Updated: July 27, 2023
Do edibles expire or stay fresh? The short answer is yes; cannabis edibles will eventually go bad. Cannabis does have a shelf life, and so do cannabis-infused products like edibles. The good news is that there are multiple things you can do to help your edibles last longer.
Knowing how to store these products will help you keep them from going bad before their time.
Tips for Storing Cannabis Edibles
Whenever you’re storing them, be especially thoughtful about the following:
- Heat – Some people put their edibles in the fridge or freezer to help them last longer. It’s best to avoid doing this if possible, though, because the taste and freshness may be affected.
- Light – Over long periods, light can degrade cannabis, so avoid clear containers or keep your edibles someplace dark.
- Moisture – Like other food, it’s essential to keep your edibles dry.
- Bacteria – If you only want to eat half of an edible, cut off the piece you want. When you bite directly from the edible, you expose it to bacteria from your mouth.
Edibles With Long Shelf Life
You can use the steps above to make your edibles last longer, and there are those types of edibles that will last a little bit longer. Ultimately, though, nothing lasts forever. Slow degradation is an unfortunate but unavoidable part of life, and there’s not much we can do to change that. Instead, it’s essential to be mindful of how long you expect your edibles to last, then use them or throw them out before they go bad. It helps when you buy professionally made edibles marked with a clear expiration or “best by” date on the packaging.
Your guess is as good as ours when it comes to how long those homemade brownies from your neighbor will last. When you buy cannabis edibles at a Denver dispensary, though, there’s no guesswork involved. The label will have information about how long the product will last, or the budtender will be able to tell you. All you have to do from there is make sure you buy an amount you can use before they go bad.
Shelf-life Rule of Thumb for Cannabis Products:
The simple rule here is to treat your cannabis edible as you would the non-infused version of that same type of food. Cannabis brownies will last about as long as regular brownies, and cannabis gummies will last as long as regular gummies, and so on. Baked goods will get stale or go bad faster. Cannabis edibles like gummies and lollipops will last longer since they’re mostly sugar, but they’ll still start to taste less delicious after a while.
When it Time to Replace Your Edibles
Greenfield’s Cannabis Co. has a vast selection of edibles so you never have to worry about running out. All our products are package for retaining the quality of the product. When following the above tips you can feel at ease with your purchases from our dispensary. During your visit to our Denver dispensary, our budtenders can also help with any storage questions about your products. They have a lot of useful tips for keeping your edibles at their best. For any questions, contact us here.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock / By ACA9595