SALEM, Ohio – Dean Foods’ dairy-based beverages will have a longer shelf life, thanks to new technology approved by the Federal Drug Administration.
According to the Dallas-based food and beverage company, the new technology extends the shelf life to six months and allows the products to be stored and shipped at room temperature.
Dean Foods said it is the first company to use the bottle technology for dairy-based beverages in the United States.
Single-serve Hershey’s flavored milk and Folgers Jakada coffee beverages will be the first products made with the new technology, according to Amy Barker at Dean Foods.
Their shelf life will double – from 90 days to 180 days, Barker said.
Dean Foods’ Morningstar Foods division produces the beverages on the company’s Stork filler line in Mount Crawford, Va.
It hopes to add a similar line in City of Industry, Calif., this year.
An extended shelf life and room temperature storage will allow the company to expand its “distribution beyond traditional refrigerated channels,” Gregg Engles, chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement.
Stork technology includes pasteurization, homogenization and filling procedures in a sterile environment so additives and preservatives are not needed, Dean Foods said.
Company officials declined further comment.
