How To Store Gummy Edibles

Sometimes there is just nothing better than a cannabis edible. Whether you have one with THC, CBD, or any of the other cannabinoids you might be familiar with, they all have one thing in common, which is that they need to be stored properly.

The unfortunate reality is that gummy edibles are perishable food products. This means that various ingredients contained inside of them can go bad after a while. This is true both for the foodstuffs and for the cannabinoids. Foodstuffs can rot or go rancid, and the cannabinoids can degrade, both of which are not ideal in the least.

Therefore, today, we’re going to cover exactly how to store all of your gummy edibles, including the best places to store them, what the optimum temperatures are, and the things that you need to avoid. Let’s get to it and ensure that your gummy edibles stay in top condition for as long as possible.

Key Takeaways

Can edibles go bad? Yes! So proper storage methods are essential to utilize.
Heat, moisture, light, and oxygen are the four main causes of edibles going bad.
Edibles can go bad in the sense of the cannabinoids degrading and the perishable food items spoiling.
If properly stored in the freezer, gummy edibles may stay good for around 10 months.

Best Containers To Store Edibles In

The type of container you use to store your gummy edibles is important. The type of container you use can make all the difference in terms of how long cannabinoids stay good, and it can affect the longevity of the perishable substances in the edibles as well.

Silicone Containers

Silicone is always a good option to consider, and not only because it’s durable and cheap. Silicone containers are ideal for short-term storage, although you generally don’t want to put them in the freezer. If you want to keep your edibles for anywhere between a few days and a couple of months, silicone containers work just fine.

However, preferably, these silicone containers should be not much larger than the edibles inside of them, which is crucial for avoiding a buildup of moisture. Ideally, that container should also be 100% airtight and opaque. The less air and light get in, the longer those edibles will stay good. This is especially the case in terms of the cannabinoids such as the THC degrading.

Glass Jars

Another good option to consider here is the glass jar. Glass jars or Mason jars that have very tight lids that you can screw on are perfect here. First, glass is not reactive in any way, which means that it won’t leach chemicals into your edibles, and the edibles won’t leave any residue behind either.

As long as the lid fits tightly, the container should be airtight enough to prevent oxygen from getting in. Furthermore, to avoid UV light degrading the THC, and causing the perishable food items to go bad, the glass container in question should also be opaque so that it does not let any light in.

Airtight Containers

Whether we are talking about a silicone container, a glass jar, or anything in between, really the most crucial point here is that the container be airtight. This means that it should not let any air in or out.

You want as little oxygen as possible around the edibles, and you certainly don’t want any getting into the container. Oxygen will cause the THC to degrade, and it will cause any perishable food items to build up with bacteria and go bad as well.

This is why any food you might buy in your grocery store, particularly meat, is often vacuum sealed to remove oxygen from the equation. You can always just wrap your edibles in some parchment paper and then put them inside a Ziploc bag, or even a dual layer of Ziploc bags, and then place that inside of a glass jar.

The Freezer

Although not exactly a container per se, the subzero temperatures inside of a freezer are rather perfect for storing your edibles. Light cannot get into the freezer and bacteria cannot grow inside of the cold. After all, the freezer is what you use to preserve all of your other food products as well, and it works before your cannabis edibles too.

Just keep in mind that when you defrost your edibles, they’ll start to sweat and get moist, so the shelf life once you take the edibles out of the freezer is not very long. Defrosted edibles need to be consumed rather quickly, within a couple of days at most.

Optimum Temperature For Edibles

Generally speaking, the colder the temperature is where you store your edibles the better off you are. This is the case no matter what kind of edible we are talking about. This is the case for hard candies, gummies, chocolates, cookies, and everything in between.

If we are talking about baked goods, these will only stay good at room temperature for a few days at the most. They’ll stay good in the fridge for a couple of weeks, and in the freezer for a couple of months, maybe up to three months if you push it.

If we are talking about hard candies and gummies, the shelf life is generally much greater than with baked goods. You can expect gummies and candies to remain fine at room temperature for several weeks, for a few months in the fridge, or in the freezer for up to 12 months at the most (hard candies stay good longer than soft candies).

In case you’d like to try, here’s a guide on making your own Delta-8 THC gummies.

Where To Avoid Keeping Your Cannabis Edibles

When it comes to storing your cannabis edibles, there are a few things that you absolutely need to avoid.

Cabinets Near Heat Sources

As you can gather from the above section, one of the worst things you can do is store your edibles in a warm or hot environment. First, hotter temperatures cause perishable foods to rot and go bad faster. This is why you put your food in the fridge or freezer because less heat generally means the slower decay of perishables. Bacteria that break down food usually like warmth.

This is especially bad if your edibles are made with an oil instead of with a tincture. Oil is perishable. Furthermore, anywhere between 77 and 88 degrees Fahrenheit is perfect for mold to develop, and mold will quickly ruin any edible.

Next, high temperatures also cause cannabinoids, mainly THC, to degrade. Temperatures above 70 degrees Fahrenheit quickly cause cannabis to degrade. This can cause upwards of 16% of cannabinoid contents to dissipate within just the first year. Temperatures under the freezing mark show the slowest degradation of cannabinoids.

Areas with Exposure to Sunlight

Sunlight isn’t just bad for your skin, but it’s also bad for cannabis edibles. Light is energy that is a part of the electromagnetic spectrum, and UV rays are considered to be a type of high-frequency radiation with the ability to ionize atoms inside of the objects they hit.

You probably know what a sunburn feels like, and although your edibles won’t feel any pain from sunlight, you certainly will when you realize that they don’t have much THC left in them.

Sunlight breaks down organic matter. Sunlight, those high-frequency UV rays, can quite literally break down THC, therefore making your edibles far less potent. Light, specifically sunlight, is considered to be one of the main threats to THC edibles, right up there along with high temperatures. Cannabis edibles do best when kept in a dark place.

Places Exposed to Moisture

You also need to keep the moisture levels ideal for edibles. Both high and humidity levels can affect the flavor, shelf life, and texture of those edibles. You should use some kind of moisture-regulating pack to absorb excess moisture where you keep your edibles.

The moisture or humidity level where you keep your edibles should range between 59% and 63%. If the humidity level drops below 59%, the essential oils in the edibles may start drying out, which can alter the chemical profile of your edibles, as well as the flavor and aroma.

However, if the humidity level is consistently above 65%, it provides mold with the perfect breeding ground. As we’ve covered above, mold is one of the worst things that can happen to your edibles, because once they get moldy, there’s no saving them. If you want to walk out moisture, using an airtight container or even vacuum sealing those edibles is required.

Fridges that Frequently Open and Close

When you have the munchies, you probably open and close your fridge several dozen times. However, opening and closing the refrigerator is not good if you have a bunch of edibles inside.

Opening and closing the fridge regularly can cause massive temperature fluctuations to occur, which is not good for your edibles, especially if your fridge gets too warm. Opening the fridge all of the time also lets in light, which is not good.

If you keep letting light and warmth into the fridge, those cannabinoids and terpenes will degrade rather quickly.

How Long Do Cannabis Edibles Last?

Cannabis flower on its own can last for several weeks or up to a few months without any kind of special storage measures, but it could become less potent. However, once that cannabis is infused into various edibles, such as gummies, cookies, chocolate, lollipops, and anything in between, its lifespan should increase quite a bit.

If we are talking about baked goods, these can last for three or four days without any kind of special storage. They may last for up to a few weeks or a month in the fridge and several months when put in the freezer.

If we are talking about chocolates, particularly dark chocolates, these can last for up to 10 months if stored properly in a relatively cool condition, or even longer in the freezer. If we are talking about white or milk chocolate edibles, the lifespan for these is not quite as long as with dark chocolate. If properly stored, these should stay good for about 10 months.

Best in terms of overall shelf life are hard candies and gummy candies. First, we have gummy candies, which can stay good for several weeks on the shelf, several months in the fridge, or up to about nine months in the freezer. When it comes to hard candies, these can stay good for up to a year in the freezer, or potentially longer.

Tips on How to Store Cannabis Gummies and Edibles

When it comes to storing cannabis gummies and edibles properly, the biggest tips are that you need to keep them away from sunlight, you need to keep the moisture level around 60%, you need to keep them as cold as possible, and preferably in airtight containers. As long as they are stored in cool, dark, and relatively dry places, preferably without too much oxygen, they’ll stay good for as long as humanly possible.

How Long Do CBD Gummies Stay Fresh?

CBD gummies should stay good for at least a few weeks if kept at room temperature, for a couple of months if kept in the refrigerator, and possibly up to six or even eight months (maybe 10 months, although that’s pushing it) in the freezer. Remember to keep them in dry, dark, and cool places. If you want the freshest edibles around, check out our amazing selection of edibles right here at Botany Farms.

How To Tell If Your Edibles Have Gone Bad

If you are worried about your edibles going bad, there are a few telltale signs. When we say going bad, this can be taken in two ways. We could be referring to the perishable food items no longer being safe for consumption, or in other words having rotted and spoiled. We could also be referring to THC or other cannabinoids degrading.

If it is in relation to cannabinoids degrading, although this is not ideal, this won’t make you sick or really have a negative effect (besides not getting the full cannabinoid dose). However, if the perishable food items within the edibles have spoiled, that can be dangerous.

Therefore, you want to look out for the telltale signs that your edibles have gone bad because you don’t want to suffer from food poisoning or any kind of gastrointestinal upset.

If your edibles are discolored in any way, if they have a bad odor, if you see mold or mildew, or condensation within the container, they have likely gone bad and are best avoided.

What Degrades The Shelf Life Of Gummies?

The main threats to the shelf life of your cannabis gummies include sunlight, excessive heat, excessive oxygen, and excessive moisture. These four factors combined will cause any kind of cannabis edible to degrade and spoil very quickly.

Improving The Shelf Life Of Gummy Edibles

To improve the shelf life of your gummy edibles, following all of the tips that we’ve talked about here today so far is vital. Always keep your edibles in a container that is not much larger than the edibles themselves, make sure that it is airtight, that it does not let light in, and that you store it in a dark place.

Where To Buy CBD Edibles

If you want to buy some CBD edibles, then there is no better place to be than right here at Botany Farms. We have a wide selection of high-quality and premium CBD edibles that are loaded with this fantastic cannabinoid but won’t cost you a fortune either. We have plenty of great products that can give you the CBD dose you need on a daily basis. Check out our massive selection of CBD gummies right here!

Final Thoughts

The bottom line here is that gummy edibles can stay good for up to 8 or 10 months in the freezer, up to five or six months in the fridge, and for a few weeks or a month when kept in room temperature conditions.

If you follow all of the tips we’ve listed above, especially in terms of light, oxygen, temperature, and moisture, you should get as much time out of your edibles as possible.

In case you aren’t too familiar with CBD, here’s a dosing guide for how much CBD you should take.

Storing Gummy Edibles: Frequently Asked Questions

Before we wrap things up, let’s quickly answer some of your most frequently asked questions about storing gummy edibles.

Should You Freeze Or Refrigerate Edibles?

Refrigerating your edibles works just fine, although the lifespan of your edibles will be between two and three times longer if you freeze them. Just remember to eat through them fairly promptly after defrosting them.

Do Edibles Stay Good In The Fridge?

Yes, edibles stay good in the fridge, at least longer than if you didn’t refrigerate them, although this is not indefinite. They last longer in the freezer.

What Are The Tips For Storing Edibles?

To summarize, keep your edibles in a cold, dark, and dry container, and try to remove as much oxygen from the equation as possible.

What Happens If Edibles Aren’t Refrigerated?

If your edibles aren’t refrigerated, the cannabinoids will degrade quickly, and the perishable food items will begin to spoil.

Do Edibles Need To Be Kept Airtight?

Edibles do not have to be kept airtight, although it certainly helps, as oxygen is a major contributing factor to their spoiling.

Should I Freeze My Edible Gummies?

If you don’t need them right away, and if you want them to last for up to 10 months, then yes, you should freeze your edibles.