Food preservation shelf life: is flexible packaging right for you?

Demystifying the shelf life question: 4 minutes read

You have a fantastic high-quality food item or perishable product that’s just about ready to hit the shelves. Still, you’re missing one crucial element: the right packaging material that supports food preservation and shelf life. How do you maximize the shelf life of the product, keeping it fresher longer, helping reduce waste for both you and your customers? Let’s take a more in-depth look.

What’s the shelf life of your product?

First, let’s take a look at what is your product: coffee, tea, granola, salts, pet food, bone broth? Are there any additives? Is the product dry or liquid? Is it easily susceptible to spoiling once oxidized? What condition is the product in before being packaged? All of these questions are important. The answers will be able to tell us which pouches, and which film layers, will be the most appropriate for your specific product requirements.

Flexible packaging solutions for food preservation

The top enemies of food preservation are time and oxygen. Over time, nearly all food products spoil, so it is vital to protect your commodity by finding the right packaging solutions. In many cases, the product will not begin to spoil so long as oxygen does not find its way into your packaging. Flexible packaging pouches come with various sealing options and typically can be re-sealed after each use. They also tend to be puncture-resistant, to a reasonable extent, of course, which supports freshness conditions inside the bag, and also protects from outside crawlers such as pantry insects. Two additional factors minimized, dependent on which option you select, is the amount of light that comes into contact with your product, as well as moisture. Cooler temperatures and dark storage will likely guarantee a longer shelf life, depending on your product.

Barrier properties of flexible packaging

Flexible packaging bags and pouches can protect from spoilage factors, but one must be familiar with the barrier properties of the films that construct different pouches. Several options are at your disposal to meet your specific needs for both optimal shelf life and optimal cost savings with quality and satisfaction always at top-of-mind. Meaning we have several types of pouches of different material construction for varying levels of protection. The graph below illustrates our three main film barrier combinations and the corresponding low, medium, and high shelf-live assignments:

Which is the best flexible packaging for you?

Deciding on the right pouch does not have to be a guessing game, even now that you have a better understanding of how to determine best which pouch might be best for you. Please take advantage of our Free Samples Program: we will send you a set of the most suitable bags. You can thus test your product to compare the different materials- this does not have to be a guessing game! It is essential that you are confident and happy with your flexible packaging purchase. We are here to help you get there.

Film Barrier Resources

PBFY Pouch Material Specifications

Film Material Legend and Barrier Properties