How to Record a Stock Rotation Video for Your Food Safety Management System

Step 1: Set the scene and context

Stock rotation might seem like a basic task, but it's fundamental to both food safety and food quality. Poor stock rotation is one of the most common reasons for food waste, out-of-date products ending up in dishes, and ultimately, potential food safety incidents. Your team needs to understand that effective stock rotation isn't just about tidiness—it's a critical control measure that prevents unsafe food from ever reaching customers.

Where to film this video:

Film in your main storage areas—you'll want to show the walk-in fridge, the freezer, and a section of dry storage. Have some stock items to hand that you can use to demonstrate the rotation process. Ideally, have a few items with visible date labels so you can show the team what they're looking for. If you have date labelling equipment (labels, pens), have these ready too.

What to have ready:

• Access to your walk-in fridge, freezer, and dry store
• A delivery of stock (or simulate one with existing items) to demonstrate putting away
• Date labels and pens for demonstrating labelling
• Your wastage log for showing how to record disposed items
• Examples of use by dates and best before dates on packaging
• Fresh containers for demonstrating decanting

Start your video by explaining:

"This video covers stock rotation and date labelling—how we manage the stock in our kitchen to ensure everything we serve is safe to eat and at its best quality. Stock rotation prevents us from serving out-of-date food, reduces waste, and ensures we're always using the oldest stock first. I'm going to show you exactly how to rotate stock when deliveries arrive, how to check and label items correctly, and what to do when you find something that's out of date."

Step 2: Plan what to record versus what to write down

Stock rotation training combines physical demonstration with specific rules about dates, labelling, and different storage requirements. Split your content strategically.

Best for video (on camera):

• Demonstrating the FIFO principle when putting away a delivery
• Showing how to physically rotate stock—removing old, placing new, returning old to the front
• Walking through each storage area and what to check
• Demonstrating correct date labelling technique
• Showing what to look for during daily stock checks
• Explaining the difference between use by dates and best before dates
• Showing how to use fresh containers when decanting

Best for supporting written text:

• The specific rules for use by dates vs best before dates
• Date label format and what information to include
• Daily inspection checklist for each storage area
• What to record in the wastage log
• Delivery acceptance checklist
• Maximum storage times for different food types
• Contact details for reporting delivery issues

Example written checklist to include:

Daily Stock Rotation Checklist:
□ Check all fridges for items approaching use by dates
□ Check freezers for items with poor date labels or freezer burn
□ Check dry stores for items approaching best before dates
□ Rotate stock so oldest items are at the front/on top
□ Remove and dispose of any out-of-date items
□ Record disposed items in wastage log
□ Check date labels are legible and complete
□ Report any concerns to head chef

Step 3: Core rules and requirements

Cover the essential knowledge your team needs about stock rotation, date labelling, and the differences between storage areas.

The FIFO principle:

Explain that FIFO stands for First In, First Out. This is the core principle of stock rotation: the items that arrived first should be used first. When a delivery comes in, you don't just stack the new stock on top of or in front of the old stock—you remove the old stock, put the new stock in its place, then put the old stock back in front so it gets used first.

Tell your team: "FIFO isn't just a nice idea—it's how we prevent old stock from getting pushed to the back and forgotten. Every time you put stock away, think: what was here before, and how do I make sure it gets used first?"

Understanding date labels:

Explain the critical difference between use by dates and best before dates:

• Use by dates are about safety. Food past its use by date could be unsafe to eat even if it looks and smells fine. Use by dates are legally enforceable and must never be exceeded. Items past their use by date must be disposed of immediately.

• Best before dates are about quality. Food past its best before date is still safe to eat but may not be at its best quality. These dates apply to items like canned goods, dried goods, and frozen items. Use judgement, but don't keep items significantly past their best before date.

Date labelling requirements:

When food is opened, decanted, cooked, prepared, or frozen, it must be dated. The label should include:

• What the item is (if not obvious)
• The date it was opened, prepared, or frozen
• The use by date (how long it can be kept)

Explain: "If you open a bag of cheese and put it in a container, that container needs a label. If you batch cook a sauce and portion it into tubs, each tub needs a label. If you freeze fresh chicken, the bag needs a label with the date frozen and when it must be used by."

Storage area differences:

Cover the different requirements for each storage area:

Refrigerated storage: This is where you need the most vigilance. Use by dates are critical. Daily checks are essential. Items in fridges are typically the highest risk because they're perishable. Always check for cross-contamination risk—raw items below ready-to-eat items.

Frozen storage: Items can be stored longer, but they're not immortal. Date labels are still essential. Watch for freezer burn, ice crystals, and damaged packaging. Quality degrades over time even when frozen. Follow your maximum freezer storage times.

Dry storage: Best before dates apply to most items. Check for pest damage, damaged packaging, and signs of moisture. Stock rotation here often gets neglected because items last longer—but that's exactly why old stock can get pushed to the back and forgotten.

Delivery acceptance:

Explain that stock rotation starts at the delivery point. Before stock even enters your storage areas, check:

• Use by dates and best before dates are acceptable (not too close to expiry)
• Food has been delivered at the correct temperature
• Packaging is intact with no damage or contamination
• No signs of pest activity or pest damage
• No risk of cross-contamination (raw and ready-to-eat properly separated)

Tell your team: "If a delivery arrives with products that expire tomorrow, you need to question whether you can realistically use them. Accepting short-dated stock sets you up for waste or, worse, using out-of-date products."

Step 4: Demonstrate or walk through

This is where you show your team exactly how to do stock rotation properly. Work through each storage area on camera with detailed narration.

Demonstrating delivery acceptance

Checking dates at the door:

"A delivery has just arrived. Before I even take it to storage, I'm checking the dates right here at the delivery point."

"Let me show you what I'm looking for. This box of chicken breasts—I'm looking at the use by date: it says [date]. That gives us [X] days. Is that acceptable? For chicken that we use frequently, yes—we'll go through this before it expires."

"But look at this: here's another item with a use by date of tomorrow. That's not acceptable. We can't realistically use all of this by tomorrow, which means some will have to be thrown away. I'm flagging this with the driver and considering refusing this part of the delivery."

"Accepting short-dated stock is how you end up throwing food away. Check dates before you accept, not after you've put everything away."

Temperature checks:

"For chilled deliveries, I'm also checking temperature. My probe is sanitised. I'm taking a reading between products: 3°c. That's within the acceptable range for chilled delivery."

"If this had been above 8°c, I would refuse the delivery. Food delivered above 8°c has already started the 4-hour danger window. By the time you put it away and start using it, that window may already be closing."

Demonstrating the delivery and rotation process

The complete FIFO process:

"I've accepted this delivery of butter. It expires on the 15th. Now I need to put it away correctly using FIFO—First In, First Out."

"I go to the fridge where we store butter. Look: there's existing stock here. Before I put the new delivery in, I check the date on the existing stock: this expires on the 10th."

"The existing stock expires first, so it needs to be used first. But if I just put the new butter on top or in front, people will grab the new butter because it's more accessible. The older butter gets pushed to the back and forgotten."

"Here's the correct process. Watch carefully:"

"Step one: I remove all the existing stock from the shelf. I'm setting it aside on the prep table."

"Step two: I place the NEW delivery at the back of the shelf. This is the stock that expires later, on the 15th. It goes in the back."

"Step three: I return the OLD stock to the front of the shelf. This is the stock that expires first, on the 10th. It goes in the front where it's visible and accessible."

"Now when someone comes to get butter, they'll naturally grab from the front—the oldest stock. The newer delivery stays in the back until the older stock is used up. First in, first out."

"This process takes maybe thirty seconds longer than just shoving the new delivery in front. But it prevents waste and ensures we're not serving food that's been sitting at the back of the fridge for weeks."

Multiple deliveries scenario:

"Let me show you a more complex scenario. We've received a large delivery with multiple items for this fridge."

"I'm working through each item: checking the date on the delivery, checking the date on existing stock, rotating accordingly."

"This cream expires on the 12th. Existing cream expires on the 8th. Old stock to front, new stock to back."

"This milk expires on the 10th. Existing milk expires... also the 10th. Same date, so position doesn't matter for rotation—but I'll still put the new delivery behind the existing stock as good practice."

"This cheese expires on the 20th. No existing stock. New delivery goes straight in—but at the back of the designated cheese area, leaving room at the front for any subsequent deliveries."

Demonstrating fridge stock rotation

The daily check process:

"Let me show you what a complete daily fridge check looks like. This is something that should happen every morning before service starts."

"I'm opening the fridge and working through systematically, shelf by shelf, left to right. I'm not just glancing—I'm actually checking each item."

"Starting at the top shelf. This container of prepared chicken: I can see the date label. It was prepared on Monday—today is Wednesday—and the use by date is today. This needs to be used in today's service or it gets disposed of. I'm moving it right to the front where it's impossible to miss."

"Next item: cooked rice, dated yesterday, use by tomorrow. That's fine, but I'm noting it needs to be used within the next day."

"Next: sliced ham, use by date in four days. No immediate concern, but I'm checking it's rotated correctly—oldest in front."

Finding problems:

"Here's something concerning. This container has no date label at all. I can see it's some kind of sauce, but I don't know when it was made."

"The correct procedure: I need to find out who prepared this and when. If I can't establish the date, or if no one knows, this needs to be disposed of. Food without a date label has unknown age—it could be fine or it could be days old."

"I'm setting this aside and making a note to ask the team. If we can't establish when it was made, it goes in the wastage log."

"Here's another problem: this item's use by date was yesterday. It shouldn't still be in the fridge. It goes in the wastage log immediately, with a note about the disposal."

Rotation adjustments:

"As I'm checking, I'm also adjusting position. This yogurt expires in three days, but it was behind a yogurt that expires in five days. Someone put away a delivery without rotating properly."

"I'm fixing this now: the shorter-dated yogurt comes to the front, the longer-dated yogurt goes to the back. Takes five seconds, prevents waste."

Demonstrating date labelling

Labelling opened products:

"I've just opened this block of cheese. The original packaging had a use by date, but now I've opened it and transferred it to a container. I need to create a new label."

"Here's what I write: First, what it is: 'Cheddar cheese.' This might seem obvious, but when you've got multiple containers in a fridge, clarity matters."

"Second, the date opened: 'Opened' and today's date."

"Third, the use by date: this depends on the product. For hard cheese like cheddar, once opened it should be used within [X] days. So I write 'Use by' and that date."

"The label goes on the container, facing outward so it's visible. Now anyone who opens this fridge knows exactly what this is and when it must be used by."

Labelling prepared foods:

"I've just prepared this batch of soup for later service. I'm portioning it into containers. Each container needs a label."

"I write: 'Vegetable soup.' I write: 'Made' and today's date. For batch-cooked foods, our rule is three days including today. So I write: 'Use by' and the date two days from now."

"Every container gets the same label. If I make five portions, I write five labels. It takes an extra minute, but it means anyone who opens the fridge knows exactly what they're looking at."

Labelling frozen items:

"I'm freezing these chicken portions for use next week. The label is especially important for frozen items because they might sit in the freezer for weeks or months."

"I write: 'Chicken breast.' I write: 'Frozen' and today's date. I write: 'Use by' and the date based on our maximum freezer storage time for this product."

"When someone goes to the freezer in three weeks, they can see immediately when this chicken was frozen and whether it's still within its safe storage period."

Demonstrating freezer stock rotation

Freezer FIFO:

"Freezer stock rotation follows the same FIFO principle, but with different timescales. Items can be in here for weeks or months, which means rotation discipline is even more important."

"I'm going through the freezer. This beef mince was frozen on the 5th of last month. This beef mince was frozen yesterday. The older batch needs to be in front, the newer batch behind."

"But look at the position: the newer mince is in front. Someone put away stock without rotating. I'm fixing this now—older batch to front, newer batch to back."

Checking condition:

"While I'm in the freezer, I'm also checking condition. Date labels can tell you when something was frozen, but they don't tell you if it's been stored correctly."

"Look at this: heavy ice crystal buildup on this packaging. Some ice is normal, but this level suggests the item has been in here a long time, or the freezer has had temperature fluctuations. I'm checking the date—it was frozen five months ago. That's beyond our recommended storage time for this product."

"Here's another issue: freezer burn. See this greyish discolouration on the surface of this meat? That's freezer burn—the food has dried out due to air exposure. It's not unsafe, but quality has degraded significantly. Depending on severity, this might need disposal or use in dishes where texture matters less."

"And packaging damage: this bag has a tear. Air has been getting in, which explains the freezer burn. Damaged packaging means accelerated quality loss and potential contamination."

Demonstrating dry store rotation

The often-neglected area:

"Dry stores get neglected because items last longer. But that's exactly why rotation matters—items can sit here for months, and without regular checks, you end up with ancient stock pushed to the back."

"Same FIFO principle applies. This pasta expires in six months. The pasta behind it expires in eight months. The shorter-dated pasta should be in front. I'm rotating these now."

"For dry goods, I'm checking best before dates, not use by dates. Remember: best before is about quality, not safety. But we still want to use older stock first."

Checking for problems:

"In dry stores, I'm also watching for issues that wouldn't occur in a fridge."

"Signs of pest activity: droppings, gnaw marks, holes in packaging. If I see any of these, it's an immediate report to management and pest control."

"Moisture damage: swollen cans indicate compromised seals. Damp packaging suggests humidity problems. Products affected by moisture damage need disposal."

"Damaged packaging: anything that could let pests in or that has been contaminated by previous pest activity."

"This can has a small dent. Minor dents are usually fine, but I'm checking: is it a sharp dent that might have damaged the seal? Is there any bulging? This looks acceptable, but I'm moving it to the front so it gets used soon."

Demonstrating wastage recording

When you dispose of stock:

"I found this item past its use by date. It needs to be disposed of and recorded."

"I'm taking it to the waste area. But before I throw it away, I record it in the wastage log."

"I write: the item, the date, the reason for disposal—'past use by date'—and the quantity. This goes in the wastage log every time we dispose of stock due to dates or spoilage."

"Why does this matter? First, it's due diligence—it shows we're actively managing stock and removing out-of-date items. Second, it helps us spot patterns. If we're regularly throwing away the same item, that tells us something about our ordering or our menu planning."

"If the same product keeps showing up in the wastage log, we need to ask: are we ordering too much? Is our rotation failing? Do we need to adjust portion sizes or menu frequency for dishes using this ingredient?"

Step 5: Common mistakes to avoid

Cover the errors that commonly occur with stock rotation.

Mistake 1: Putting new stock in front of old stock

"The most common mistake is the easiest one to make. A delivery arrives, you're busy, you just stack the new items on top of or in front of what's already there. But now your oldest stock is hidden at the back where no one will see it until it's out of date. Every time you put stock away, you must take the time to rotate properly—old stock out, new stock in the back, old stock back in front."

Mistake 2: Not labelling opened or prepared items

"If it doesn't have a label, no one knows what it is or when it was prepared. I've seen mystery containers sit in fridges for days because no one was sure what was inside or whether it was still safe. Every opened, decanted, or prepared item gets a label—no exceptions. It takes five seconds and prevents waste and potential food safety issues."

Mistake 3: Treating best before dates like use by dates (or vice versa)

"Some staff throw away anything past its best before date, which creates unnecessary waste—best before is about quality, not safety. Other staff treat use by dates casually, which is dangerous—use by means use by, no exceptions. Make sure your team understands the difference. Use by dates are non-negotiable."

Mistake 4: Accepting deliveries without checking dates

"If you accept a delivery of chicken that expires tomorrow, you've created a problem. Now you either have to use all of it today or throw it away. Check dates at the point of delivery. If the dates aren't acceptable, refuse the delivery or flag it with your supplier. Don't accept short-dated stock unless you have a specific plan to use it immediately."

Mistake 5: Ignoring daily stock checks

"Stock rotation isn't something you do once when a delivery arrives and then forget about. Daily checks of your fridges, freezers, and dry stores are essential. Things get pushed to the back, labels fall off, dates creep up. If you're not checking daily, you will end up with out-of-date stock in your storage."

Mistake 6: Not recording disposed items

"When you throw away out-of-date stock, it must be recorded in the wastage log. This isn't just about cost control—it's about due diligence. If you're regularly throwing away the same items, that tells you something about your ordering or your menu planning. And if there's ever an incident, those wastage records show that you were checking your stock and disposing of out-of-date items properly."

Step 6: Key takeaways

Finish your video by reinforcing what matters most.

"Let me recap the critical points from this video:

Why it matters: Stock rotation keeps unsafe food out of our kitchen and ensures everything we serve is at its best quality. It also reduces waste and saves money.

FIFO—First In, First Out: When putting away stock, always remove old stock, place new stock at the back, and return old stock to the front. The oldest items should always be used first.

Use by dates are non-negotiable: If something is past its use by date, it goes in the bin and in the wastage log. No exceptions. Best before dates are about quality—use your judgement but don't keep items significantly past their date.

Label everything: Any item that's opened, decanted, prepared, cooked, or frozen must have a date label. Include what it is, the date prepared, and the use by date.

Daily checks are essential: Every day, check your fridges, freezers, and dry stores. Look for items approaching their dates, items without labels, and anything that needs to be rotated or disposed of.

Delivery acceptance: Check dates, temperatures, packaging, and quality before accepting any delivery. Don't accept short-dated stock unless you can use it immediately.

Record everything: Disposed items go in the wastage log. This shows due diligence and helps identify patterns in your ordering.

Stock rotation is one of those tasks that seems simple but has a massive impact on food safety. Do it properly, do it consistently, and you'll prevent waste, maintain quality, and keep our customers safe."