Implementing the “FIFO” system
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EmailHow to use the "FIFO" system when rotating pantry food.
Every few months, it is a good idea to take inventory of the foods you have on hand. Keep food safety in mind while you go through the cupboards, refrigerator, and freezer to dispose of expired foods and clean the shelves. Though most of our shelf food will remain safe past their “best if used by” dates, you may still want to cycle out any foods that you are not eating or have been there a while and have lost their quality. The same is true for your freezer. Frozen foods will remain safe but can lose their quality over time and become discolored or freezer burned. A great system to help with this is FIFO, or “first in first out.”
FIFO simply means you need to label your food with the dates you store them and put the older foods in front or on top so that you use them first. This system allows you to find your food quickly and use it more efficiently. To ensure you get to enjoy your food at peak quality, focus your choices on the FIFO principle by consuming the earliest purchased food items and whose shelf life is the shortest, first.
In the refrigerator, you need to check for any forgotten leftovers. To ensure the safety of your leftovers, follow these guidelines:
- When in doubt, throw it out!
- Temperatures between 40 degrees Fahrenheit and 140 degrees Fahrenheit allow bacteria to grow rapidly. Refrigerate cooked leftovers promptly — either within two hours, or one hour when the temperatures are over 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Use an appliance thermometer to make certain that your refrigerator is always 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below.
- Divide leftovers into smaller portions and store them in shallow containers in the refrigerator so they cool faster and can be reheated more conveniently.
FIFO is especially helpful when there are multiple items of the same product. Additionally, adhering to specific storage times for common food items can further aid in maintaining freshness and quality.
Michigan State University Extension recommends these practices and to remember the bottom line for all safe food handling and storage practices is that when product safety is in doubt, err on the side of caution and throw the food away, “when in doubt, throw it out” and protect you and your family from foodborne illness.
For answers to your food safety questions, call MSU Extension's Food Safety Hotline at 1-877-643-9882. For more information on food safety, visit MSU Extension's Safe Food & Water website.