Stock and kitchen
Expiry Date and FIFO Tracking Form
Complete it at opening or after accepting a delivery. Pushing the earliest date to the back hides waste and causes problems during an inspection. The nearest expiry date must be at the front. New deliveries go at the back.
List items expiring today and this week in the table. Do not sell expired products. Separate them, record them as waste, and remove them from the shelf. This form records that process; it is not legal advice. Write the opening date and your business's use-by period on open sauce containers. The form checks whether that label is present.
If a weekly order was too large, the same product will appear repeatedly on this form. Link this to the order note. The form reveals ordering habits as well as shelf order. For buffet or display products, a check at the start of each service is sufficient instead of an hourly check. Still record the date. A product returned from display to the kitchen needs a new opening date.
How to use this form
- Read the shelf from front to back. If the nearest expiry date is not at the front, correct the order and add a note.
- List items expiring today and this week in the table. A date that is not written down can be forgotten at the shift change.
- Place new deliveries at the back. Putting them in the first empty space breaks FIFO order. Check them against the delivery form on the same day.
- Check the labels on open containers. Do not use an open product in service if it has no label.
- Write the decision to dispose of the product or use it in another recipe in the notes, and record it on the waste form. Leaving the product on the shelf is not a decision.
- Sign the form and keep it for at least one month. Repeated appearances of the same product show that the order quantity is too high.
How this maps to Ritapos
Ritapos records the stock balance, not the order of products on the shelf. FIFO is a paper and hands-on task. Do not include an expired product as available during a stock count. Record it as waste first, then count.
The expiry date checked during delivery acceptance and the shelf order on this form track the same goods in two places. One checks the door and the other checks the shelf. If they conflict, the goods were either placed on the wrong shelf or the record is incomplete. Food cost still treats expired, unrecorded products as stock.
This form is a checklist for training purposes. It does not change your municipal, food registration, or occupational health obligations. Confirm local requirements in writing.
