What does the term "shelf life" indicate?

The term "shelf life" refers to the duration that a product remains safe to consume and maintains its intended quality. This encompasses factors like taste, texture, and nutritional value, ensuring that the product can be adequately enjoyed by consumers within a specified timeframe. Understanding shelf life is crucial in the food industry, as it helps in managing inventory, minimizing waste, and ensuring customer satisfaction by providing products at their best quality.

While other options mention aspects like cost, size, and nutritional value, they do not accurately reflect what shelf life entails. Shelf life is specifically about the longevity and safety of food products, making option B the most relevant and correct description.