I have several boxes of non-perishable granola bars in sealed wrappers. They didn’t need to be refrigerated, but I put them in the fridge anyway. Now I’m wondering, would moisture condense inside the wrappers if I took them out of the fridge?
In other words, “once refrigerated, always needs refrigeration?”
Depends on the wrapper. Nowadays, nearly all bars are wrapped in a plasticized material that seems to be waterproof.
Right, but will it spoil?
Not merely from temperature change. It will certainly not become hazardous to eat, but the texture could be affected, and maybe the flavor, depending on the kinds of ingredients that are in it. Nothing could happen that would encourage pathogens that would not also happen at constant temperature. Best-by dates are probably several years on such things.
No, it should not spoil. Food gets repeatedly chilled and warmed during shipping and storage. If something is marked as “non-perishable”, you should be fine.
They should be OK.
Add to list of “Things This Boy Does NOT Want to EAT”:
“non-perishable granola bars”
Call me old-fashioned, but I thought Granola was supposed to be “Healthy”. Things which are “non-perishable” do not sound healthy.
Did these come from McDonald’s? I understand their “food” is noted for extreme shelf lives.
If it’s still sealed in packages, there is very little moisture inside to condense. Condensation is only an issue when a cold object is exposed to a large volume of warm air.
Also, I think any packaged non-perishable food is OK to refrigerate - they are intended to be transported by regular trucks, which are’t climate controlled, and get pretty cold in winter.
Anything can be made non-perishable by cooking and packaging in sterile conditions. Canned vegetables are non-perishable, and they are just as healthy as fresh vegetables.
Also, any food that has a high salt or sugar content, or very little moisture, last a long time. Which is why the “McDonalds hamburger never rots” experiment works - hamburgers don’t have much moisture in them, and they dry out before they rot. It has nothing to do with unnatural preservatives.
Though depending on your dietary needs, a granola bar can be pretty unhealthy - they are all pretty high in sugar. Some are high in fat as well.
Healthy? Granola, conceivably. Granola bars, not so much. Your typical granola bar, according to Google, weighs in at about 30% sugar and 20% fat, and it’s pretty high in salt, too. That’s not so bad as a chocolate bar (47% sugar, 24% fat), but there’s a great gap between “not so bad as a chocolate bar” and “healthy”. A granola bar is about line ball with your typical chocolate chip cookie - 28% sugar, 23% fat. So, not your classic health food, then.
Healthfulnss has nothing to do with how perishable the food is. Rice, potatoes and many other foods keep for a long time, in the right conditions, and they are all much healthier than any granola bar.