Shelf-stable food (sometimes
ambient food) is
food of a type that can be safely stored at room temperature in a sealed container. This includes foods that would normally be stored refrigerated but which have been
processed so that they can be safely stored at room or
ambient temperature for a usefully long
shelf life. For instance, the first shelf-stable formulation of
ranch dressing, created in 1983, had a shelf life of 150 days.