A stock rotation method where food with the earliest expiry date is used or sold first, regardless of when it arrived.
FEFO stands for First Expired, First Out, a stock rotation method where food with the earliest expiry date is used or sold first.
FIFO, First In First Out, rotates by order of arrival, while FEFO rotates by earliest expiry date. FEFO is safer when a newer delivery has a shorter date than older stock.
When stock arrives from several suppliers with differing dates, or when a newer delivery carries a shorter use-by or best-before date than stock already on hand.
FEFO is not a specific requirement in the Food Standards Code, but it is a recognised good practice that supports not selling or using out-of-date food.
It relies on accurate, visible dates, so businesses should label decanted and in-house prepared food clearly and check dates at goods receipt.