Food and beverage companies that want to stay ahead of the competition are always developing new ways to make their product offerings even better.

Listening to customer feedback and keeping up with the latest industry trends are two ways brands learn to innovate and deliver the very best products. Companies that are willing to continue improving their goods with the finest ingredients and best manufacturing practices will continue to stay ahead and grow into big-name brands customers love. 

These days, food and beverage producers are also looking for new ways to keep their products shelf stable without pumping them full of preservatives. Bunge is one brand that has developed new technology specifically to increase the shelf life of tortilla. Using clean-label practices and ingredients, the company has innovated the shortening used in the creation of tortilla, helping it stay fresh for a longer time. This shortening is made with vegetables, water, oils, and starch that work together to give the product an 18 percent longer shelf life than traditional items in this category.

While it’s great that companies are working to produce healthier new ingredients that keep food lasting longer, there’s another solution to increasing a product’s lifespan – especially for producers who want to keep their ingredients lists short. The right product packaging can keep food protected from outside moisture, odor, light, and oxygen. Flexible pacakging like flat bottom bags are made from multiple layers of barrier film that are laminated together and sealed, which creates a structure that best protects food from the elements. These bags protect food better than standard plastic bags that easily let air seep into the container and begin degrading the shelf life of your product.

Every product is different and will have different levels of stability and lifespan on the shelves. The higher the nutrition of the product, the quicker it will degrade.

Dry products will last longer than goods made with some level of water content. No matter what ingredients are used in your product, food-grade, FDA-approved flexible packaging is your best bet for keeping your goods protected from oxygen on retail shelves and in customers’ homes.

Each layer used in the creation of stand up pouches, flat bottom bags, and flexible box bags serves a purpose to best protect your product – some layers are used to keep the package strong and sturdy, while others are created for puncture resistance. Zippers and seals help customers keep the product fresh longer because the pouches can be used again and again until the goods inside run out.

If you want to increase the shelf life of your product, retooling its ingredients is the first step. Switching from flimsy bags or cardboard boxes to sturdy, flexible box bags is the next phase in maintaining the quality and freshness of your goods.