Mobile search icon
Menu
Search >>
Training Courses new_hidden >> Food Safety Topics >> Insights into Shelf-life

Insights into Shelf-life

Contact us

Course overview

This one-day online training course will provide an overview of the ways in which shelf-life of products can be set for a wide range of food categories. We will consider both food safety and quality / spoilage issues affecting shelf-life, and the microbiological, chemical and physical aspects of shelf-life limits.

We will explore relevant UK Food Law and regulatory guidance provided to the food industry on food date labelling, with an emphasis on ensuring safe and legal food while being mindful of food waste and economics.

We will cover what is involved in various types of shelf-life testing, practices in sensory assessment, the pros and cons of techniques such as challenge testing and microbiological modelling, and how changes in product formulation and packaging can impact product shelf-life.

The course is designed for food industry professionals and others who want to know more about setting of shelf-life and durability labelling of foods in the UK, or for those who want to refresh their knowledge.

Price

  • Shelf-life definitions
  • UK food law and guidance on application of minimum durability labelling
  • ‘Use-By’ and ‘Best-Before’ examples
  • Quality and Food Safety considerations
  • Shelf-life perceptions, and relationship to food waste
  • Products which have changed from ‘Use-By’ to ‘Best-Before’ labels
  • Factors that limit shelf-life
  • Chilled, frozen, and ambient foods
  • Analyses for shelf-life determination
  • Microbiological changes over product life
  • Chemical and physical changes over product life
  • Accelerated shelf-life testing
  • Sensory analysis
  • Challenge testing
  • Microbiological modelling
  • Long shelf-life products
  • The legal criteria for Listeria monocytogenes in Ready-To-Eat foods
  • Clostridium botulinum and the ‘10-day rule’ for vac-pack and MAP chilled foods
  • Good practices for determining shelf-life
  • Approaches for shelf-life extension
  • How changes to product formulation can impact shelf-life
  • How packaging changes can impact shelf-life
  • Technical Managers
  • Quality Managers
  • Technical and Quality Team Members
  • New Product Development professionals
  • Auditors and others looking to refresh their knowledge
  • Setting correct shelf-life; understanding how to set safe and realistic shelf-life for a wide range of foods
  • Gain awareness of different types of shelf-life testing
  • Insights into how product quality can change over shelf-life
  • Learn from real-life examples of shelf-life extension projects
  • Reduce food waste while maintaining food safety
  • There will be opportunities to ask our expert questions

Experience of food manufacturing and a basic understanding of food microbiology

Ali Aitchison | Senior Food Safety Consultant | Eurofins Food Testing UK Ltd.

Eurofins Food Safety Training 2026

Back to Food Safety Topics