Manufacturers are responsible for determining the shelf-life of foods they produce according to national and international food safety and hygiene regulations.
Best before and use by date labels are essential to consumers’ health, as they provide vital information on how long food can be kept before it deteriorates or becomes unsafe. A shelf life test helps ensure quality throughout the lifecycle of your product. Our customized shelf-life studies enable you to determine your products’ best-before date and use-by date. This service is needed for new product formulations, to verify a new production or storage method, a new packaging, or a change in distribution conditions.
Our Shelf Life Testing Services
During the shelf life study design phase, our team will assist in evaluating why the food product is most likely to fail during storage. In most cases, it is due to the growth of spoilage organisms.
Sensory changes such as odor, texture, and color are also important aspects to be considered. Our shelf-life studies are customized according to your product formulation. Our experts use microbiological parameters such as spoilage and indicator microorganism levels.
Mérieux NutriSciences’ Food Science Center offers a complete shelf life testing portfolio that helps manufacturers validate and display correctly best before and use-by date in North America. Our procedures include microbiological testing of food and packaging materials.
When is food shelf life testing needed?
Food shelf life testing is needed in a wide range of situations, including:
- New product launch
- Change of packaging
- Change in product formulation
- Change of supplier
- QA/QC program
Mérieux NutriSciences’ reliable food testing laboratory network provides manufacturers with advanced scientific capabilities. Contact our experts to discuss the shelf-life of your food product and how we can help you.