Tips in Ordering Fresh Seafood Online
- Check The Prices
- Assess The Quality
- Notice The Delivery Method
- Ensure The Store's Transparency Policies
The Benefits of Ordering Fresh Seafood Delivery Online
Introduction
Are you making your healthy meal plans for this week? You should include fresh seafood in your diet. Fresh seafood is packed with numerous health benefits and contains lower fat and cholesterol than red meat. There are studies that show eating seafood can decrease the risk of heart attack, stroke, obesity, and hypertension.
The UK Food Standards Agency even recommended consuming at least two portions of seafood each week. They also suggested allowing one day per week to eat oil-rich fish because they contain omega-3 fatty acids, which are vital for brain development.
However, what if there's a limited amount of seafood for sale in your local market? It will be a hassle if you need to travel to a farther area for fresh seafood. Aside from that, there's a possibility that they might have already run out before you get there.
Fortunately, you can now order fresh seafood online! Switching to fresh seafood delivery online not only helps reduce physical contact with others, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also provides you with a simple way of ordering food without having to wait in line.
Tips in Ordering Fresh Seafood Online
Ordering fresh seafood online differs significantly from buying them at the physical store. When purchasing online, you can't physically check whether the fish smells fresh and mild or if live crabs and lobsters show some leg movement in the aquarium.
However, there are still ways to ensure that you're ordering high-quality seafood online.
Check The Prices
Fresh seafood doesn't have to be expensive. Although other factors, such as the shipping and delivery charges, can affect the product's cost, you still should pick an online store that sells fresh seafood at reasonable prices. After all, high prices have nothing to do with the product's quality.
In addition, use discounts or coupons offered by the store. In this way, you can lower the amount that you'll be paying.
Assess The Quality
To ensure the freshness of the seafood, ask the online store for pictures or videos of their products. This method will help you determine if there are discolorations or darkening around the edges of the fish fillet or if the shrimp and scallop have a pearl-like color.
If the product has already been delivered to your home, assess it carefully. Don't accept it if the packaging is open, torn, or crushed on the edges. In addition, there should be no signs of frost or ice crystals. Having this means the seafood might have been thawed or stored for a long time and refrozen.
Notice The Delivery Method
The delivery process is essential in choosing an online seafood store. No matter the distance between the shop and your home, they must deliver the products fast to retain their freshness. In addition, they must bring it to you with dry ice to ensure a longer lifespan of the food. After all, when seafood is appropriately stored, it can last for more than two days.
Ensure The Store's Transparency Policies
The online store should provide relevant information about their products. This includes when the seafood was caught, where it came from, and how long the product will last.
In addition, they should properly label the seafood if it's fresh or frozen. Fresh frozen seafood means the product was frozen while it was fresh. Previously frozen seafood, on the other hand, means the product was frozen and thawed for retail sale.
You should also check if the online store supports sustainable fishing practices in sourcing their products. Knowing this kind of information gives you peace of mind that the online store is mindful of marine animals and their environment.
The Benefits of Ordering Fresh Seafood Delivery Online
Convenient Option
Ordering fresh seafood online saves you time and effort to go to your local market and line up to purchase. With just a few clicks on your smart devices, you can prepare seafood for your dinner at home.
In addition, you don't have to wake up early and fear that you'll run out of the products you want to buy. All you have to do is visit the website, select the items, proceed to check out all the items in your cart, fill out the necessary information, and you're done.
Better Quality
The problem with buying fresh seafood from your local market or grocery shops is the involvement of multiple agents. This means that many people have handled the product numerous times. In addition, they are often partially chilled during these times. As a result, their freshness quality lowers down when they reach the consumer.
When you order fresh seafood online, you ensure that you're directly getting them from the primary source. Online stores have a different approach when it comes to handling seafood. Their method is to freeze it as soon as it is off the boat. This is to lock away all of the product's freshness and reduce the chance of any infection occurring to the seafood.