MOWS - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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Frequently Asked Questions

How to start a Reusable Tray program

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

MEAL TRANSPORTERS

How long will a Meal Transporter or Thermal Bag keep food at 140º F?
Our products give you the best advantages for maximizing heat retention; but, performance will always depend upon your unique circumstances and the care you take to conserve heat at every step. Was the carrier stored at room temperature or in a cooler space before loading? (While preparing the meals, you can pre-heat the carrier with a plastic jug of hot tap water.) Plastic trays can be pre-heated in a warm water bath before placing food in them. Do you use our Heat Units, Microwave Heat Packs or some other supplemental heat source during delivery? How hot was the food to begin with? How long did it sit before going out? How cold is it outside? What’s the temperature in the car, or the room where it was sitting before taking the food en route? For other heat maintenance strategies, you may want to post ideas and questions on our bulletin board.

What is the best way to clean Regular and Electric Meal Transporters?
For most stains, a houshold cleaner such as Lysol Basin, Tub&Tile Cleaner is adequate. It is often possible to remove more difficult stains, such as indelible marking pens, using rubbing alcohol or denatured alcohol (for your safety, this must only be done in a well ventilated area or outdoors and away from any potential source of flame or sparks). Take special care with electric models. The area around the control panel should be cleaned only with a slightly damp cloth, wrung out thoroughly. Moisture which gets trapped in electrical components may short circuitry and destroy thermostats. Denatured alcohol will also help remove grease from around the control panel on the electric models, but it may remove print from the panel. Do not use rubbing alcohol around the control panel since it contains water which may get inside and harm the electric circuitry.

BAGS

Do the Thermal Bags hold heat as well as the insulated plastic Meal Transporters?
Generally, no. Although our Nutri-Systems® Thermal Bags are the best on the market, no bags compete with the heat retention qualities of our own One and Two-Compartment Meal Transporters. The positive tradeoff of the Thermal Bag is its light weight and flexibility.

I can get something like your Thermal Bags at Wal-Mart for $10. Why would we pay $75 and up for a Meals on Wheels Store product?
Most likely, an insulated bag you find at a discount store is manufactured with the cheapest possible materials. While such a bag may be good for recreational purposes, it is unlikely to retain heat anywhere nearly as well as our Thermal Bags. And cheap materials don’t tend to last very long.

How many meals does each Thermal Bag hold? What about the Meal Transporters?
Please refer to the product information on this website for details on capacities.

Are the Insulated Pads, Bottom Trays and Thermal Bag Liners sold separately from the Thermal Bags?
Each Thermal Bag includes one liner, one Bottom Tray, and one Insulated Pad/Divider. If you require additional Thermal Bag accessories, they are all available separately.

HEAT STORAGE DEVICES

How do the Heat Units/Cooling Units work?
The Heat Units are filled with a wax-like material that absorbs heat when it melts at about 154oF. They’re placed in boiling water for about twenty minutes or until the material melts. As they cool down, the material re-solidifies giving off heat. The cooling units are similar to “Blue Ice”™ , but they are more durable for the repeated use of a daily meal delivery program, and they are designed to fit in with the meal trays.

How many Heat Units or Cooling Units do we need to order at a time?
You may order as many or as few as you like. We ship them out in boxes that hold two, four, six, ten, and twelve; but you may order just one or any other number.

TRAYS

For tips, ideas and client notice templates for starting a re-useable tray program, click the link on the left, "How to start a re-useable tray program".

What’s the difference between Leeds and Monroe Trays?
Temperature range and, to some extent, durability distinguish the two models. Leeds Trays, made of the same high impact material as fighter jet window canopies, have a lower temperature range of -40º to +260ºF, while Monroe Trays have a medium temperature range of -40º to +300º F and have even higher impact resistance. The Monroe Tray is our most popular and most durable model, but for the budget conscious or where conventional oven use is not required, the Leeds tray is a smart choice. All our trays are microwave safe, freezer safe and dishwasher safe. Of course, when re-thermalizing a frozen meal, the meal should be defrosted first before heating the tray in order to prevent cracking. The defrost setting of a microwave may be safely used to speed up defrosting.

How do REusable Trays compare in cost to supposedly cheaper aluminum, plastic or cardboard disposable trays?
First of all, disposable trays are not cheaper. Over a two-year period, disposables can be 2.5 to 5 times more expensive than REusable Trays. Since you can re-use our trays, they’re more economical in the long run--usually paying for themselves in 6 to 9 months compared to disposable trays. You'll also find that our three-compartment REusable trays afford a visually pleasing meal presentation. Further, unlike most aluminum trays, our trays are microwave safe. And they're better for the environment!

SAMPLES

Is it possible to receive samples of products?
We send free samples of REusable trays and soup & salad bowls to any nonprofit meal program that asks. Call for details.

Is there a Nutri-Systems Meals on Wheels Store™ representative in my area?
No. All sales are direct from the Meals on Wheels Store™. We keep your cost as low as possible by not using sales representatives or distributors. However, we do attend the Meals on Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) and National Association of Nutrition & Aging Services Programs (NANASP) conferences every year, so you can see our complete line at those shows. Links to those associations and others are on our links page.

ORDERING

How do we go about ordering?
Does Nutri-Systems Meals on Wheels Store require credit references? We do not require advance payment or credit references of government or non-profit meal delivery programs. We do ask that first time customers call to set up an account (1-800/332-6566). For-profit enterprises must call to make arrangements. We accept orders by e-mail, phone, fax and mail. We will send you a bill at the same time we ship your order.

Once we order, how long will it take for the products to arrive?
We ship by U.P.S. ground service to all locations in the “lower 48” United States and most locations in Canada. Nutri-Systems Meals on Wheels Store is located in Massachusetts. The closer you are to us, the sooner your shipment will arrive. Depending on where you are located, your shipment will arrive in between one and six business days unless we are out of stock of something you ordered. Shipments to Alaska and Hawaii are sent by US Postal Service. Next day and second day air service are available to most locations on request, but this can be costly.

Is there tax? Shipping charges?
Unless you are a for-profit organization in Massachusetts, we don’t charge tax. We do pass UPS charges along to the customer, which are calculated according to package weight and the customer’s zip code. Some states may require you to pay taxes on mail order products. Check local sources for such information.

US Customers may call us toll-free at 1-800-332-6566.
Outside the US, call 413-665-2828.