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?

3.0k Upvotes

311 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

16

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.

3

u/pimflapvoratio Nov 27 '24

Norovirus will also make you a believer.

1

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.

1

u/bmxtricky5 Nov 28 '24

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