FIFO - First In, First Out - is the simplest HACCP idea in the kitchen and the one most often abandoned by 11pm on a Saturday night. It is also the single biggest lever for reducing food waste and the cost of waste. This article shows how to operate FIFO inside a busy Irish kitchen without slowing service down.
What FIFO actually means under HACCP
FIFO ensures that older stock is used before newer stock, so that no item exceeds its use-by or best-before date in storage. In HACCP terms, FIFO is a Pre-Requisite Programme that supports the cold-storage and traceability CCPs - it does not replace temperature control, but it makes the temperature-controlled storage valid.
The three-step rotation routine
- On every delivery, date-code each unit with its received-on date.
- Place new stock at the back of the shelf; pull older stock to the front.
- At the start of every shift, audit the front row for any item past or within 48 hours of its date.
Date coding methods
- Stickers - colour by day of week. Cheap and visual.
- Marker on lid - DD/MM, plus opener\'s initials.
- Removable adhesive labels - for prepared dishes; include name, date prepped, use by.
Use-by vs best-before
Use-by dates are food safety dates and are absolute. After the use-by, the food is unsafe and must be discarded - this is law in Ireland. Best-before dates are quality dates and can be used after if quality is acceptable, but only at the food business operator\'s risk and never for high-risk products.
Fridge layout that supports FIFO
- Containers in matching sizes - stack neatly.
- Clear lids so contents are visible.
- Older stock at eye level; new at the back.
- Shelves labelled by category so items are returned to the same place.
The end-of-shift FIFO check
One person, last 5 minutes of the shift: walk every fridge, every chiller, every dry-store shelf. Pull anything within 24 hours of its date to the front. Bin anything past date and log on the waste sheet. The next shift starts on safe ground.
Records that prove FIFO works
- Goods-in log with date received.
- Waste log with date and reason for disposal.
- Daily fridge audit notes - included on the monitoring sheet.
- Internal batch coding for prepared dishes.
An EHO who sees a tidy waste log with dated entries reads it as a sign of a kitchen that controls itself.
Waste reduction wins
Irish operators who tighten FIFO typically cut food waste by 15-25%. The savings are direct profit. Build the routine into onboarding so every new starter learns it before service starts - the simplest way is a short module inside their HACCP Course on day one.
