What is FEFO (First Expiry, First Out)?
FEFO is the stock rule that the batch with the nearest expiry date is sold or used first, whatever order it arrived in.
Updated
Meaning
English
FEFO is the stock rule that the batch with the nearest expiry date is sold or used first, whatever order it arrived in.
Roman Urdu
FEFO ka matlab hai jis batch ki expiry sab se qareeb ho woh pehle bike ya istemal ho, chahe woh baad me aaya ho.
Also called first expiry first out, first expired first out, expiry first.
Example
A pharmacy receives a fresh delivery of a syrup expiring in May, but the stock already on the shelf expires in August. Under FEFO, the May batch is sold first.
How it works
FEFO matters wherever goods expire: medicines, dairy, bakery, packaged food, cosmetics and agricultural chemicals. Distributors sometimes deliver short-dated stock, so arrival order alone is not enough. Selling the nearest expiry first keeps write-offs low and protects customers.
To work, FEFO needs every batch recorded with its expiry date when it is received, and the counter must take stock from the right batch. Expired stock should never block a sale of good stock, and should be pulled from the shelf and returned to the supplier or written off before it reaches a customer.
In Nafaa
Batch-tracked products in Nafaa are sold from the branch's batches with the earliest valid expiry first; a named batch can be picked at the counter, and expired batches are taken last. Returns and voids put stock back into the batch it came from.
Related terms
- FIFO (First In, First Out)
FIFO is the stock rule that the oldest stock is sold first.
- Batch Tracking
Batch tracking records each purchase lot separately with its own expiry date.
- Expiry Management
Expiry management is the routine of tracking expiry dates, selling near-expiry stock in time, and removing or returning expired goods before they reach customers.