FIFO and FEFO: which chilled pack to eat first

Three chilled meals in the fridge, bought on three different days: most people reach for the oldest. That habit is FIFO, and it usually gives the right answer. It fails when the newest pack carries the nearest date, which happens easily when the dishes differ.

FIFO keeps old stock moving

"First in, first out" is the standard rotation rule in food businesses: Food Standards Scotland tells butchers to use up existing stock rather than top it up with new. The reason is safety as much as waste: keep high-risk food too long, even in good conditions, and harmful bacteria may multiply (Food Standards Scotland).

FEFO lets the date decide

"First expired, first out", a logistics term rather than a legal one, asks which pack runs out first, not which arrived first. A pack bought today can expire before one bought two days ago, simply because it is a different dish.

For chilled food the date is what counts, because a use-by date is about safety: food can be eaten on that day but not after it (Food Standards Scotland).

Setting up FEFO in a home fridge

1. Read the use-by date as you unpack, and put chilled food in the fridge straight away.
2. Keep the nearest date at the front. New packs go behind or below older ones, unless their date is earlier.
3. Give one shelf to "eat soon", so you can see at a glance what comes next.
4. Check every few days. Victoria's health department advises checking use-by dates and discarding out-of-date food (Better Health Channel).
5. Once a use-by date has passed, throw the food out rather than stretching it.

All of this assumes a fridge that is cold enough, a link that needs extra care in hot weather; see where the cold chain breaks in Thai heat.

The date on our packs

Meals in our machines are chilled, not frozen, and every meal has a use-by date on the pack. Check it when you buy, and again before you eat if you keep the meal for later. For several days' supply, our frozen sets give a much longer margin (chilled vs frozen meals). The date is one of four checks in check the pack before you eat.