For people who have never received a gift basket before, many are under the impression contents can stay as packaged until ready to use. This is perfectly acceptable if the snacks will be eaten within a week or two, but how should items be stored if needing to wait longer? The answer is to treat all gift basket foods the same way you would treat purchased grocery items. Gift baskets containing wine bottles should be stored in a wine cellar, wine cooler or out of direct sunlight. Furthermore, just because meat and cheese gift baskets do not require refrigeration, they should be kept in a cool, dry location free of moisture and heat. Once opened, these foods need to be wrapped tightly and have any air removed. Refrigeration will be required and consumers will need to eat the remaining food by the recommended consumption date.
If receiving a large gift basket and don’t know where to start, food items should be eaten from earliest to latest expiration dates. This means items will need to be inspected and be prepared/stored are recommended. Some items like coffee, tea and non-chocolate candies have greater expiration dates than milk-based candies, cheeses and ready-to-eat popcorn. If unable to consume a snack or cookies gift basket’s products by the recommended expiration date, prepare ahead of time by asking others if they would like the items or donate them to a local food pantry.
Some unique gift baskets are shipped with items that require immediate refrigeration. These will most likely be shipped in dry ice and can include products like cheesecake, seafood and meat items. If not able to consume immediately, some of these food products can be placed in the freezer and stored for a few months. When ready to eat, follow safe food handling guidelines and defrost items as recommended.