Food Safety
At Wildgrain, we partner with trusted bakeries and artisan makers across the country who share our commitment to quality and food safety. Our breads, pastries, pastas, etc. are crafted with care and come with specific handling, storage, and allergen considerations that are important to know. This page is your go-to resource for everything you need to enjoy your Wildgrain products safely and at their best.
SHIPPING & STORAGE
We partner with bakeries and makers across the country to offer our members a wide range of breads, pastas, and pastries made with the best ingredients and traditional methods.
Depending on the recipe and ingredients, some products have different tolerances for temperature fluctuations during transit and need to be handled differently when they arrive.
On the packing slip inside your box, you'll notice a symbol next to each product that tells you how to store it. We've divided our products into four categories - here's a quick reference, with full details below.
[F] · Freeze
Freeze no matter what.
Always freeze on arrival, regardless of the temperature of the gel pack(s).
[S] · Shelf-Stable
Store at room temperature.
No refrigeration or special handling needed.
[C] · Cold Required (FREEZE ONLY)
Freeze only if gel pack(s) still feel cold.
If the gel pack(s) feel warm to the touch, discard the product and contact us.
[R] · Refrigerate or Freeze
Refrigerate or freeze if gel pack(s) still feel cold.
If the gel pack(s) feel warm to the touch, discard the product and contact us.
EVERY SYMBOL EXPLAINED
[F] Freeze — no matter the gel pack(s) temperature upon arrival
[F] Freeze — no matter the gel pack(s) temperature upon arrival
Products marked [F] on your packing slip have been fully cooked or processed in a way that eliminates potentially harmful bacteria. They are also not high-risk foods: the combination of ingredients, low moisture, and sealed packaging means bacteria cannot grow regardless of transit temperatures. Even if your gel pack(s) feel warm to touch upon arrival, you can still put any product marked [F] on your packing slip into your freezer; it will be safe to eat whenever you're ready. Just follow the baking or cooking instructions on the product packaging.
A note about mold: When a product thaws, condensation can form inside the packaging. In rare cases — such as a significant carrier delay where the box spent much longer in transit than planned — this moisture can allow mold to develop. If you notice mold on any product, please let us know and we'll make it right.
[S] Shelf-Stable — store at room temperature
[S] Shelf-Stable — store at room temperature
Products marked [S] are shelf-stable and designed to be kept at room temperature. There is no food safety concern regardless of transit temperatures or how the gel pack(s) may feel upon arrival, and no special storage is needed — a cabinet, the counter, or even your backpack all work fine.
[C] Cold Required — freeze if gel pack(s) still feel cold. If not, discard product & contact us.
[C] Cold Required — freeze if gel pack(s) still feel cold. If not, discard product & contact us.
Products marked [C] on your packing slip are either raw or not fully cooked during production, which means any bacteria present in the raw ingredients may not have been eliminated. They must be kept below 40°F (4°C) — the FDA-recommended threshold for safe cold storage — at all times to prevent harmful bacteria from multiplying.
If your gel pack(s) still feel cold when your box arrives, you can put any product marked [C] directly in your freezer. If your gel pack(s) no longer feel cold to the touch, any product marked with [C] on your packing slip has likely exceeded safe temperatures and should be discarded. Please contact us and we'll make it right.
[R] Refrigerate or Freeze — Refrigerate or freeze if gel pack(s) still feel cold. If not, discard product & contact us.
[R] Refrigerate or Freeze — Refrigerate or freeze if gel pack(s) still feel cold. If not, discard product & contact us.
Like [C] products, items marked [R] are either raw or not fully cooked and must stay below 40°F (4°C) at all times. The same rule applies on arrival: if the gel pack(s) still feel cold, the product is safe — freeze it or refrigerate it. If the gel pack(s) feel warm, discard the product and contact us.
The key difference from [C]: these products don't need to go straight into the freezer for storage. You can keep them in the fridge and cook or eat them from thawed — no need to freeze before preparing them.
Keep in mind that products stored in the fridge last less long than in the freezer - plan to consume them within a week or so (except butter, which lasts a long time).
TIP - USING THE GEL PACK AS A GUIDE
It can be challenging to tell the temperature of products based on touch alone: depending on their texture, shape, packaging, etc., two products may be at the same temperature but feel different. That’s why we recommend using the gel pack as a guide: If it has fully thawed and no longer feels cold to the touch, your products have likely been exposed to temperatures above 40°F. When in doubt for [C] or [R] items, it's safest to discard and reach out to us so we can make it right.
Frequently asked questions
Can I refreeze a product that has been thawed?
Can I refreeze a product that has been thawed?
For fully cooked products marked [F] — yes, in most cases. The guideline to "not refreeze" is printed on a lot of food packaging because it's simpler than explaining the nuance, but it's a bit of an oversimplification for cooked goods.
The real concern is the "danger zone" — temperatures between 40°F and 140°F — where bacteria can multiply. If a fully cooked product has been in that range for less than 2 hours at normal room temperature (around 70°F), it is generally safe to refreeze. If it's a hot day or the product was sitting somewhere warm (above 90°F), shorten that window to 1 hour.
For raw or undercooked products marked [C] or [R], the stricter rules from the product guide apply — if the gel pack(s) do not feel cold to the touch upon arrival, products marked [C] or [R] should be discarded rather than refrozen.
I lost power and my products thawed. Do I need to throw them away?
I lost power and my products thawed. Do I need to throw them away?
It depends on the product. The same guidelines from above apply here:
- Products marked [F] — fully cooked items like breads, rolls, donuts, and macarons — can generally be refrozen, as long as they haven't been sitting at room temperature for more than 2 hours (or 1 hour if your home is very warm).
- Products marked [C] or [R] — raw or undercooked items like raw croissants, fresh pasta, or pizza — should be discarded if they no longer feel cold to the touch.
- Products marked [S} - shelf stable items like Snack Mix, Crackers, etc. - are stored at room temperature and do not need refrigeration, so no need to worry about those!
When in doubt, please reach out to us. You can also use the Food Safety During Power Outage guide from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as a reference.
Allergens & Gluten
We partner with bakeries and makers across the country to offer our members a wide range of breads, pastas, and pastries made with the best ingredients and traditional methods. Depending on the maker, recipe, and ingredients, some products are suitable for people with food allergies, and others are not.
Each product's full ingredient list and allergens are listed on its packaging and on the product page in your Member portal. We track the nine major allergens recognized by the FDA: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish, crustacean shellfish, and sesame.
We also ask all of our supplier partners to disclose whether their products are made in facilities that handle any of these allergens, so you can make informed decisions even when a product doesn't contain an allergen directly. This information is available in the allergen section of each product page.
If you have a severe allergy or specific questions about a product, please don't hesitate to reach out to us directly — we're happy to help.
GLUTEN & Wheat Allergies
Important: some of our gluten-free products contain gluten-free wheat starch. These products are safe for people with gluten intolerance or celiac disease, but are not suitable for people with a wheat allergy.
Gluten-free wheat starch is a starch derived from wheat that has had its gluten proteins removed through a multi-stage water washing process — no enzymes or additives are used. The result is an ingredient that is free of gluten but still classified as a wheat ingredient.
The wheat starch we use is tested to ensure that any trace of gluten is well below 20 parts per million, the limit set by the FDA to qualify as gluten-free (see Question 4, page 5 of FDA's Guidance for Industry, Gluten-Free Labeling of Foods). Gluten-Free wheat starch is very commonly used in gluten-free products in Europe, and several studies have demonstrated that it is safe for people with gluten-intolerance and celiac disease (Clinical Trial, Prospective and Randomized Study).
Have a wheat allergy? The allergen section on each product page will tell you whether a product contains wheat. If you have any questions or need help identifying the right products for you, please reach out to us directly.
Shelf-Life & Best-By Date
At freezing temperatures, bacteria stop growing, which means frozen products don't technically expire — they remain safe to eat indefinitely when kept properly frozen. The best-by date is purely a quality guide: past that date, a product may have dried out a little, the texture may not be quite as good, or the flavor may have changed slightly. But there is no food safety concern as long as it has been stored frozen throughout.
Still have questions?
Our team is here to help with any food-safety questions about your order. We respond within one business day.
