14 replies to this topic

[TimG]

Someone in another post mentioned that their product had a 'long shelf life.' That got me wondering what 'long' is when it comes to shelf life. Almost every food product I've run quality on has had a 2-year BB, and none of them actually expired at 2 years (sugar, salt, honey). Maple is the only thing we bottle that requires refrigeration (after opening). 

Also, when we're warming the maple, it smells so good in the plant...

 

[MDaleDDF]

Well I guess it depends on your product.   Most of our stuff is flour based, so I won't go past 12 months, though most of our stuff will stay good beyond that.

Man we use maple here and I hate it.   Whenever I do a maple pick and hit the bar after work my bartenders are like "You smell like pancakes again..."

[kingstudruler1]

I worked at a company that had a 5 year shelf life on flavor extracts.   

[SQFconsultant]

Our new product line of glass jar fruit compoats, James, chutney, etc has a sealed life of 3 years, once opened however it requires refrigeration and needs to be used within 72 hours/3  days.

 

Interestingly enough we are using a concentrated Monkfruit liquid in place of sugar and it has a slight smell abd taste of Maple... personally I like it but have gotten the same kind of comments- you smell like maple syrup!! 

[G M]

Somewhere between 100 and 548 days, depending on the product line (or ~3 to 18 months).  Refrigerated items at the low end, shelf stable at the other.

[TimG]

I worked at a company that had a 5 year shelf life on flavor extracts.   

Ok, I would consider 5 years a long time.

Do you get customer complaint/return issues all the way up to the 5 year cutoff?

[Scampi]

max 56 days........................always worked in fresh food 

[GMO]

Shortest 2 days.  Longest about 2 years.  

[jfrey123]

Products at my current job are all maybe 14 days max, all being cut fruit and vegetable products.

 

In a previous job at a third party toller for spices and dehydrated veg ingredients, we never took ownership of the products so it was on our customers/suppliers to establish shelf life and labels.  They almost always defaulted to 2 year sell by dates, but they ran those dates from the date we processed the items (blending, milling, packaging).  It was common for them to have us take the lots that were coming up on expiration, mill or blend with other products, and then the updated labels would get a new 2 year expiration.  "I just work here man..." was my motto when auditors asked about the practice.

[kfromNE]

At my previous job - 2 years. They mainly made BBQ - so high acid/shelf stable. If left on an open shelf - they looked darker at the end of the shelf-life. 

They also made a seasoning. I smelled like vinegar or a spice rack after working. I always joked that it could be worse, at least I didn't work on a pig farm (a lot of them near the small town the plant was in). 

 

Current job - 10 days to 8 months. (Fresh vs frozen meat items). 

 

The maple sugar liquid flavoring - over powering. Many of the employees wear a mask when making the maple sugar brat. 

[nwilson]

Currently in confections, chocolate to be specific and although we have 12 month shelf life (best by). I have sampled like products produced 3-4 years prior and only find quality defects that are more about the additions off other candy or ingredients that are the culprits as they are hydroscopic.  

 

We do use flavored oils to add into the chocolate and one of them is a peppermint oil, this will burn a hair right out of your nose from several feet away, and sticks to any garment fiercely.  Nothing like smelling like a candy cane all day! 

 

Prior was in bakery (tortillas and wraps), non-preservative wraps has a 4 day shelf life, organic items with preservatives 45 days, and all others were 90 days, all ambient temperatures.  Frozen was 12 months.  

[kingstudruler1]

Ok, I would consider 5 years a long time.

Do you get customer complaint/return issues all the way up to the 5 year cutoff?

It was ridiculous idea / date cooked up by sales and marketing as a selling point.   "our product is good for 5 years, yours current product is only good for "X"

 

Obviously, a pain for quality and food safety (retains, shelf life, and records retention).  I hated it.   

 

But no, complaints happened right way.  Not much after 6 months as I recall.   

 

Some of these items are a double edge sword.   I think its dumb to put one or two year shelf life on salt, sugar, etc.  They just dont go bad when stored properly.  However, I dont  want to be the guy manging records and retains into oblivion either.  

[GMO]

 

But no, complaints happened right way.  Not much after 6 months as I recall.   

 

 

This is what a lot of people don't get is even with a long shelf life, generally the sell through is pretty quick.  If you're going to get complaints about a specific issue, you have a peak which is long before the end of life.  What you do need to watch out for though is a slow seller that then your sales team have a bright idea to sell to a discounter with only a quarter of it's life left.  Not happened often though that it's been an issue.  Normally what happened in loads of similar sites was you have an issue and you'd know within days of it being despatched to a retailer.

 

The real pain comes when you're producing Christmas products into freeze and the consumer doesn't see them until 2 weeks before Christmas.  By which time if you've f_ked up it's too late...

[Andy_Yellows]

Vacuum sealed fresh produce- all shelf life is set based on organoleptic properties of our products (usually P+5) although we ensure not to allow a life of longer than P+8 to control Botulinum risk. All produced fresh to order so waste is minimal despite the short shelf life

[TimG]

This is what a lot of people don't get is even with a long shelf life, generally the sell through is pretty quick.  

I actually do get some customer complaints, some even after the 2 year BB. Granted, it's typically from bulk customers who sat on it and let it crystalize. But have had a few consumers complaints at or past the 2 year bb, also for crystallization..

 

In case anyone was wondering, honey really likes to be in crystal form, which seems to confuse a lot of customer/consumers.