On the surface, gel packs all look the same. A sealed pouch filled with a cooling agent. Often clear, sometimes branded, sometimes not. When you are trying to keep costs down in your cold chain, it is tempting to buy the cheapest option available.
But here’s the hard truth: not all gel packs are created equal. And when you rely on bargain-basement products, the risks far outweigh the savings.
Cheap gel packs can lead to spoiled products, lost revenue, and broken trust with your customers. Worse still, they can put patient safety at risk if you are transporting pharmaceuticals or vaccines.
At Thergis, we work every day with food, pharmaceutical, and logistics companies who depend on gel packs to keep their cold chain intact. We have seen first-hand what happens when businesses cut corners on packaging. It is rarely a one-off issue. Instead, it becomes a cycle of repeated failures, frustrated customers, and mounting costs.
In this article, we will explore the hidden risks of using cheap gel packs in the cold chain, why these failures are so damaging, and how investing in quality packaging pays off in the long run.
Before we look at the risks, it is worth remembering why gel packs are so important in the first place.
They provide a controlled source of cold energy during transit, keeping products within safe temperature ranges. Whether you are shipping vaccines, seafood, or meal kits, gel packs create the buffer that protects products from heat fluctuations.
When they work well, customers never notice them. Deliveries arrive as expected, fresh, potent, and safe. But when gel packs fail, the results can be devastating.
Cheap gel packs often use lower quality gels or poor manufacturing processes. As a result, they do not hold their temperature for as long as promised.
This inconsistency means some shipments may arrive perfectly fine, while others arrive warm. That unpredictability makes it almost impossible to guarantee product safety or plan with confidence.
Inferior gel packs are more likely to split or leak during transit. A leaking gel pack is more than an inconvenience. It can contaminate the packaging, ruin labelling, and in some cases damage the product itself.
Imagine a leaking gel pack in a box of vaccines. Not only does it compromise the shipment, but it could also result in regulatory breaches or wasted stock worth thousands of pounds.
Lower grade gels and thin packaging materials degrade more quickly over time. That means you will need to replace stock more often, wiping out any savings you thought you had made.
Worse still, expired or degraded gel packs can fail unexpectedly, leaving your products unprotected when they need cooling the most.
Many cheap gel packs are single-use and non-recyclable. They add to landfill waste and do not align with the growing demand for sustainable cold chain solutions.
In today’s market, customers care about sustainability. Using low-grade, disposable gel packs can harm your reputation as much as your cold chain performance.
This is perhaps the most damaging risk of all. A single failed delivery may be forgiven. But repeated failures caused by unreliable gel packs will erode customer confidence.
Once that trust is broken, it is incredibly difficult to win back. Customers will not remember the pennies you saved on packaging. They will remember the time their order arrived ruined.
It is easy to see why businesses fall into the trap. Cheap gel packs promise immediate cost savings. But when you factor in the hidden risks — product loss, refunds, reshipping, and reputational damage — those savings quickly disappear.
The reality is that cheap gel packs are a false economy. They may reduce your packaging bill in the short term, but they increase your overall costs in the long term.
If you want to avoid these risks, it is worth knowing what separates a high-quality gel pack from a poor one.
When these standards are met, gel packs become a dependable part of your cold chain, rather than a potential point of failure.
At Thergis, we design and manufacture gel packs that meet the highest standards of performance and reliability. Based in the Midlands, we supply food, pharma, and logistics businesses across the UK who cannot afford to take chances with their cold chain.
Our gel packs are tested for durability and cooling performance in real-world conditions, not just in the lab. We also offer reusable and eco-friendly options, helping businesses reduce their environmental impact without compromising reliability.
Because we manufacture and hold stock in the UK, we can supply quickly and consistently, even when demand spikes.
Most importantly, we treat your cold chain as though it were our own. We understand what is at stake — whether it is patient safety, food quality, or brand reputation.
Using cheap gel packs in the cold chain might look like a saving, but it comes at a heavy cost. From inconsistent performance to damaged reputations, the risks far outweigh the short-term benefits.
Your cold chain is only as strong as its weakest link. If your gel packs are unreliable, your entire system is at risk.
Now is the time to review your cold chain packaging. Ask yourself whether your gel packs are helping or hindering your operations.
At Thergis, we provide high-quality gel packs designed to keep your products safe, your customers happy, and your brand protected. If you are ready to replace uncertainty with confidence, let’s talk.
Visit www.thergis.com today to find the right gel pack solution for your business.
To find out more call our expert team on 0115 931 6969 or contact us for more details.
We manufacture and supply gel packs, water packs and thermal packaging solutions for the transport and delivery of temperature-sensitive goods.
Our UK and international customers are in the following sectors:
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Bevroren House
2 Millennium Way East
Phoenix Centre
Nottingham
NG8 6AR
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