 thumb|this pack of diced pork says 'display until' 7 may and 'use by' 8 may  shelf life is the length of time that a commodity may be stored without becoming unfit for use or consumption.oxford english dictionary, 2nd ed. it applies to foods, beverages, pharmaceutical drugs, chemicals, and many other perishable items. in some regions, an advisory best before, mandatory use by, or freshness date is required on packaged perishable foods. ==background== shelf life is the recommended maximum time for which products or fresh (harvested) produce can be stored, during which the defined quality of a specified proportion of the goods remains acceptable under expected (or specified) conditions of distribution, storage and display. most expiry dates are used as guidelines based on normal and expected handling and exposure to temperature. use prior to the expiration date does not guarantee the safety of a food or drug, and a product is not necessarily dangerous or ineffective after the expiration date. for food, shelf life is different from expiration date: the former refers to food quality, the latter to food safety.see  a product that has passed its shelf life might still be safe, but quality is no longer guaranteed. in most food stores, waste is minimized by using stock rotation, which involves moving products with the earliest sell by date from the warehouse to the sales area, and then to the front of the shelf, so that most shoppers will pick them up first and thus they are likely to be sold before the end of their shelf life. this is important, as consumers enjoy fresher goods, and furthermore some stores can be fined for selling out of date products; most if not all would have to mark such products down as wasted, resulting in a financial loss. shelf life depends on the degradation mechanism of the specific product. most can be influenced by several factors: exposure to light, heat, moisture, tra
Food_retailing Food_safety Packaging Pharmacy