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Is It Safe to Order Food from Amazon? (Yes, Here’s Why)

When it comes to getting grocery deliveries, many consumers have safety concerns. Whenever you’re ordering groceries, it’s important to consider the food safety protocols of the service you’re using to ensure your safety is being prioritized through the production, storage, and delivery of your order.

Amazon prioritizes safety for employees and customers by only offering products from sellers who comply with Amazon’s food safety standards. In addition, Amazon ensures security by keeping customer information as private as possible so that delivery drivers cannot access the information they don’t need.

There are several aspects that platforms like Amazon must address when it comes to safety. Whether it’s related to sharing your location or the food safety of the products coming from Amazon, this article will walk you through each aspect of safety to consider and how Amazon has addressed them.

Does Amazon Have Food Safety Protocols? 

Amazon holds all of its vendors to specific standards. However, these standards are especially relevant when it comes to food safety. Amazon has standards specific to the following categories:

  • Frozen food
  • Organic products
  • Infant formula and baby food
  • Supplements
  • Pet food

Each of these categories details the licensing, labeling, and packaging each product should be equipped with to comply with Amazon’s policies.

These protocols are consistent whether you’re shopping on Amazon Fresh or simply buying dry foods to be shipped to your door through Amazon.

The number one problem consumers have found when ordering dry foods through Amazon is receiving food that is expired.

Although this can be problematic, it is most commonly found in non-perishable foods that will not cause any health problems past their expiration.

However, if you’re using Amazon Fresh, this issue has not been as prevalent. Dry items that can be shipped are more likely to sit on a shelf longer than those that are pulled for same-day grocery delivery.

Does Amazon Replace Damaged Food Items?

When you’re placing your Amazon orders, keep in mind that alcohol and grocery items are never eligible for return. However, when items from Amazon arrive damaged, you can request a replacement item through either the Amazon website or app.

Receiving items that have damaged packaging is one of the major setbacks that comes with ordering food to be delivered to your door.

This is more commonly an issue with items that are shipped to consumers rather than items delivered through Amazon Fresh.

It happens primarily because the items get damaged during shipment, not because they are already damaged, leaving the Amazon fulfillment center.

If you receive an item that is damaged, you should not consume the item for safety reasons. Although it is highly unlikely that your item has been contaminated, it is safer to simply request a replacement and throw away the damaged package.

How to Report Damaged Food Deliveries to Amazon

If your item arrives damaged, you can report the damage and request a replacement for the item on a mobile device or a desktop. If you are using a mobile device, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Amazon app and sign in to your account
  2. Once you’re logged in, navigate to the menu either by clicking on the “Hello” next to the cart or the triple line pop-out menu on the left
  3. Find the tab that says “Your orders” and click on it
  4. You will see a list of your past orders. Find the order that had the damaged item.
  5. Beside the item, you will select “Return or Replace items.”

If you are using a desktop to carry out this process, it is very similar. These are the steps you’ll follow:

  1. Open Amazon in your browser and sign in to your account
  2. Once you’re signed in, on the right side of the browser, you will see “Hello”, click on “Account” right underneath
  3. On the menu that pops down, select “Your Orders”
  4. Here you’ll see your past orders and will be able to navigate to your order containing the damaged item
  5. Click on “Return or Replace Items” next to that order

Once you finish this process, your order will go through for replacement, and your card will not be charged. Continue to follow this process as needed when ordering food from Amazon to optimize food safety.

Do Amazon Drivers See My Personal Information?

Like other food delivery services, Amazon is careful about the amount of personal information they share with drivers. This protects not only the consumer but also their drivers. Drivers can only see the information on your package or Amazon Fresh orders when they come through.

This keeps the specifics of what you ordered and your account information completely private, making Amazon an even safer service to order food from.

All delivery employees only see the information they need to deliver the grocery order correctly.

Therefore, if, as a consumer, you are questioning the safety of putting your information out there for Amazon employees to see, this should not be a concern.

Instead, when ordering from Amazon, you should feel safe that your information is secure whether you’re using the Amazon marketplace to order dry food or using Amazon Fresh to order fresh groceries.

Does Amazon Have Sanitation Protocols?

An additional safety priority for Amazon food delivery is proper sanitization to avoid the spread of germs. Amazon follows the guidelines of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) for preventing the transmission of any bacterium or viruses in the process of packing and delivering any food orders.

This includes minimal contact with orders and proper sanitization before and after contact.

By maintaining high standards for safety when in contact with grocery orders, shoppers can be sure that all the food that arrives on their doorstep is safe to handle and consume.

For Amazon Whole Foods deliveries, employees are always sure to keep their hands sanitized and gloved when handling your items to ensure that produce and less protected items are not contaminated in any way during the shopping process.

Through the coronavirus pandemic, Amazon made sure to temperature check employees daily and distribute masks and gloves to employees throughout Amazon and Whole Foods to keep their employees and customers healthy.

They also rolled out enhanced sanitation protocols to keep all stores and facilities as safe as possible. These protocols have shown that Amazon is committed to the health of its employees and customers regardless of product type.

Even stricter protocols are exercised around groceries and food orders due to the sensitivity of the product.

Final Thoughts

Ordering from services like Amazon can be stressful if you’re unfamiliar with the safety protocols that are in place. However, grocery delivery services like Amazon Fresh and Amazon marketplace are equipped with safety protocols for delivery, packing, and shipping.

Not only are the packing centers prioritizing customer health, but so are the vendors that make the products sold by Amazon and the delivery drivers that drop your food off for you both through shipments and same-day grocery deliveries.

If you happen to receive an item that is either expired or damaged upon arrival, be sure to reach out to Amazon and request a replacement item.

If you’re interested in finding out more about grocery shopping on Amazon, check out the related article below.

Related Articles:

Amazon Fresh vs. Whole Foods: What’s the Difference?

Amazon Fresh Out of Stock: Here’s What You Need to Know

Do You Tip Amazon Whole Foods Delivery? (Yes, Here’s How Much)

Amazon Fresh vs. Prime Now: What’s the Difference?

Do Amazon Gift Cards Expire? (Here’s What to Know)

About the Author

Eril Eti is the founder of Shopfood.com. He has over a decade of experience in consumer goods and launched many products sold at retailers like Walmart, Costco, Amazon, Target, Kroger, Publix, and more.

Eril loves food, traveling, and trying out new restaurants. Outside of work, you can find him on a hiking trail in New England or playing soccer with his kids.

By Eril Eti

November 9, 2022