you need less of it to keep a product frozen during transit. Depending on how small or big an order is, we will add more or less dry ice to the order. We use a 1:1 ratio for our dry ice, but use less in larger orders because they maintain their temperature better than smaller orders. For example, if someone placed an order for 2 lbs. of frozen Wild California King Salmon, they will receive 2 lbs. of dry ice with their order. If someone ordered a larger amount of frozen product, such as 10 lbs. of frozen California King Salmon rather than 2, they will receive 5 lbs. of dry ice. Because larger orders maintain their freezing temperatures better than smaller orders, they require about half the amount of dry ice.
How do I dispose of the dry ice in my order once I have received it?
Once you receive your order, some of the dry ice will have already evaporated. Because dry ice is a gas, it does not melt into a liquid like regular ice. When removing the dry ice from your package, simply remove the plastic bag that contains the remainder of the dry ice. Never touch dry ice with your bare hands. Touching dry ice with your bare hands for even seconds can leave you with frostbite. Once you have removed the bag of dry ice from the package, place the bag in a plastic container, and place it in a well-ventilated are, or even outside. Keep the dry ice out of reach of curious hands or paws. After 24 hours at the most, the dry ice will have completely evaporated, leaving no watery mess. Never inhale the vapors coming off of the dry ice or get said vapors in your eyes, as this can result in pain.
Now that you know everything there is to know about dry ice, you can now confidentially decide whether or not to add dry ice to your order, and how to dispose of it!
