Is my cheese ok to eat?

The most common question we get is: my ice pack was melted, is my cheese ok to eat?

And the answer is…it depends! We pack our boxes for 2 days of shipping plus a little bit of a buffer. The ice packs are expected to be melted when they arrive—the amount of ice we put in the boxes is calculated so that they will pretty much have released most or all of their cold over the course of their journey.

(Some of our boxes are even packed with dry ice, which will have sublimated by the time it reaches you. If there was dry ice in your box, it will be listed on the outside. If there is still some dry ice left in your box, remember chemistry class and do not touch it!!!) 

So, given that the ice packs will almost certainly be melted, let’s talk about the temperature of the cheese:

• If the cheese is still cool to the touch, then you’re good!
• If the cheese is room temperature and your cheese arrives on or before  Friday, then you are also OK. Cheese is a lot hardier than most people give it credit for, and harder cheeses (i.e. not something like a Brie) can stand to be at room temperature for a little bit.
• If you receive your box past Friday and your cheeses are warm, please let us know and we can send replacements.
• If the cheeses arrive warm, let us know and we'll send replacements.

Obviously this depends on the time of year—if the box is left outside all day on a cold winter day, then we don't have to worry about the cheeses getting too warm. If it's left out all day in the summer heat, then it's a different story. If in doubt, just email us at crew@curdbox.com and we'll get you all sorted out!