Why do cans have a longer shelf life than pouches?
Canning has been used by the industry for more than 70 years and the pet industry has accumulated shelf life data over the years. Based on product stability and quality testing, canned products can have up to 3 years of shelf life. In contrast, pouches utilize a new packaging technology that the pet industry has no sufficient data to justify yet for a shelf life longer than 2 years. In addition, pouches are mostly thin layered and in some cases transparent packaging compared to cans, and this has to be considered in terms of nutrient stability such as vitamins by limiting the shelf life to 2 years. As the industry refines and collects more data, going to 3 years shelf life with pouch products is a possibility.
