The time between when a product is made and its expiration date is known as what?

The term that defines the time between when a product is made and its expiration date is shelf life. This concept is crucial in food safety and quality management, especially in a deli setting where perishable items are common. Shelf life indicates the duration that a product remains safe to consume while maintaining its intended flavor, texture, and nutritional value.

Understanding shelf life helps employees manage inventory more effectively, ensuring that products are rotated correctly to sell those that are approaching their expiration dates first. It also plays a significant role in compliance with health regulations and customer satisfaction, as consumers expect fresh products that are within their safe consumption period.

In contrast, while durability and storage time may pertain to structural integrity or how long products can be stored, they do not specifically define the timeframe from production to expiration. Likewise, life cycle often refers to the broader stages a product undergoes from creation to disposal, rather than focusing solely on the time before expiration. Thus, shelf life is the most accurate term for this context.