Dry ice for food storage.
Dry ice keeps food frozen solid, leaves no meltwater, and buys you days of cold without a freezer. Used right it is one of the simplest ways to store and ship perishables — but its extreme cold and the gas it releases demand a few precautions. Here is how to use it well, safely.
Cold food storage and shipping
Dry ice earns its place in a kitchen or a shipping box for one reason: it freezes rather than chills. At roughly −109 °F it is far colder than water ice, so it holds food frozen solid — ice cream, seafood, meat, frozen prepared meals — instead of just keeping it cool. And because it sublimates straight to gas, it never leaves a puddle of meltwater to soak packaging or spoil texture.
That makes it ideal for two jobs. The first is temporary storage without a freezer — during a power outage, an event, or when freezer space simply runs out, dry ice keeps a cooler of food frozen for days. The second is shipping: dropped into an insulated box, dry ice carries frozen food across the country and arrives with the product still solid, which is exactly why cold-chain shippers rely on it.
The trade-off is that dry ice is always disappearing. It works by subliming, losing several pounds a day, so the amount you use has to match how long the food must stay frozen. Buy it close to when you need it, and over-pack a longer trip.
Preserving dry goods with dry ice
Dry ice does more than freeze — it can also protect dry goods from pests and spoilage. As it sublimates, it fills the container with carbon dioxide and pushes out oxygen. In a sealed-but-vented storage container of grains, flour, rice, beans or pet food, that low-oxygen environment suffocates and kills insect eggs and larvae, and slows the oxidation that makes staples go stale or rancid.
The technique is simple: a small piece of dry ice is placed at the bottom of the container, the food is added on top, and the lid is set on loosely — never sealed tight — so the gas can displace the air and then vent as the dry ice finishes subliming. Only once it has fully turned to gas is the container closed. It is a long-standing, chemical-free way to keep bulk dry staples fresh in storage — one of the quieter uses of a very cold solid.
Ten things to know about dry ice
Everything that matters for using dry ice around food — how it behaves, how to place it, and how to stay safe — in ten quick facts.
- It is frozen carbon dioxide Dry ice is solid CO2 — the same gas we exhale, frozen at about −109 °F. Nothing is added; it is simply carbon dioxide in solid form.
- It freezes, it doesn’t chill At −109 °F, dry ice is far colder than water ice. It keeps food frozen solid rather than merely cool, which is why it is used for frozen goods, not salad crispers.
- It leaves no water behind Dry ice sublimates — it turns straight from solid to gas — so there is no meltwater, no sogginess, and no puddle in the cooler as it disappears.
- It sublimates as it works Expect to lose roughly 5–10 lbs a day in a good cooler. Buy it close to when you need it and size the amount to how long it must last.
- Keep it separated from food Because it is so cold, direct contact can freeze-burn food (and skin). Wrap it or place it on a barrier rather than letting it touch the product directly.
- Put it on top for freezing Cold air sinks. To keep a cooler frozen, place dry ice on top of the food; to keep items merely cold, a mix of layouts works, but for frozen goods, top is best.
- Never seal it airtight The CO2 gas it releases needs somewhere to go. Store and ship it in vented, insulated containers — never a sealed, airtight box that could build pressure.
- Ventilate the space In an enclosed room or vehicle, subliming CO2 can displace oxygen. Keep air moving and never store large amounts in a small, closed space with people.
- Handle with gloves Use insulated gloves or tongs. Skin contact with dry ice causes a cold burn quickly — treat it with the same care as a very hot surface.
- It’s regulated in transit Dry ice is a DOT Class 9 material with quantity limits and marking rules, especially by air. A freight partner handles that compliance for you.
Caution — handle dry ice safely
Protect your skin. Dry ice is cold enough to cause a serious burn on contact. Always handle it with insulated gloves, an oven mitt or tongs — never bare hands — and keep it away from children and pets.
Never seal it in an airtight container. As dry ice sublimates it releases CO2 gas and builds pressure. A sealed bottle, jar or airtight box can rupture. Always use vented, insulated packaging that lets the gas escape.
Ventilate enclosed spaces. In a closed room, car or walk-in, subliming CO2 can displace oxygen and become a suffocation hazard. Keep air moving, do not sleep near large amounts, and never store it in an unventilated space where people are present.
Keep it off unwrapped food. Direct contact can freeze-burn food and damage its texture — use a barrier between the dry ice and anything unpackaged.
RS Group: your trusted dry-ice supplier
Knowing how to use dry ice is half the job; having a reliable source is the other half. RS Group sells dry ice in Atlanta and ships it nationwide — up to 50,000 lbs — in the blocks, slices or pellets your application calls for. Because dry ice is always subliming, freshness and quantity matter, and a freight brokerage that moves cold loads every day knows how to size and deliver it so it is still doing its job when it arrives.
Whether you need a single cooler for a weekend event or a scheduled commercial supply for a cold chain, we supply it fresh and, when it is going on a trip, package and ship it correctly. Dry ice is sold call-and-quote — no online checkout — so we get the amount and handling right for what you are doing.
Dry ice for food — common questions
The questions people ask us most about using dry ice with food.
Can I put dry ice directly on food?
It is better not to. At −109 °F, dry ice can freeze-burn food it touches directly, damaging texture and quality. Keep a barrier between the dry ice and the product — wrap the dry ice, or separate it with cardboard or an insulating layer — and, for a freezer cooler, place it on top so the cold sinks down through the food.
For packaged or already-frozen goods this matters less, but for anything unwrapped, a barrier is the safe default.
How much dry ice do I need to keep food frozen?
As a rough rule, plan on about 10–20 lbs of dry ice per 24 hours in a well-insulated cooler to keep food frozen, more for larger or less-insulated containers or longer transit. Because dry ice sublimates at roughly 5–10 lbs a day, the longer the trip, the more you over-pack.
Tell us the container size and how long the food must stay frozen and we will recommend a quantity that arrives with margin to spare.
Is dry ice safe to use around food?
Yes, when handled correctly. Dry ice is just frozen carbon dioxide and is widely used in food storage and shipping. The safety rules are about the cold and the gas, not toxicity: handle it with gloves to avoid cold burns, keep a barrier between it and unwrapped food, never seal it in an airtight container, and ventilate enclosed spaces so the CO2 gas cannot build up.
Follow those and dry ice is a clean, water-free way to keep food frozen — see the caution below for the full precautions.
Need dry ice for your food or cold shipment?
Tell us how much and where it is going — we'll supply it fresh from Atlanta, size it to last, and ship it correctly if it is traveling.