The facility implements a FEFO (First Expired, First Out) and/or FIFO (First In, First Out) system to manage chemical use by expiration date or purchase date.

Suppliers should implement a system to manage the issuance of chemicals and input materials from stores to production based on expiry dates (where available), purchase dates, and lot/batch numbers.

FEFO and FIFO System

The facility should record all chemicals received in the Chemical Inventory List or equivalent records, including expiry dates (where available), purchase dates and lot/batch numbers.

The chemical stores department shall document and implement a standard operating procedure (SOP) for managing chemical inventory using the following principles:

• First-Expired-First-Out (FEFO): Where an expiry date is available, chemicals with the earliest expiry date shall be issued and used first, regardless of their purchase date. This helps prevent chemicals from expiring before use.
• First-In-First-Out (FIFO): Where an expiry date is not available, chemicals shall be issued and used according to their purchase date, with the oldest stock being used first.

To support effective implementation of FEFO and FIFO, chemical containers should be clearly identified and stored in a manner that enables personnel to easily retrieve chemicals according to expiry date or purchase date, as applicable.