Kraft Just Settled the Debate—This Is Where to Store Mayo

Mayonnaise—one of America's most beloved, yet controversial condiments. One study found that mayonnaise has been the top-selling condiment in the United States for the past few years, with over $160M in sales in 2021. It's an ingredient people either hate or love, with seemingly no in-between. In fact, mayo's divisive status has even inspired products solely dedicated to the debate. But today, we don't want to talk about that debate, we want to talk about another one: where you're storing your mayo.

It didn't feel like a contentious topic, but when it came up in a team meeting, everyone chimed in with their opinions. And, after Heinz nearly broke the internet last month by settling the debate on where to store ketchup, we got to thinking, maybe the answer isn't as obvious as we assumed. We reached out to the source of some of America's favorite mayo for the answer—here's what they had to say.

Where You Should Store Mayonnaise

Let's get one thing out of the way: We know that the conventional thinking is that mayo should be stored in the pantry unopened and the fridge once opened. But here's the thing—that's not your only option.

A 2016 report put out by the global information company NPD Group claimed that contrary to popular belief, mayonnaise can be stored at room temperature, even after opening. That report said that commercially produced mayo is acidic enough to "slow the growth of the bacteria associated with food-borne illnesses.'' Commercially produced mayo is also typically made with pasteurized eggs rather than raw eggs, as well as other additives and stabilizers that help ensure it can be shelf-stable for so long when unopened.

The food safety experts at FoodSafety.Gov confirm this is indeed true. "Shelf-stable commercial mayonnaise is safe when stored at room temperature after opening." One thing to note: this all becomes null if the mayo gets contaminated by dirty utensils or fingers—so please don't double dip your knife when you're building that BLT.

That gets to the crux of the debate—you can store opened mayo in the pantry but should you? For one thing, storing opened mayonnaise in the fridge will extend its shelf life, potentially up to 2 months longer, according to FoodSafety.Gov.

We reached out to Kraft Mayo to get some more expert opinions, and its team seemed to confirm this sentiment. The team shared this quote via an Instagram message to our team: "Quality, not safety, is the only reason our mayo shouldn't be stored at room temperature. Top-tier taste needs top-tier treatment. Fridge it after opening and let it chiiiiiiill!"

We polled our followers on Instagram and 97% of them agreed: the fridge is where mayo belongs. We would say that just about settles the debate. Just like ketchup, your opened mayo should be stored in the fridge. And for those 3% of you out there—know that you're not technically wrong, and you're not going to harm anyone, but you are outnumbered.