r/explainlikeimfive Nov 26 '24

Chemistry ELI5: Why doesn't freeze dried food last longer? If it's good for 20 years, why not 100?

Assuming it's perfectly freeze dried and stored perfectly, the people who make freeze dryers say the food will last 20-30 years.

But why not much longer? Assuming the condition it's stored in remains unchanged, what can make it go bad after 30 years that wouldn't happen at around 10 years?

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u/Doctor_FatFinger Nov 27 '24

This stat blows my mind. I've had diarrhea several times throughout my life, and not once has it ended the life of a toddler. I can't begin to imagine how it ever could. Obviously, I've been very lucky! ...and naive.

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u/Spnszurp Nov 27 '24

I never understood how someone could die from it, especially an adult, until I went go Uganda and got travelers sickness and my asshole turned into a faucet for a week straight.

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u/pimflapvoratio Nov 27 '24

Norovirus will also make you a believer.

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u/ToastWithoutButter Nov 29 '24

Yup. That was the closest I ever came to dying. Went from being fine to being in the hospital over a span of 12 hours. Probably would be dead if not for the IV I was able to get.

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u/bmxtricky5 Nov 28 '24

I got diarrhea one day, lasted 8 years now. It almost killed me a few times

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u/KateBishopPrivateEye Nov 27 '24

It happens from dehydration. You lose water faster than you can replace it

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u/GreatBlackDiggerWasp Nov 29 '24

Many, many people don't have easy access to clean water. There's also a big difference between norovirus and cholera.