I bought this because my older cats only consistently eat canned food so I needed a way to feed them if I go away for the weekend. This fit the bill. The ice packs keep the food fresh but they defrost as quickly as you'd expect and certainly won't last all 6 feedings. Maybe about a day or so. But it's better than nothing. I bought two of them and they both work well. I like the way you have 6, 12, or 24 hour options.