Question about using pine boards for pantry shelving after mine bowed

I built simple shelves out of 1x12 pine for my pantry back in March and loaded them with canned goods. By June the middle shelf sagged about half an inch and I had to brace it with a 2x4. Some folks swear by plywood with edge banding since it won't twist, but others say pine is fine if you add a center support or flip the boards so the curve faces up. I'm leaning toward redoing it with 3/4 birch plywood from Home Depot, but I'm curious if anyone has had pine hold up long term in a dry climate like Phoenix. What's your experience with shelf sag and what worked for you?

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finley_bennett2817d agoMost Upvoted

Why not just flip the board and use a center brace?