Importance

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Abstract

A container for shipping and storing food products in two separate chambers has an outer casing enclosing a temperature controlled container fabricated from an insulating material. The temperature controlled container includes a lid and a base. The base has a base chamber including several ventilation channels formed on the interior of the base chamber. The lid has a first side for sealing the base chamber, which also includes several horizontal channels formed in the first side, and a lid chamber divided into several food product receiving chambers. A lip is formed on the base and a corresponding groove is formed on the lid, such that the lip interlocks with the groove for sealing the base chamber. Moreover, dry ice may be positioned within the temperature controlled container with respect to a plurality of food products to control the temperature within the temperature controlled container. In addition, a method for recycling a shipping and storage container includes the steps of providing shipping containers to a provider of individually packaged meals. Each of the containers includes an outer casing enclosing a temperature controlled container fabricated from an insulating material, from a shipping container fabricator and packing each of the shipping containers with a plurality of individually packaged meals and dry ice for controlling the temperature within the temperature controlled container. It further comprises the step of sending the shipping containers to at least one customer. After removal of the plurality of individually packaged meals, the empty shipping containers are returned to the provider of individually packaged meals. The provider inspects and cleans the returned shipping containers and sanitizes and repacks the returned shipping containers which are undamaged, but the damaged shipping containers are sent to the container fabricator to recycle the outer casing and the insulating material.

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First Claim