What is FEFO (first expired, first out)?
FEFO (first expired, first out, also “first expiry, first out”) is the stock rotation rule that ships the units with the earliest expiry date first, regardless of when they arrived. It differs from FIFO only when arrival order and expiry order disagree: a lot that arrives today with 40 days of life left goes out before a lot that arrived last week with 90 days.
Where it is required. The EU guidelines on good distribution practice for medicines (2013/C 343/01) say it directly: “Stock should be rotated according to the ‘first expiry, first out’ (FEFO) principle. Exceptions should be documented.” The same section asks for products near expiry to be withdrawn from saleable stock, and §5.7 for “an appropriate remaining shelf life when it is picked”. Food rules set use-by and best-before dates; FEFO is the usual way food warehouses and cold stores make sure stock leaves before them.
What it needs from the store. FEFO needs the right pallet to be reachable when it is due. In selective or mobile racking any pallet is. In deep lanes (drive-in, push-back, shuttle) only the front pallet of each lane is, so FEFO works across lanes only if each lane holds a single lot. The cold store tool keeps products that must leave strictly by date in reachable places.
FEFO alone can still fail a customer: a pallet that is the oldest in the store may already be below the buyer’s minimum remaining shelf life.
Sources
- European Commission, Guidelines of 5 November 2013 on Good Distribution Practice of medicinal products for human use (2013/C 343/01), §5.5 and §5.7.
- Rack date order: the cold store tool, rack descriptions.