Effective date: 7 August 2026
1. Purpose of this Disclaimer
Forever Fresh Foods (Pty) Ltd trading as Proactive Foods manufactures and supplies freeze-dried food products intended for long-term storage.
Our products are marked with a Best Before date calculated, where applicable, up to 25 years into the future. That Best Before date is based on the product remaining unopened, in its original intact packaging and being stored continuously under appropriate storage conditions.
This Disclaimer explains the storage conditions on which the 25-year Best Before period is based and the circumstances that may affect long-term product quality, packaging performance and shelf life.
2. What the Best Before date means
The Best Before date printed on a Proactive Foods product is a quality-based date applicable to the product when stored in accordance with this Policy and any storage instructions appearing on the product packaging.
The Best Before date is not an unconditional guarantee that a product will retain identical taste, texture, appearance, nutritional characteristics or other sensory qualities for up to 25 years regardless of how it is transported, handled or stored after it leaves our control.
Long-term shelf life depends materially on storage conditions and continued packaging integrity.
3. Recommended storage conditions
For best long-term results, products should be stored:
- unopened and in their original packaging;
- in a cool, dry and clean environment;
- ideally below 25°C;
- away from direct sunlight and other sources of sustained heat;
- away from excessive humidity, condensation or moisture;
- away from chemicals, pests, sharp objects and other sources of contamination or physical damage; and
- in a manner that does not crush, puncture, abrade or otherwise compromise the packaging.
4. Temperature
Temperature has a material effect on long-term food quality. Prolonged exposure to elevated temperatures may accelerate deterioration and may reduce the period during which a product retains its intended quality.
Products should therefore not be stored for extended periods in vehicles, roof spaces, unventilated containers, near heat-producing equipment or in other locations that are routinely exposed to excessive heat.
Occasional temperature fluctuations can occur in normal transport and storage environments, but Proactive Foods does not represent that repeated, extreme or sustained high-temperature exposure is compatible with the full up to 25-year shelf-life expectation.
5. Moisture and humidity
Freeze-dried food is particularly sensitive to moisture after packaging integrity has been compromised.
Products should be kept away from areas that are damp, subject to condensation or routinely exposed to high humidity. Moisture ingress may materially reduce shelf life and may affect product quality or suitability.
6. Light exposure
Products should be protected from direct sunlight and prolonged exposure to strong light or heat sources. Excessive light and heat may contribute to degradation of colour, flavour, texture and nutritional characteristics over time.
7. Packaging integrity
The Best Before period assumes that the original packaging and seals remain intact.
Customers should periodically inspect long-term stored products for visible signs of damage or deterioration, including punctures, tears, damaged seals, unusual swelling, moisture ingress or other loss of packaging integrity.
If the original package has been punctured, torn, opened, improperly resealed or otherwise compromised, the original 25-year Best Before expectation should no longer be relied upon.
Transferring a product into another container, vacuum sealing it again or inserting a replacement oxygen absorber does not reinstate or extend the original Best Before period stated by Proactive Foods.
8. Once opened
The Best Before date applies to unopened product in its original intact packaging.
Once opened, the product is no longer covered by the long-term unopened-storage conditions on which the printed Best Before date is based. Opened product should be protected from moisture and contamination and consumed within a reasonable period in accordance with any instructions appearing on the packaging.
9. Stock inspection and rotation
Customers storing food for emergency or long-term use should inspect their stock periodically and use older products before newer products where practical.
Periodic inspection is particularly important where products are stored for many years because storage environments, buildings, containers and packaging can be affected by events outside Proactive Foods' control.
10. Customer-controlled storage after delivery
After a product has been delivered to or collected by a customer, Proactive Foods does not control the conditions in which that product is transported, handled or stored.
These conditions may include temperature, humidity, exposure to sunlight, water damage, pests, physical impact, puncture, storage location, power or building failures, fire, flooding, accidental damage or other environmental factors.
Accordingly, the existence of a future Best Before date by itself does not establish that any later deterioration, loss of quality, packaging failure or other issue was caused by a manufacturing defect or by Proactive Foods.
11. Claims relating to long-term shelf life
If a claim is made concerning a product's long-term shelf life, packaging integrity or condition, Proactive Foods may reasonably require information necessary to investigate the cause of the issue.
Depending on the nature and age of the claim, this may include:
- the product name and batch or lot number;
- the printed Best Before date;
- proof or details of purchase where reasonably available;
- photographs of the product and packaging;
- the condition of the seal and packaging;
- where and how the product was stored;
- known exposure to excessive heat, moisture, sunlight, flooding, pests or physical damage; and
- any other information reasonably relevant to determining the cause of the reported problem.
A claim will be assessed on its facts. The printed Best Before date alone does not amount to proof that a product issue arising years after purchase resulted from a defect that existed when the product was supplied.
12. When not to consume a product
Do not consume a product if the packaging is materially damaged, the seal has failed, there are signs of moisture ingress or contamination, or the product displays an unusual appearance, odour or other condition that reasonably suggests that its integrity may have been compromised.
If you are uncertain about the condition of a product, contact Proactive Foods before consuming it.
13. Shelf-life disclaimer
The Best Before date is conditional on appropriate storage and continued integrity of the original unopened packaging.
Proactive Foods cannot guarantee storage conditions after delivery or collection and therefore cannot warrant that a product will retain its intended quality for up to 25-year period where the required storage conditions have not been maintained, cannot reasonably be established, or where the packaging has been compromised after leaving our control.
Normal changes in taste, colour, texture, appearance or other sensory characteristics over very long storage periods do not, by themselves, establish that a product was defective when supplied.
Nothing in this Policy excludes or limits any right or remedy that cannot lawfully be excluded under applicable South African law.
14. Contact details
Questions about product storage, shelf life or a product claim should be sent to info@proactivefoods.co.za.
Forever Fresh Foods (Pty) Ltd trading as Proactive Foods
Registration number: 2016/132807/07
Unit 1A, 2 Erica Way
Somerset West Business Park
Somerset West, Western Cape, 7130
South Africa
