shelf stable durable shelf life A characteristic of shelf stable food material which indicates that in addition to being safely storable, it maintains its quality and desired palatability, and fulfills any nutritional declarations it has, up to some date of minimum durability. The general discriptive dimension here is "durability". Some food materials such as bread need packaging and/or additives in addition to preservatives to extend their durable life. Ambient temperature or humidity may ultimately affect extend durable life performance.