Cream containers - no refrigeration?

Factual Questions
1

You know those thimble-sized containers of half-and-half or “creamer” - some explicitly say that no refrigeration is needed, and some say to keep refrigerated.

They all seem to be packaged the same way. I could understand the non-dairy stuff not needing to be kept cold, but I’ve seen “no refrigeration” on real half-and-half, and I’ve seen the non-dairy wanting to be cold.

Is there a real difference among makers, or do some hold with tradition and consumer expectation that milk and milk-like fluids need to be kept cold?

2

The ones that say no refrigeration is required do so because the contents have been sterilised by heating to a high temperature (UHT).

Other products may be Pasteurised (rendered longer-lasting by heating to a lower temperature that UHT, or for less time) - these need refrigeration as they are not completely sterile.