Bread shelf life explained: 5 days, 3 days, 2 days and a year
People often ask us why one product in the range is good for five days and another for two. The short answer is that bread is not one thing. Here is how our own range works, and why.
Our shelf lives at a glance
- Sliced bread (white sandwich, milk, brown, multigrain, wholemeal, premium brown and jumbo): 5 days
- Arabic bread: 3 days
- Bombay pav and bread rolls: 2 days
- Milk rusk and premium rusk: 1 year
Why they differ
Soft, moist bread goes stale faster than dry bread. Pav and rolls are small and very soft, so they have the shortest life. Sliced loaves are packed in sealed bags, which helps them last longer. Rusk is dry and crisp, so there is very little moisture left to lose, which is why it keeps for a year. We also export it.
When the clock starts
Shelf life is counted from the day the bread is baked. Our bread is baked in Jebel Ali and delivered the same day on our own vehicles. It is never frozen in transit, so a loaf reaches your shelf with most of its life still ahead of it. If bread has been stored for a day or two before delivery, the same label date leaves you with much less time to sell it.
Planning orders to cut waste
- Order pav and rolls in smaller, more frequent amounts. Two days is short, and a daily delivery suits them.
- Use sliced bread for steadier lines, such as sandwiches and breakfast, where demand is predictable.
- Keep rusk as a buffer. Because it keeps for a year, it can sit on the shelf while fresh lines turn over.
- Tell us when your trade changes, for example during Ramadan or a school holiday. A change in order size is easier to plan for if we hear about it early.
Pack sizes
White sandwich bread comes in 500 g, milk bread in 250 g, brown and multigrain in 300 g, and jumbo bread in 650 g. Wholemeal comes in 300 g and 600 g, and premium brown in 250 g and 600 g. Bombay pav is a 6 piece pack and bread rolls are 5 pieces. Arabic bread is 220 g or 500 g, and both rusks are 100 g. You can see every pack, with photos, on our products page.
Not sure what to order for a new store? Tell us about your outlet and we will suggest a starting range. Our post on how same-day delivery works explains how the bread gets to you.