Product Use & Care Guide

How to get the longest life and the best heat out of your Nutri-Systems® thermal bags, heaters, RouteHeat™ Heat Units and Leeds REusable trays. Share this page with your drivers and kitchen staff. Most service calls we get are solved by the tips below.

1. Start hot: the basics of keeping meals hot

Our bags, heaters and transporters are built to keep hot food hot. They don’t cook or reheat food. A few habits make a big difference on every route:

• Plate meals hot. Food should be heated to 160°F to 185°F before it goes into the carrier, then packed right away.
• Pre-heat what the food touches. Warm trays in a hot water bath, and pre-heat a non-electric carrier with a jug of hot tap water while meals are being plated.
• Zip it shut after every stop. Each opening lets heat escape. Closing the bag right away is the single biggest factor in holding temperature.
• Add heat for longer routes. Insulation alone slows heat loss but can’t stop it. On longer or colder routes, add a RouteHeat™ Heat Unit, an Electric Bag Heater, or use Electric Thermal Bags.
• Keep hot food at 140°F or above. The FDA Food Code sets 135°F as the minimum for holding hot food, and many state aging programs require 140°F. Our bags and heaters are designed to keep meals above 140°F, meeting both. Older Americans Act meal programs follow their own state and local food safety rules, so confirm yours, and spot-check meals at the last stop with a probe thermometer.

Not sure what your routes need? Try our Free Route Planner.

2. Electric Thermal Bags: safe use and care

The patented Nutri-Systems® Electric Thermal Bag is commercial-grade equipment built for daily routes. It is also an electrical appliance, so treat it like one: care for the plug and cord, keep it dry, and make sure every connection is firm.

Powering the bag

• Use only the supplied cord, plugged into a 12-volt vehicle accessory (lighter) outlet or a UL-approved AC/DC converter rated for at least 6 amps.
• Each bag draws about 5.5 amps (about 60 watts). Most vehicle accessory outlets handle 15 to 20 amps, but some newer vehicles have a low-power outlet meant for phones plus a higher-power outlet, often inside the center console. Use the higher-power outlet.
• Using a DC Car Outlet Doubler? Make sure the outlet can carry everything plugged into it combined.
• The bag starts heating as soon as it’s plugged in. Plug it in while you load so it reaches full temperature sooner.
• The bag uses little power and won’t drain the battery during short engine-off stops. Unplug it when the vehicle will be off for a long time, and don’t leave it running empty.

In the vehicle

• Leave about 6 inches of air space on at least three sides of each bag. Bags crowded together can overheat.
• Keep the cord free. Don’t let it get pinched between bags, seats or doors.
• Never stack bags while they’re warm or loaded.
• Keep bags away from ovens, stovetops, broilers, range vents and open flames.
• The liner can get quite hot. Take care when lifting meals out.

Storage and cleaning

• Never fold or crush a bag, even empty, when storing or transporting it or shipping it to us for repair. Folding can break the built-in heater.
• Clean regularly, especially after spills: spray or wipe with a kitchen disinfectant or dish detergent, then wipe clean.
• The zip-out liner and bottom tray come out for cleaning, and both are replaceable. Slide the bottom tray back in carefully so it doesn’t tear the liner.
• Never submerge the bag or use it where there is standing water. If it gets soaked, let it air dry completely before using it again.
• Leave the tags inside the bag in place. We use them to identify your bag for warranty and repair.

3. Plugs and cords: the #1 cause of problems

When an electric bag stops working, the cause is almost always the cord or plug, not the bag. Vehicle vibration, doors and daily handling are hard on cords. These habits prevent most failures:

• Push the plug in all the way and check it during the route, since vibration can work it loose. A plug that’s only partly seated overheats. The damage builds up a little every time until the plug melts or a fuse blows.
• Socket too tight? Gently squeeze the contact tabs on the sides of the plug to “break them in.” To unplug, grip the molded plug, not the cord, and twist slightly as you pull.
• Leave the cord attached to the bag unless you’re replacing it. When you do connect a cord, push the two connector pieces together hard. There must be no gap between them. A gap causes overheating and failure.
• Don’t over-twist or kink the cord. Like a garden hose, it lasts longer if you let it return to its natural shape now and then.
• Keep plugs dry and check them for corrosion. Corrosion starts as dulling of the shiny metal tip and can turn pitted or brown. Light dulling can be cleaned with an emery board or fine sandpaper; wipe away all grit afterward. Heavily corroded plugs should be replaced.
• If a cord is ever loose, cracked or frayed, stop using it and replace it.

Replacement Electric Bag Cords are in stock. Keep a spare in the kitchen so a route never goes out cold.

4. Bag not heating? Quick troubleshooting

1. Check the plug. Is it pushed all the way into the outlet? Reseat it firmly.
2. Check the outlet. Try another device in it, and check the vehicle’s fuse for that outlet.
3. Swap cords. If you have a second bag that works, move its cord to the problem bag (push the connector together firmly, with no gap). If the bag heats with the other cord, you just need a new cord.
4. Still cold? Call us at 1-800-332-6566. We repair our bags and will tell you how to send it in. Please don’t fold it for shipping.

5. Why USB ports can’t power our equipment

Electric Thermal Bags, Electric Bag Heaters and the Electric Meal Transporter need about 3 to 6 amps, roughly 60 watts for a bag, because making heat takes real power. The USB ports in vehicles supply only about 10 to 15 watts, enough to charge a phone but nowhere near enough to keep meals hot.

Our equipment plugs into the 12-volt accessory (lighter) outlet, and our cords work in both lighter sockets and accessory power outlets. Auto makers have no plans to phase these outlets out. If your vehicle doesn’t seem to have one, check inside the center console storage. If it truly has none, a DC extension cord can reach an outlet elsewhere in the vehicle.

6. RouteHeat™ Heat Units: care and long life

Step-by-step heating instructions are on the RouteHeat™ Heat Unit page. The short version: heat in water above 190°F (boiling is fastest) for 15 to 18 minutes until fully liquid, lift out with non-abrasive tongs, dry, and stand upright beside the meals.

Make them last

• Always use a rack or trivet in the pot, or a double boiler. Water boils at 212°F, but the bottom of the pot is much hotter and can melt the plastic.
• Don’t over-pack the pot. Let water circulate around each unit.
• Handle gently while hot. The plastic softens when hot, so don’t drop or bump units, and never use metal tongs.
• Never tighten or adjust the cap. Twisting it can break the seal underneath. If a cap is cracked or loose, replace the unit.
• Inspect new units when they arrive.

If a unit leaks

• The contents are non-toxic.
• Let everything cool before you drain the pot. Don’t pour hot water with residue down a drain; like grease, it hardens in the pipes.
• Once cool, scrape off the hardened residue with a plastic scraper, then scrub with detergent and a stiff brush. Wipe units dry as soon as they come out of the water.
• Finding the leaker: usually only one unit is leaking even if all of them get coated. Stand the cooled units upright and compare them; the one with noticeably more empty space at the top is the leaker. If you’re not sure, heat them one or two at a time.
• Throw away any unit that leaks or is punctured, and replace it.

How long do they last?

Every day a Heat Unit melts and hardens again, and that cycle gradually wears it out. With good care, programs typically get 6 to 24 months of daily use; rough handling can wear one out in a few months. Heat Units are a disposable, consumable item and are not covered by our warranty. Plan for them as a routine kitchen supply, and keep a few spares. A case of 24 is the best value.

7. Choosing a heat source: how the options compare

Insulation slows heat loss; a heat source puts heat back. Here’s how the common options compare for meal delivery:

Our rule of thumb: short routes in mild weather may need only a good bag; add RouteHeat™ units as routes get longer; and choose plug-in heat for long routes or freezing weather. The Free Route Planner works it out for your program.

8. Leeds REusable trays: care and sizes

• Dishwasher, freezer and microwave safe. Trays and tray lids: -40°F to +260°F. Bowls: -40°F to +260°F; bowl lids: -40°F to +220°F.
• Use a low-alkaline dishwasher detergent for the longest tray and lid life.
• Trays stack with or without lids. All trays are the industry-standard 6-1/2″ × 8-7/8″ with three compartments.

Want to see them with your own meals? Order a Full Sample Pack. The samples are free; you pay only shipping.

9. Meal Transporters: power and cleaning

• Pre-heat a regular (non-electric) transporter with a jug of hot tap water while meals are being plated, and load meals hot.
• Electric transporters (NS2-E) run from a 120-volt wall outlet with the AC cord or a 12-volt vehicle accessory outlet with the DC cord. Push plugs in all the way and recheck them during the route, just as with bag cords. Spare DC and AC cords are in stock.
• Everyday cleaning: a household bathroom cleaner (such as a basin, tub and tile cleaner) handles most stains. Tough stains like marker usually come off with rubbing or denatured alcohol; use it only in a well-ventilated area, away from flames or sparks.
• Around the control panel on electric models, clean only with a slightly damp cloth, wrung out well. Moisture trapped in the electronics can short the circuitry and ruin the thermostats. Denatured alcohol removes grease there but may remove the printing; never use rubbing alcohol near the panel, since it contains water.
• Replacement doors, hinges, latches, handles and gaskets are listed on our Replacement Parts page.