What Does Shelf Stable Mean?
Shelf stable means that the filled package can be stored for long periods of time in ambient conditions without refrigeration or freezing. Some liquids are naturally shelf stable, and do not spoil, while others have to be processed and filled via hot-fill or aseptic to achieve the required sterility so that they can be treated as such.
Non-perishable products such as these include canned and bottled foods, rice, pasta, and foods processed in aseptic packages. In order to be treated as shelf stable, “perishable food must be treated by heat and/or dried to destroy foodborne microorganisms that could cause illness or spoil foods.”* Our aseptic bag-in-box packaging provides the treatment necessary to maintain its sterility for products to be able to sit on shelves for an extended period of time, and thus be considered shelf stable.