Coffee, brownies, candy — If it’s edible, it can be infused with CBD. But unless you want to consume the whole product in a single sitting, you’ll need a smart way to store it.
Caring for CBD gummies takes a bit more effort than rolling up that bag of chips before putting it in the pantry. Not only do you need to be sure that your snacks don’t go rotten, but some special steps need to be taken to ensure the CBD itself doesn’t lose its potency.
After enjoying your CBD edibles, we suggest storing them:
1. In the fridge or freezer
CBD-infused snacks of all types last longer when stored in a cool place. Refrigerators are great places to keep your snacks fresh for a week or two, but you can also freeze some CBD products like butters or oils for long-term storage.
A good rule of thumb if you’re deciding whether to refrigerate or freeze is to think about how you’d treat the snack if it had no CBD in it — you probably wouldn’t freeze your soda or chips. Make sure to freeze your snacks soon after you buy them, as food frozen at peak quality tends to taste better when thawed than food frozen later on. If you do decide to freeze them, let them thaw slowly for a better consistency.
2. Away from light
Exposure to excess light can create conditions for mold to grow and potentially degrade the CBD itself. Storing your CBD-infused products in dark places can protect them from premature decay. Light can also heat things up, causing binding agents like gelatin to melt.
Although your fridge and freezer stay dark when they’re shut, prevent unnecessary exposure by putting your edibles in something opaque. It doesn’t have to be fancy: If you don’t have dark glass jars, wrap them in aluminum foil or put them in a clean coffee can.
3. Away from moisture
Even a little moisture can spell disaster for CBD snacks. Humid air — especially in dark places — creates the perfect conditions for mold and mildew to thrive.
While a moist environment probably won’t reduce the potency of the CBD itself, an inedible snack wastes the CBD inside of it. Because they cause moisture in the air to condense and solidify, a freezer should be plenty dry. Put a food-safe desiccant, such as dry rice, near any CBD edibles you store in the fridge. If you have a dedicated space for storing your CBD edibles, dehumidifiers can help maintain the quality and longevity of your snacks.
4. In a sealed jar
The last thing you want is someone besides you eating your CBD snacks. Always keep anything infused with CBD out of reach of pets and children, but your storage considerations should go one step further.
Airtight or hermetically sealed containers are proven to ensure the longest possible shelf life for foods. Keeping your CBD products in airtight containers not only keeps bugs from getting ahold of them, but it also helps to prevent decay by keeping wet air from finding its way in. Remember to look for opaque containers to minimize the amount of light that reaches your edibles.
5. Somewhere stable
Just as important as finding a cool, dark, and dry place for your CBD-infused foods is finding a place that has as few environmental fluctuations as possible. A storage space with a variable temperature is just as harmful to the quality of your snacks as a warm location is.
Keeping your snacks at a constant temperature prevents them from undergoing physical fluctuations, which can alter their texture or taste. Sudden shifts from hot to cold, dry to moist, or even high to low pressure take a toll on your snacks. If you’re storing your food in the refrigerator or the freezer, remember that food stored in the door is subject to swings in temperature due to constant opening and closing.
Taking care of your CBD edibles is key to getting the most out of your product. Most CBD products aren’t cheap, and poor storage can put what you paid for at risk. By keeping them in the right place, you can maximize the shelf life of you snacks and maintain their potency along the way.
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