Food Delivery - Meals Arrived Unfrozen Would You Still Consume?

Saul Goodman on 09/01/2023 - 12:56
Last edited 23/01/2023 - 14:01 by 1 other user

I placed a $200 order for some pre made meals through one of the non mainstream brands. I received delivery this morning so it would have been one of the first deliveries they had for the day as it's not overnight deliveries. It's the same refrigerated delivery company that does most of the pre made meal brand deliveries.

The ice packs were entirely unfrozen and everything inside the box was wet with meal labels starting to peel. It was still maybe very slightly cold inside. You can see a picture of the box taken immediately after opening it.

Considering it was still 'slightly cold' inside, would you still trust the meals? And how does this even happen for one of their first deliveries?

I'm sure I can get a refund but it's the couriers fault and not the food company. I would rather not waste the food if it's safe to consume.

UPDATE

Just received a full replacement order and everything arrived unrefrigerated again.

Everything saturated in water from the melted/damaged ice packs and gas build up in the meals.

All the meals will be binned.

This brand cannot be trusted with the delivery company they have partnered with.

Food & Grocery Ready-Made Meals

Comments

  • Xistn on 09/01/2023 - 12:57
    +7

    Side of salmonella, yes please.

    • bobbified on 09/01/2023 - 13:09
      +6

      We're on OzB!

      As long as it's free, it's fine!

  • askbargain on 09/01/2023 - 12:58
    +7

    what did support say when you contacted them first?

    • Xistn on 09/01/2023 - 13:00
      +16

      It's complain on Ozbargain first,
      Respond to every remark,
      Take a photo,
      Reply to the replies,
      THEN contact support.

      • Saul Goodman on 09/01/2023 - 13:11
        +30

        Incorrect -

        Take photo and contact support
        Wait for reply
        Get hungry
        Still waiting for reply
        Get really hungry
        Ask on OzB
        Still waiting for reply

        • Clear on 09/01/2023 - 15:11
          +2

          And then disable your account at the end?

          • Xistn on 09/01/2023 - 16:21
            +8

            @Clear: That's only after you ignore all logic, and abuse everyone possible.

        • solacens on 10/01/2023 - 22:37

          My idea is to call Saul for suing

  • AustriaBargain on 09/01/2023 - 13:03
    +7

    If you have health insurance and plenty of sick days at work left then why not eat it.

    • 1Kenobi on 11/01/2023 - 08:40

      May also need funeral insurance first

  • mapax on 09/01/2023 - 13:09
    +22

    one of their first deliveries?

    You sure you weren’t one of the last deliveries of yesterday rather than first of today?

  • djsweet on 09/01/2023 - 13:23
    +7

    If its still slightly cold and you are fairly confident it WAS frozen before, maybe okay for immediate consumption. You can't refreeze defrosted food, so unless you can consume it all immediately, I would still be asking for a refund. Also, don't blame me if you get food poisoning.

    • dasher86 on 09/01/2023 - 13:30
      +1

      you can refreeze some foods as long as temps are kept below a certain value (generally below 4-5 degrees) and only for a short period of time.
      It's not recommended to do so due to loss in quality.

      • Cheaplikethebird on 09/01/2023 - 13:38
        +2

        From a food safety POV it's fine to refreeze as long as it hasn't sat too long in the danger zone of 5-60°c. So if you're defrosting in the fridge it's not an issue. Quality will start going downhill fast though.

        • SuperMick on 10/01/2023 - 11:51
          -5

          That's not right, you can only freeze foods if you "change them". If the food is frozen you defrost it and eat it cooked, or defrosted, like a cake or pie.
          To refreeze this food, you need to cook it again.
          If the temperature is 4 degrees centigrade or below, I would cook what I wanted to eat, meat for casseroles, pies etc., then freeze it. Fish can be cooked and frozen for fish cakes, fish curry etc.

          • Cheaplikethebird on 10/01/2023 - 11:56
            +9

            @SuperMick: "Myth 1: if you’ve defrosted frozen meat or chicken you can’t refreeze it
            From a safety point of view, it is fine to refreeze defrosted meat or chicken or any frozen food as long as it was defrosted in a fridge running at 5°C or below. Some quality may be lost by defrosting then refreezing foods as the cells break down a little and the food can become slightly watery." - https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2015/12/28/you-can-thaw-…

            "If raw or cooked food is thawed in the refrigerator, it is safe to refreeze it without cooking or heating, although there may be a loss of quality due to the moisture lost through thawing." - https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/Is-it-safe-to-refreeze-food-t…

            • SuperMick on 10/01/2023 - 12:09
              -3

              @Cheaplikethebird: Look, I can only tell you what I have done over the 30 odd years as a working Chef. The only authority that I would use is HACCP, which is recognized all over the world. The defrosting must be done correctly, or it is dangerous.

              • Cheaplikethebird on 10/01/2023 - 12:14

                @SuperMick: Maybe it's changed in the 30 odd years since you learnt it? Can you point to me where in the HACCP guidelines it says food must be heated before refreezing? My second link there is from USDA, I assume USDA and FDA guidelines are aligned. Also the point is limiting time in the danger zone, reheating is only increasing the time spent in the danger zone.

                • SuperMick on 10/01/2023 - 13:18

                  @Cheaplikethebird: It doesn't say reheating, it says fully cooked.
                  This was the post from Saul Goodman
                  The ice packs were entirely unfrozen and everything inside the box was wet with meal labels starting to peel. It was still maybe very slightly cold inside.
                  I certainly wouldn't refreeze this, to me it's dangerous and would be binned.

                  • Cheaplikethebird on 10/01/2023 - 13:26

                    @SuperMick: Can you show me where it says this? All US federal sites I can find say it's safe to refreeze. Also… the science.

                    USDA gives the following advice when dealing with a power outage in a freezer…

                    "If food is partly frozen, still has ice crystals, or is as cold as if it were in a refrigerator (40 °F), it is safe to refreeze or use. It's not necessary to cook raw foods before refreezing. Discard foods that have been warmer than 40 °F for more than 2 hours. Discard any foods that have been contaminated by raw meat juices." - https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and….

          • greatlamp on 11/01/2023 - 09:11
            +1

            @SuperMick: These are guidelines for a commercial kitchen. You can use common sense for your own food.

            • SuperMick on 11/01/2023 - 10:21

              @greatlamp: greatlamp, I'm a Chef, I work in a commercial kitchen

              • greatlamp on 11/01/2023 - 10:29
                +1

                @SuperMick: Well then I would be happy to eat in your establishment!

  • SBOB on 09/01/2023 - 13:27
    +5

    If I've learned anything from Futurama, if you eat it, there's a chance you'll gain some extraordinary powers :)

    • Gunnar on 09/01/2023 - 13:39

      Real powers come from a seven leaf clover

    • try2bhelpful on 09/01/2023 - 19:48
      +1

      Homer and his submarine sandwich. He takes a bite, they call the ambulance; several times. He says “How can I stay mad at you?”

      • Daabido on 10/01/2023 - 19:20

        Wasn't that the episode where Apu sells Homer expired tainted meat and then when he complains, gives him two pails of smelly thawed shrimp?
        https://youtu.be/TYSCzU_RiGY

  • jjjaar on 09/01/2023 - 13:52
    +2

    Are the meals provided supposed to be frozen or refrigerated? If the latter, they’ll be fine. If they’re supposed to be frozen… wait for their reply.

    • foxmulder on 10/01/2023 - 15:25

      This is what I thought but seems everyone here think it's frozen. If it is fresh and cold then it should be fine.

  • thatonethere on 09/01/2023 - 14:16

    Get one of those laser thermometers you see on Ozb and for future (if they have a future) deliveries you can take a pic of the temperature.

    I do that for Uber Eats - typically they refund it all.

  • foxmulder on 09/01/2023 - 14:46
    +1

    Better Call Saul! Wait…

  • Ghost47 on 09/01/2023 - 14:47

    Is this Youfoodz? I once had a delivery from them at like 1 am. So it could have been sitting outside for 6-7 hours if I didn’t hear the bell ring.

    • TEER3X on 09/01/2023 - 15:11

      This is the very first sentence of the OP

      I placed a $200 order for some pre made meals through one of the non mainstream brands

      • Ghost47 on 09/01/2023 - 15:22

        Still wanted to clarify.

        • Saul Goodman on 10/01/2023 - 09:10
          +3

          Wasn't YouFoodz. Their food tastes shit.

  • pharkurnell on 09/01/2023 - 15:08
    +1

    Get Gordon Ramsey on the line….. he'll straighten em out

    • iDroid on 10/01/2023 - 22:11

      It was delivered via a f^(x3n donkey!

  • BewareOfThe Dog on 09/01/2023 - 15:22
    +2

    Immodium is your next purchase.

  • Guybrush57 on 09/01/2023 - 16:32
    -1

    You should sue them!

    • Guybrush57 on 09/01/2023 - 23:52

      The negger was Chuck McGill.

      • Qazxswec on 10/01/2023 - 14:14
        +2

        excuse me…the what?

        • Assburg on 10/01/2023 - 17:46
          +5

          The negger, my Negus.

      • iDroid on 10/01/2023 - 22:12

        You know who to call.

  • herecomestheoost on 09/01/2023 - 16:35
    +5

    I would still eat.. But I'm an idiot.

  • c64 on 09/01/2023 - 16:39

    be a man and consume it

    • Saul Goodman on 10/01/2023 - 09:12
      -2

      Just because I have genitalia doesn't automatically mean I'm a man anymore.

      • Jolakot on 10/01/2023 - 20:35
        +4

        Doesn't everyone (barring any tragic accidents) have genitalia?

        • 1Kenobi on 11/01/2023 - 08:42

          genital aplasia

  • AdosHouse on 09/01/2023 - 17:03
    +1

    Ready made meals, and free weight-loss. Winner

  • penguincat on 09/01/2023 - 17:53
    +2

    If the ice blocks have done there best then no. Slightly cold could mean 20'c if the air temp is 26'c. My personal opinion is that if there isn't 33% of the original cooling remaining (dry ice or ice blocks) when opening you're going to have a bad time in some aspect. Quality wise chewy/slop or a upset tummy. If they are meant to be frozen then refreezing them would result in freezer burn.

    I received delivery this morning so it would have been one of the first deliveries they had for the day as it's not overnight deliveries.

    Don't assume that because it's a day delivery that it hasn't sat in the truck for hours and that the trucks cooling was on.
    Lite N Easy in my area would do that load it up and let it sit in truck/van overnight. I barely had any dry ice remaining >80% dissolved and always ended up with freezer burn attempting to refreeze things that had defrosted/partially defrosted.

    • kiitos on 10/01/2023 - 07:55
      +1

      How does refreezing cause freezer burn?

      • penguincat on 10/01/2023 - 14:06
        +1

        How does refreezing cause freezer burn?

        Freezer burn is just the term for when water/moisture is lost out of the food. When you freeze, defrost and refreeze something more and more moisture is lost during the freezing processes. This is due to the outside freezing before the inside so the water gets drawn out.
        Which is why food manufacturers don't recommend refreezing something that has been defrosted.

  • try2bhelpful on 09/01/2023 - 19:50
    +3

    Just ring them and tell them the order is ruined and you want it replaced.

  • Geoff01 on 10/01/2023 - 09:36

    If it came in a refrigerated truck it should still be at fridge temperature so perfectly fine to eat or refreeze. Raw food can be dodgy to refreeze but not cooked food. Did you ring them straight away. Surely they have a number. Also a photo of the unfrozen food not a wet box that could be hours old would be better for a reimbursement.

  • Saul Goodman on 10/01/2023 - 09:56

    UPDATE

    Courier never got back to the company to give their thoughts.

    I've been told it's up to me if I want to consume them.

    They're still in the fridge. I'm still hungry and I still have nfi what to do.

    • hullohullo on 10/01/2023 - 13:24
      +1

      Ask for a replacement delivery.

    • Assburg on 10/01/2023 - 17:48
      +6

      The courier was contracted by the company, your contract is with the food company. In every instance of courier troubles, you should seek to contact the seller to resolve it.

    • gromit on 11/01/2023 - 08:13

      sounds like whatever company you are dealing with is crap. They should have a process for this in place and it should involve a do not eat warning due to the risk. Get a refund or replacement and then stop dealing with them.

  • jrvb42 on 10/01/2023 - 10:28
    +1

    Reverse the charge on your credit card. Tell the company their food was not of merchantable quality when arrived, and they should come get it. Don't use them again. Name and shame. Simple.

    • foxmulder on 10/01/2023 - 10:34
      +3

      I'm pretty sure you can try to talk sense first with the company to get easier refund.

      • Morien on 10/01/2023 - 17:41
        +3

        Nah. Definitely better to to go through the lengthy process of a chargeback than it is to shoot off a quick email to the company. DEFINITELY.

  • StingyBritches on 10/01/2023 - 11:03
    +4

    It’s not “name and shame” if they do the right thing.

  • nephilim on 10/01/2023 - 12:01

    We did hello fresh for like 4 months, and often meat would expire after 2-3 days.
    No real shock when you see the delievery men use 20 year old fridge trucks, cheapest outsourcing they can.

  • AS2035 on 10/01/2023 - 16:11
    +2

    Went through that during lock downs.

    Took a photo and they t. old me it was fine to eat. I insisted on a refund or a replacement box. $150

    They were still stubborn.

    I rang credit card company and t hey blocked the payment.

  • Morien on 10/01/2023 - 17:39

    If it wasn't meant to arrive frozen (depending on the brand, it wasn't), then it's fine. Those freezer bags did their job. They kept it cool.

  • Spic3y on 10/01/2023 - 19:21

    I would consume them. But I live life pretty close to the edge..

    • 1Kenobi on 11/01/2023 - 08:44

      Not for long

  • SpicyStew on 10/01/2023 - 21:48

    First thing with any food is how does it smell?

  • iDroid on 10/01/2023 - 22:15
    +3

    If in doubt
    throw it out.

  • mrdean on 11/01/2023 - 12:49
    +1

    Another general life skill that has been sucked out of people.

    Start to pay attention to food that you cook (if you cook) & how it smells over a period of days. Generally you will (with practice) be able to discern which foods go off quick, & which foods last longer.

    If the premade meals in your fridge smell ok, try a small amount like a bite (you should be able to tell if the food is slightly off) then wait for around 6-8 hours & see if there is a reaction.

    As an experiment, I've left high quality milk out to curdle for weeks, drained it then had maybe half a teaspoon of the remaining cheese like substance (with salt to make it palatable) & did not get sick. I don't advise anyone to do this. You should be responsible for whatever you decide to consume.

    • SpicyStew on 11/01/2023 - 15:58

      OP and other commenters here probably think this is absurd but don't realize or seen how some places make or put into these pre-made meals.

      Clear indication of out of sight, out of mind.

  • SteveD on 11/01/2023 - 13:40

    First World problem !! :-)

  • pharkurnell on 11/01/2023 - 16:36
    +2

    So… OP… you still alive ??? did you eat it?

    • Saul Goodman on 13/01/2023 - 10:55
      +3

      Yeah I'm eating them and I'm fine lol

      • Saul Goodman on 16/01/2023 - 11:48
        +2

        Further update. There was major gas build up / bloating of all the meals in the fridge which indicated bacteria growth and they would not be safe to eat. So the majority ended up being binned.

  • Saul Goodman on 23/01/2023 - 14:00
    +2

    UPDATE #2

    Just received a full replacement order and everything arrived unrefrigerated again.

    Everything saturated in water from the melted/damaged ice packs and gas build up in the meals.

    All the meals will be binned.

    This brand cannot be trusted with the delivery company they have partnered with.

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