Determining shelf life in food products for manufacturers. Update and consultation Hazards associated with shelf life determination are not currently covered in the FSP templates available at health.vic.gov.au or on FoodSmart. This session is a consultation with EHOs which will help to form a shelf life supplement and guidance materials.

Outcomes for this workshop To gather information to shape the shelf life for manufacturers supplement. (or What do EHOs need in order to do their job?)

So what is shelf life? A period of time during which the food product will: remain safe retain desired sensory, chemical, physical and microbiological characteristics comply with any label declaration when stored under the recommended conditions. We are concerned with ensuring the food remains safe

Why we need a shelf life for manufacturers supplement (class 2)?

Why we need a shelf life for manufacturers supplement?

What do businesses need to do to comply with the Code? Standard 1.2.5 Information requirements – date marking of food for sale Food for sale must be date marked on labels with a use-by or best- before date

Factors influencing the shelf life of food Packaging materials and system Raw materials Product formulation and composition Product make-up Water activity pH and acidity Oxygen and redox potential Consumer handling Commercial considerations Hygiene Processing Determined by process not product Storage, distribution and retail display

Use-by or best before date? One of the first challenges is to decide which is appropriate for the product

Spoilage bacteria vs pathogens According to [John] Ruff, most products are safe to eat long after their expiration date. In fact, even meat or milk that's clearly starting to spoil is not necessarily dangerous. "Very often, you won't eat it because of the smell, and you probably won't like the taste, but in a lot of cases, it's unlikely to cause you illness," he says. That's because it's not the food that sat on the shelf too long that makes you sick, Ruff says. It's the food that got contaminated with salmonella or listeria bacteria, or disease-causing strains of E. coli. And that food might not smell bad as it might have arrived in the store only yesterday. http://io9.gizmodo.com/the-surprisingly-inexact-science-of-food-expiration-dat-1629542744 Its not off its contmainated.

Use-by date workshop What did you find difficult about this process? Categorise each food on your table as either “use-by” or “best- before” by using the decision tree and supporting documents on your table. What did you find difficult about this process? What did you find easy about this process? What do you need as an EHO to understand how businesses have determined shelf life decisions?

Workshop discussion

Some useful resources