With Christmas a little over a week away,you may be looking to make your holiday shopping a little easier by ordering and sending some of your friends and family gift boxes of cheese,meats or delicious desserts.If you are planning to send or receive perishable foods by mail that will decay rapidly if not refrigerated,follow these tips to keep them safe. Meat,poultry,fish and other perishable foods need to be handled carefully and in a timely manner in order to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria,which could cause food-borne illness.These items,whether store bought or homemade,need to be handled properly. Perishable food gifts must arrive cold to be safe to eat.If you receive a gift that is not cold at the time of delivery,do not eat it!Instead,notify the sender.It is better to be safe than sorry.Food gifts marked “Perishable” or “Keep Refrigerated” need to be opened immediately and placed in the refrigerator or freezer. If you are ordering food gifts,specify overnight delivery and request a frozen gel pack or dry ice in the packaging.Transit time and product packaging — foam or heavy cardboard designed to keep them cold — are also vital. Food prepared at home may also be shipped to friends and family,but care is required.First,be sure to follow proper food safety procedures,such as hand washing and prevention of cross contamination when preparing foods.Once you are ready to ship the foods,make sure items are frozen solid or refrigerator cold before shipping.Pack in an insulated cooler or heavy cardboard box with a frozen gel pack.You may also use dry ice,but don’t let it touch your hands or the food.Let the recipient know the box contains dry ice.Wrap the box in two layers of brown paper and mark it “Perishable — Keep Refrigerated.” Ship perishable food gifts by overnight mail and try not to send packages at the end of the week,as delivery could be delayed over the weekend.Let the recipient know a food-bearing package is on its way,so someone can be home to accept delivery and get the food under refrigeration immediately.It is best to send food gifts to someone’s home instead of their workplace.Food can be accidentally left at the office or in the trunk of a car.Confirm that someone will be home and send your surprise to their house.