Can a Longer Shelf Life Make Bakery Products More Sustainable?
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What happens do a product that is not eaten?
A bakery product may be produced successfully, packed correctly and delivered to the customer. But what happens when it loses quality before it is consumed? It may become waste.
This is one reason why shelf life deserves a place in the sustainability discussion. A product that remains enjoyable for the right amount of time may help reduce unnecessary losses. However, shelf life is not simply about making a product last as long as possible. The real goal is more complex: how can we maintain the right product quality for the right amount of time?
Shelf life is about more than time, mould and yeast
When consumers think about shelf life, they may look at the date on the packaging. For product developers, the subject is much broader — you can read more on this in our article series on Spoilage Types bakery-blogs/spoilage-types-in-shelf-life (interne link)
During shelf life, many things can change. A product may:
- Become dry
- Become hard
- Become soggy
- Lose softness
- Change in flavour
- Change in colour
- Lose crispness
- Become sticky
- Develop mould
- Lose its expected quality
This means that shelf-life development requires an understanding of the complete product. A first step is identifying moisture content, pH and water activity (aW), which together give an initial picture of mould- and bacteria-related spoilage risk. From there, texture analysis and colour measurement help pinpoint the specific mechanisms behind quality loss — properties such as fracturability, resilience, firmness and hardness can each be tracked independently, since a product can lose crispness without yet showing any microbial spoilage.
Ingredients, processing, packaging and storage can all influence what happens over time.
A longer shelf life can help reduce waste
When a product stays at the expected quality for longer, there may be more time to transport, sell, store and consume it. This may help reduce waste in different parts of the supply chain. It can also create commercial opportunities — for example, a suitable shelf life may support longer distribution routes or new export markets.
But longer is not automatically better. The product still needs to meet the right quality standards, and consumer expectations need to be met.
Imagine a product that technically lasts for several weeks but no longer tastes good after a few days. Is that a successful shelf life? Probably not. A useful shelf life should consider both safety and quality. Understanding the limiting factor is an important first step.
The scale of the problem is real: according to Kerry Group, mould causes 65% of global bakery waste and staleness accounts for 46% — and both are, at least in part, shelf-life problems that can be engineered against. Encouragingly, targeted action works: the Dutch Bakery Association (NVB) and Wageningen University & Research reported that unsold bread returned from supermarkets to bakeries dropped from 8% in 2020 to 4.7% in 2023 — a reduction of over 40% in three years, driven by better supply chain agreements and proactive shelf-life policies.
Shelf life is a system
It is tempting to look for one ingredient that will solve a shelf-life problem. Sometimes an ingredient change can help. But shelf life is often influenced by several factors at the same time, including:
• Recipe formulation
• Ingredient functionality
• Water activity
• Processing conditions
• Cooling
• Hygiene
• Packaging and Storage temperature.
This means that solving a shelf-life problem often requires a complete view. A change in one area can influence another.
Start with the reason for the loss
Before changing the product, ask why products are being lost. Is the product:
- Losing microbial safety (mould, yeast, bacteria) before it loses sensory quality?
- Losing sensory quality (staling, texture loss) while still microbiologically safe?
- Being rejected for appearance or packaging reasons rather than actual spoilage?
- Lost mainly in one part of the chain — production, transport, retail or the consumer’s home?
The solution depends on the problem. Sometimes the answer may be a recipe adjustment. Sometimes it may be packaging. Sometimes a different portion size can help consumers waste less.
Better shelf life. Better product decisions
Shelf life can be an important part of sustainable bakery product development. But it should not be treated as a separate technical topic. It is connected to product quality, process control, packaging, distribution and consumer behaviour.
The best solution is not always the longest possible shelf life. It is the shelf life that best fits the product, the market and the consumer.
What is the main factor limiting the shelf life of your bakery product?
Explore the topic with other bakery professionals in the Bakery Academy Community.
Need to know more? Feel free to contact us!
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