Storage: labels, shelf life, children and pets
How long each infusion and finished dish keeps, how to label it, and how to make sure nobody eats it by accident.
Two things to protect
Infused food has to be stored for the same reasons as any food, so it does not spoil, and for one extra reason: so nobody eats it by accident. The food-safety rules are the ordinary ones for the ingredient. The second rule is yours to enforce with labels and a shelf out of reach.
Labels
Every container of infused food on this site should carry, in writing: the milligrams of THC per portion, what counts as a portion, the date it was made, and the word "infused" or "cannabis". A strip of masking tape and a marker is enough. Never store infused food in the packaging of an ordinary product, and never in the same tin as the un-infused version of the same thing.
Does THC go off?
THC degrades slowly with light, heat and air, mainly to CBN, which is much weaker. In a sealed container in a dark fridge or freezer the loss over the storage times below is small compared with the uncertainty already in a home-made dose. What does change is the food: butter goes rancid, cream sours, gummies grow mould. Follow the food's rules and the dose will look after itself.
By infusion
| Infusion | Cupboard | Fridge | Freezer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannabutter, ghee | — | 2 weeks (butter) · 3 months (ghee) | 6 months | Freeze in tablespoon portions so you never thaw the whole batch |
| Coconut oil, olive oil | 1 month, dark | 3 months | — | Dark glass; olive oil clouds in the fridge and clears again |
| Infused cream | — | 4 days | — | Make small batches; discard if it smells sour |
| Infused honey, cannabis sugar | months | — | — | Keep dry and sealed |
| Alcohol tincture | 1 year, dark | — | — | Away from heat and flame |
These follow the ordinary storage guidance for the base ingredient, for example the USDA FoodKeeper figures for butter and cream, shortened where a home infusion adds plant material and handling.
By finished food
| Food | Room temperature | Fridge | Freezer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brownies, blondies, cookies, shortbread, loaves | 3–4 days, sealed | 1 week | 3 months, individually wrapped |
| Gummies | — | 1 week | — |
| Chocolate bark, peanut butter cups, caramels | — | 2–3 weeks | 3 months |
| Pesto, vinaigrette | — | 4–7 days | 2 months (pesto) |
| Mac and cheese | — | 3 days, portioned | 1 month, portioned |
Children and pets
Store infused food where a child cannot reach or see it, in a container that does not look like a treat, and tell any other adult in the house what it is. Dogs in particular will eat chocolate and butter-rich food given any chance, and both the THC and the chocolate are harmful to them. If a child or animal eats infused food, call your local poison centre or vet at once, with the label to hand.
- USDA FoodKeeper app (storage guidance for butter, cream, baked goods and cooked dishes), foodsafety.gov/keep-food-safe/foodkeeper-app. Accessed 2026-11-14.
- THC degradation to CBN with heat and time: Wang M, et al., Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, 2016, doi:10.1089/can.2016.0020.
