Setting shelf life: how to do it better

This course provides information on how best to approach the setting of shelf life for a range of food and drinks products. Typical attendees would include those with a basic knowledge of how to assign a product shelf life or those new to the area. They will gain an understanding of how to set the shelf life of a product to account for spoilage, quality and safety risks.

• Introduction to shelf life -definition, factors that affect shelf life, and how to approach shelf life from a microbiological perspective
• Labelling legislation – use by and best before dates
• Non microbiological issues – sensory and quality considerations
• How packaging affects shelf life
• Case study to draw together the knowledge gained during the day
• ERH calc mould free shelf life in relation to bakery products

Course aims

• To provide an introduction to shelf life testing for a range of food categories
• To highlight the importance of pathogens and spoilage organisms with regard to shelf life
• To understand how predictive modelling and challenge testing can be used to assess shelf life
• To gain an insight into how quality changes over shelf life

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course delegates will be able to:-

• Develop shelf life testing protocols
• Set safe and realistic shelf lives for a range of food and drink products
• How to understand predictive modelling
• Consider the applicability and use of accelerated shelf life testing