Shelf Life Testing for Food Products
Certified Laboratories provides shelf life testing for food and beverage manufacturers so they can confidently set expiration, best-by, and sell-by dates that protect product quality and reduce waste.
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- Standard food shelf life testing.
- Premium shelf life studies.
- Accelerated shelf life testing for faster decisions when timelines are tight.
- 190+ years of combined experience in food safety testing.
- Shelf life stability testing expertise across diverse food matrices, packaging formats, and storage conditions.
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Contact our team to discuss your product and testing needs.
Need In-Package Stability Testing for Cosmetics, OTC Drugs, or Supplements?
What is Food Shelf Life Testing?
Food shelf life testing measures quality performance over time under defined storage conditions. A shelf life study of food products answers one core question: how long can my product maintain acceptable performance characteristics during storage, distribution, and expected use?
Why Shelf Life Testing is Done?
Set or validate expiration, best-by, sell-by, and other date codes.
Protect brand quality and consumer trust by identifying when a product’s sensory qualities become unacceptable.
Verify the effect of formulation, packaging, or processing changes on shelf life.
Support stability of nutritional components that underpin label claims.
Meet customer, retailer, or internal quality requirements for shelf life verification.
Certified Laboratories Shelf Life Testing Services
Certified Laboratories offers three service options to match your timeline, documentation needs, and budget. We work together with our fellow Certified Group company, Food Safety Net Services (FSNS), to offer three primary shelf life testing services:
Standard Shelf Life Testing
Premium Shelf Life Studies
Accelerated Shelf Life Testing
Shelf Life Testing Service Options
Microbiology Assays Available for Food Shelf Life Testing
We offer the following microbiology assays. Additional assays are available, so contact us if you don’t see what you need.
Aerobic Plate Count (APC)
Anaerobic Plate Count
Lactic Acid Bacteria
Enterobacteriaceae
Psychrotrophic Plate
Yeast and Mold
Pseudomonas
Mesophilic Anaerobic Sporeformers
Osmophilic Yeast and Mold
Coliform
Chemistry and Physical Assays Available for Shelf Life Testing
We offer the following analytical chemistry and organoleptic testing. Additional options are available, so contact us if you don’t see what you need.
Water activity (aw)
Package integrity evaluation (as scoped)
Moisture
Fat
Protein
Rancidity indicators (as applicable)
Peroxide Value, Free Fatty Acids, p-anisidine
Hunter colorimetry
Brookfield viscosity
Organoleptic evaluation (as scoped)
pH
Accelerated Shelf Life Testing of Food Products
Accelerated shelf-life testing (ASLT) helps food manufacturers estimate an expiration date faster than real-time food shelf life testing by intentionally speeding up product degradation under controlled “stress” conditions.
Most often used for long shelf-life products
(e.g., dry cereals, dry powders, confectionery) where real-time shelf life analysis would take too long to observe meaningful change. It is also useful when launch timelines require faster commercial decisions.
Products are stored under elevated stress conditions to accelerate physicochemical changes and increase the rate of degradation. Temperature is the most common acceleration factor.
ASLT can shorten study timelines to about one-half, or even one-quarter, of the time required for real-time shelf life testing.
ASLT is used to evaluate chemistry, physical, and organoleptic change drivers; it does not provide microbiology data.
Discover five reasons to use accelerated shelf life testingin our article.
Types of Products for Food Shelf Life Testing
Certified Laboratories supports shelf life testing for food products across a broad range of sample types. Contact us if you don’t see your product type listed.
Ready-to-eat foods:
deli items, prepared meals, meal kits, refrigerated entrees
Dairy and dairy alternatives:
Confections:
chocolate, candy, gummies, coated products
Produce:
leafy greens, cut fruit, cut vegetables, salad kits
Beverages:
juices, soft drinks, functional beverages, teas, coffees, dairy-based beverages
Ingredient systems:
inclusions, fillings, bases, concentrates, and intermediate products
Meat and poultry:
Bakery and grains:
breads, tortillas, pastries, cakes, cookies, grain-based snacks
Sauces, dips, and dressings:
emulsions, acidified sauces, condiments, spreads
Frozen foods:
frozen meals, frozen produce, frozen proteins, frozen desserts
Powders and dry blends:
seasoning blends, drink mixes, baking mixes, protein powders (food)
Specialty formats:
high-moisture foods, high-sugar foods, high-fat foods, low-aw products
Seafood:
fresh, frozen, smoked, cooked, RTE seafood products
Snacks:
chips, crackers, extruded snacks, nuts, trail mixes, bars
Soups, broths, and prepared components:
bases, stocks, refrigerated and shelf-stable
Canned and retorted products:
low-acid and acidified canned foods, shelf-stable retort pouches
Oils and fats:
edible oils, shortenings, fat-based fillings and spreads
Find a Shelf Life Testing Lab Near You
Certified Laboratories operates food testing labs across North America in partnership with Food Safety Net Services, including three FSNS Lab+ locations dedicated to shelf life studies, contract research, and other advanced work. Standard shelf life testing for food can be supported through our broader lab network, while premium shelf life studies are performed at a Lab+ facility.
Turlock, CA
San Antonio, TX
Aurora, IL
Calibrated Storage Chambers and a Wide Range of Conditions
- Certified Laboratories maintains multiple calibrated storage chambers that support a broad range of conditions for shelf life stability testing and shelf life analysis.
- Conditions are monitored digitally and logged to support traceable, controlled study data.
- Backup power helps maintain prescribed conditions during disruptions.
Put190+ YearsExperience to Work for You
190+ Years of Combined Shelf Life Testing Experience
Our team has 190+ years of combined experience with food safety testing, including shelf life testing and shelf life study design for a wide range of food products. We apply this expertise to understand your food matrix and how storage and distribution conditions influence shelf life, then select the right assays and timepoints to support confident date-code decisions.
Shelf Life Testing FAQs
What is shelf life testing?
Shelf life testing evaluates how a product changes over time under defined storage conditions. Results support date codes by linking measured quality indicators to acceptability thresholds.
What is food shelf life testing used for?
Food shelf life testing is used to support expiration, best-by, and sell-by dates, validate packaging or formulation changes, and document product stability for customers and internal quality programs.
What is accelerated shelf life testing of food products?
Accelerated shelf life testing uses controlled stress conditions, most often elevated temperature, to speed physicochemical change and generate a faster shelf-life estimate than real-time shelf life testing. It provides analytical and sensory information only, not microbiological.
How long does shelf life analysis take?
Timing depends on the target shelf life and study design. For long shelf-life products (dry cereals, confectionary, powders, etc.), accelerated shelf life testing can reduce study time to about one-half, or even one-quarter, of the duration required for real-time testing.
Complete Our Shelf Life Testing Questionnaire
Provide details about your product, packaging, and testing needs to get a quote for shelf life testing.
Questions About Shelf Life Testing?
Contact our team using the form and let’s discuss your shelf life testing needs. We’ll reply within one business day.