Shelf-stable food

Shelf-stable food (sometimes ambient food) is food of a type that can be safely stored at room temperature in a sealed container. This includes foods that would normally be stored refrigerated but which have been processed so that they can be safely stored at room or ambient temperature for a usefully long shelf life. For instance, the first shelf-stable formulation of ranch dressing, created in 1983, had a shelf life of 150 days.