Shelf life, Food Safety Glossary

The period a food stays safe and of acceptable quality when stored as directed, reflected in its date mark. Shelf life is the length of time a food remains safe to eat and of acceptable quality when it is stored under the conditions stated on the label. It is determined by the manufacturer, taking into account the type of food, how it is processed and packaged, and how it is stored. A food's shelf life is reflected in its use-by or best-before date. Shelf life connects directly to date marking under Standard 1.2.5 of the Food Standards Code. Perishable foods with a short shelf life that could become unsafe carry a use-by date, while foods with a longer shelf life that mainly lose quality carry a best-before date. Shelf life only holds if storage instructions are followed, so temperature and packaging matter greatly. For a food business, understanding shelf life supports good ordering, storage and stock rotation, so food is used within its safe and quality life and waste is minimised. Storing food correctly, particularly keeping perishable food cold, is what preserves the shelf life the manufacturer intended. When a business prepares, opens or decants food in-house, it needs to set its own use-within period, because the original shelf life assumes the packaging is unopened. Many venues apply internal labels with a made-on date and a use-by or use-within time based on their food safety program, and use First In, First Out so nothing exceeds its shelf life. A producer of chilled soup runs storage tests and sets a shelf life of ten days at 5 degrees Celsius or below, printing a use-by date accordingly. A cafe buying the soup keeps it refrigerated and, once a tub is opened, applies its own label giving a shorter use-within period based on its food safety program.