Product Reference - Shelf Life



PMI Nutrition International manufactures feeds with optimal nutritional content for your laboratory research animals.  By using the best quality ingredients available, and applying strict manufacturing specifications to every product, PMI produces superior quality diets for your laboratory animals.  To ensure your data is precise and accurate, our products should be appropriately stored and used within their suggested shelf life.  Although a number of factors influence the shelf life of a diet, the following information is provided as a guideline to help you maintain the integrity of the product.

PMI laboratory animal diets are formulated with precision.  The Guide for Care and Use of Laboratory Animals suggest using animal feeds within 6 months of the date of manufacture.   We comply with these standards; however, through internal testing, we have found our diets are nutritionally adequate beyond 6 months.  Thus, LabDiet^® products have a shelf life of 9 months post manufacturing.

The date of manufacture is printed on every bag of LabDiet^® product so that you can be certain your product is used within its suggested shelf life.  Use the manufacture date to manage your feed inventory and always feed the oldest product in your inventory to avoid wasting feed.

Several conditions can affect the shelf life of a diet.  These include light, oxygen, temperature, moisture, antioxidants and dietary fat.  Research has been conducted on the stability of our feeds under a variety of storage conditions.  Results indicate temperature and relative humidity are the two primary factors affecting nutrient stability; as these two factors increase, shelf life decreases.

LabDiet^® products should be stored at 72° F (22° C) with 50% relative humidity (a normal air-conditioned environment).  LabDiet^® enrichment products are adequate for up to one year of the manufacture date when stored under similar conditions.

Certified Rodent Diet 

Guinea Pig Diet