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Shelf Life
Shelf life is the time a natural ingredient or processed food takes to deteriorate and become inedible or spoiled. The biological material of each plant, animal, seed, and processed food loses quality and important nutrients after a certain period of time. This is a natural event, caused by water loss and/or attack by bacteria or other microorganisms. On a molecular level, proteins and other important substances and nutrients also denature when submitted to high temperatures and various other atmospheric conditions. The term shelf life became popular in the food industry in almost every industrial country in the world after World War II ended in 1945. This entry discusses the factors contributing to food spoilage and current measures food producers take to control spoilage and ...
- Agriculture, Husbandry, and Fisheries
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- Community Gardens
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- Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
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- International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development Study
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- Veterinary Science
- World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF)
- Consumption: Eating Out and Gastronomy
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- Environment and Ecosystem
- Butterflies and Other Lepidoptera, Decline in Population of
- Chemical Fertilizers
- Climate Change
- Composting
- Dead Zones in Fisheries
- Deforestation for Agriculture
- Endangered Species
- Fisheries Certification Programs
- Food Fads Leading to Diminished Species
- Fracking, Impact on Food and Water
- Global Warming and Future Food Supply
- Green Revolution Farming: Unanticipated Consequences
- Invasive Species
- Kyoto Protocol
- Manure Lagoons/Methane
- Organic/Biodynamic Farming
- Overfishing and Fisheries Depletion
- Seed Conservation
- Soil Degradation and Conservation
- Sustainable Agrifood Systems, Effect on Environment
- Threats to Clean Drinking Water
- Urbanization of Agricultural Land
- Water in Global Agri-Food Chains
- Whaling for Food
- Food Ideologies
- Animal Rights
- Anthropophagy
- Bans on Food, Cultural and Health-Related
- Bible-Based Diets
- Christian Food Restrictions
- Freegans and Dumpster Diving
- Fruitarians
- Halal Food
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- Kosher Food
- Locavorism
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- Macrobiotics
- Mormon Food Practices
- Paleo Diet
- Paleodietary Reconstruction, Modern Techniques in
- Raw Diets
- Seventh Day Adventist Food Practices
- Slow Food
- Terroir
- Veganism
- Vegetarianism
- Weight Loss Diets
- Food in Popular Media and Popular Events
- Apps for Food
- Art Depicting Food
- Art Using Food as a Medium
- Blogging
- Celebrity Chefs
- Cookbooks and the Publishing Industry
- Cooking Competitions
- Crowdsourced Reviews of Restaurants
- Food Fairs and Festivals
- Food in Popular Media
- Food Magazines
- Food TV
- Food Writing in Books
- Ghostwriters for Celebrity Chefs
- Media Portrayals of Food Issues
- Music About Food
- Newspaper Food Columns
- Performance Art Using Food
- Recipe Testing
- Restaurant Reviews
- Social Media and Food
- Websites on Food
- Food Processing
- Food Safety
- E. coli
- Listeria
- Salmonella
- Aflatoxins
- Alar
- Antibacterial Soaps, Detergents, Dishwashing Liquids
- Antibiotics and Superbugs
- Bioterrorism
- Botulism
- Codex Alimentarius Commission
- Consistency of Food Products/Ingredients
- Consumer Trust
- Cooking Temperature Recommendations, U.S. Department of Agriculture Guidelines
- Cooking Temperatures, Minimum
- Fish Contaminants
- Food Allergies
- Food Allergies: Impact on Life
- Food Safety
- Food Safety Agencies
- Foodborne Illness
- Global Food Security Act of 2009
- Growth Hormones and Other Drugs in Meat Products
- Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP)
- Imported Food
- Irradiation
- Labeling, Legislation and Oversight
- Locust Infestations
- Mad Cow Disease
- Religion and Foods, Requirements and Labeling
- Special Programme for Food Security, United Nations
- Standards and Measures
- Steroids in Food
- Temperature Recommendations for Cooking
- Terrorist Threats to Food and Drinking Supplies
- Toxicity Testing
- Water, Bottled Versus Municipal
- Food Science
- Government Policy and Regulation
- Alcohol Industry, Regulation and Taxation of
- Alcohol Regulations, History of
- Antitrust Laws
- Bankruptcy Laws
- Biopiracy
- Cannabis in Food
- Codex Alimentarius
- Contract Laws
- Culinary Diplomacy
- Fishing Policies
- Food Aid
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Food Lobbying
- Food Sovereignty, Policy and Regulation
- Food Stamps and WIC
- Fraud
- Intellectual Property Law and Recipes
- Intellectual Property Rights
- Labeling: Organic, Local, and Genetically Modified
- Litigation Concerning Food Issues
- Microloans
- Nutrition Education
- Organic Agricultural Products, Policies on
- Protected Designation of Origin (PDO)
- Raw Milk and Pasteurization
- Restaurant Inspections
- School Lunches
- Smoking Regulations in Restaurants
- Taxation, Fat Tax
- Taxation, General
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage and World Cuisines
- Water Rights
- Health
- Lactobacilli
- Antibiotics and Superbugs
- Antioxidants
- Ayurveda and Diet
- Bans on Food, Cultural and Health-Related
- Cancer-Fighting Foods
- Carcinogens and Relation of Cancer to Diet
- Cardiac Disease and Diet
- Childhood Obesity
- Chinese Traditional Medicine and Diet
- Cholesterol, LDL and HDL
- Diabetes
- Elderly Nutrition
- Fats, Role in Cardiovascular Disease
- Fats, Role in Diet
- Fiber, Role in Diet
- Food Allergies
- French Paradox
- Functional Foods
- Gluten-Free Food
- Holistic Medicine (New Age) and Diet
- Junk Food, Impact on Health
- Labeling, Nutrition
- Low-Fat Foods
- Low-Sodium Foods
- Minerals, in Nutrition
- Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
- Nutraceuticals
- Nutrient Density
- Nutritionism
- Obesity Epidemic
- Organic Foods and Health Implications
- Packaged Foods and Preservatives
- Pellagra
- Rickets
- School Wellness Programs
- Scurvy
- Soy and phytoestrogens
- Sports Nutrition
- Sprouts
- Trans fat and Hydrogenation
- Vegetarianism and Veganism, Health Implications
- Vitamins and Other Dietary Supplements
- Xerophthalmia
- Hunger and Poverty
- Labor
- Marketing and Advertising
- Advertising and Marketing of Food
- Advertising and Marketing of Food to Children
- Coupons
- Ethnic Foods, Marketing of
- Food Advertisements in School Hallways and Cafeterias
- Food Policy Councils
- Front Groups
- Labeling and Branding, Fruits and Vegetables
- Magazine and Newspaper Advertising
- Marketing Boards
- Online Advertising
- Shelving and Product Placement
- Subliminal Advertising
- Television Advertising
- Trademarks
- Retail and Shopping
- Bakeries
- Canned Goods
- Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs), Consumers’ Perspective
- Convenience Stores
- Deli Counter in Grocery Stores
- Ethnic Grocery Stores
- Expiration Dates
- Farmers’ Markets
- Fresh Food
- Frozen Food
- Generic Brands
- Gourmet and Specialty Foods
- Grocery Stores and Supermarkets
- Health Food Stores
- Hypermarkets
- Liquor Stores
- Mobile Markets
- Online Shopping
- Price Look-Up Codes
- Price Wars
- Self-Checkout in Grocery Stores
- Shelving and Product Placement
- Vending Machines
- Warehouse Clubs and Supermarket Loyalty Cards
- Wet Markets and Hawking
- Trade and Distribution
- Anti-Globalization Movements/Word Trade Organization
- Barter and the Informal Economy
- Distribution Centers
- Economic Cost of Western Diet
- Exports
- Fair Trade
- Federal Trade Commission
- Food Miles
- Food Sovereignty
- Grain Elevators/Hoarding and Speculation
- Imported Food
- Invasive Species
- Monopolies
- North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
- Preservatives
- Shelf Life
- Sherman Antitrust Act
- Smuggling
- Storage and Warehousing
- Supply and Distribution Networks
- Tagging and Tracking Foods From Origin to Point of Retail Sale
- Tariffs
- Underground Economies
- Values-Based Food Supply Chains
- World Trade Organization
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