Lot Control and FEFO/FIFO Stock Rotation
Lot control and stock rotation for lot-tracked and date-coded product, covering lot and date capture at receipt, FEFO rotation for dated product and FIFO for undated, shelf-life thresholds for customer shipment, the expiry sweep and quarantine of expired or short-dated stock, disposition of expired product, and the lot traceability records and mock recall exercises that make a recall executable.
- Audience
- Receiving and putaway associates, pickers and replenishment operators working lot-tracked product, inventory control, and the quality or inventory lead who owns lot disposition
- Review cycle
- annual
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-17
- Revision
- 1
What is in the procedure
9 sections. Regulatory language is fixed and passes through verbatim. Sections marked customized get rewritten around your facility, your equipment, and your job titles.
- 01
Purpose
FixedThis procedure establishes how lot-tracked and date-coded product is controlled from receipt through shipment or disposal.
- 02
Scope
CustomizedThis procedure applies to all product the facility receives that carries a lot or batch number, an expiration date, a best-by or sell-by date, a production or manufacture date, or a customer requirement for lot...
- 03
Responsibilities
CustomizedReceiving associates capture the lot number and date code on every receipt of lot-tracked product before the pallet leaves the dock, and stop the receipt rather than guessing when a code is missing or unreadable.
- 04
Procedure: Lot and Date Capture at Receipt
Customized1. At receipt, identify whether the item is lot tracked or date coded before anything is counted or moved.
- 05
Procedure: FEFO and FIFO Rotation
CustomizedThe rotation rule is chosen by what the product carries.
- 06
Shelf-Life Thresholds
CustomizedTwo thresholds govern every dated item, and both live in the item master, not in anyone's head.
- 07
Procedure: Expiry Sweep, Quarantine, and Disposition
Customized1. The expiry sweep runs on a stated cadence and covers every location holding dated product on a rotating schedule, so each location is physically checked at a defined interval.
- 08
Lot Traceability and Mock Recall
CustomizedTraceability is the payoff for all the capture discipline above, and it is only as good as its weakest transaction.
- 09
References
Fixed29 CFR 1910.176 Handling materials, general.
Regulatory references
Lot Control and FEFO/FIFO Stock Rotation: 29 CFR 1910.176(c)
Every SOP generated from this template cites the paragraphs below, with a plain-language summary of what each one requires. Citations are informational and are not legal advice.
| Standard | Title | What it requires |
|---|---|---|
| 29 CFR 1910.176(c) | Handling materials, general: housekeeping in storage areas | Storage areas must be kept free from accumulation of materials that constitute hazards from tripping, fire, explosion, or pest harborage. Expired and short-dated product that is allowed to accumulate in racks, corners, or an unmanaged quarantine pile is exactly such an accumulation: aged consumable product in particular invites pests, and the expiry sweep is the mechanism that prevents the buildup. |
| 29 CFR 1910.176(b) | Handling materials, general: secure storage | Storage of material must not create a hazard, and material stored in tiers must be stacked, blocked, interlocked, and limited in height so that it is stable and secure against sliding or collapse. Rotation work involves restacking pick faces and moving partial pallets into quarantine, and every restacked or quarantined tier must remain stable rather than being treated as a temporary pile. |
| 29 CFR 1910.176(a) | Handling materials, general: use of mechanical equipment | Where mechanical handling equipment is used, sufficient safe clearances must be allowed for aisles, and aisles and passageways must be kept clear and in good repair with no obstruction that could create a hazard. Quarantined and swept stock accumulates while it waits for disposition, so the hold area must be bounded so it never spills into an aisle or a lift truck path. |
| 29 CFR 1910.22(a) | Walking-working surfaces: general requirements for surface conditions | The employer must ensure that walking-working surfaces are kept in a clean, orderly, and sanitary condition and maintained free of hazards such as leaks and spills. Expired product is disproportionately the product that leaks, swells, or breaks open when handled, so sweep and disposition work includes cleaning up as it goes rather than leaving residue at the pick face or in the hold area. |
| 29 CFR 1910.141(a)(4) | Sanitation: waste disposal | Receptacles used for putrescible solid or liquid waste must not leak, must be cleanable and maintained in a sanitary condition, and must have a tight-fitting cover unless sanitary without one; all wastes and garbage must be removed in a manner that avoids creating a menace to health and as often as necessary to keep the workplace sanitary. Disposal of expired consumable product falls under this paragraph: it goes into sound, covered receptacles and leaves the building on a schedule, not into an open bin that sits on the dock. |
Compliance checklist
What an inspector looks for
Expired and short-dated stock is swept on schedule and never allowed to accumulate in storage areas where it creates tripping, fire, or pest harborage hazards
29 CFR 1910.176(c)
Restacked pick faces and quarantined pallets are stacked, blocked, and limited in height so tiers stay stable and secure against sliding or collapse
29 CFR 1910.176(b)
The quarantine hold area is bounded so held stock never obstructs aisles, passageways, or lift truck paths
29 CFR 1910.176(a)
Leaks, spills, and residue from expired or deteriorated product are cleaned up during the sweep and disposition work, keeping surfaces clean, orderly, and sanitary
29 CFR 1910.22(a)
Expired product that can rot or leak is disposed of in sound, covered, leak-free receptacles and removed from the building often enough to stay sanitary
29 CFR 1910.141(a)(4)
Lot number and expiration or production date are captured at receipt for every lot-tracked item, read from the product, with one receipt line per lot
A missing or unreadable lot or date code stops the receipt; product is never received under a guessed or dummy lot
Dated product is allocated and picked FEFO by expiration date; undated product rotates FIFO by receipt date
Where the system does not enforce rotation, new stock is physically placed behind or below old at every pick face
Minimum remaining shelf life for shipment and the short-date review threshold are held in the item master and enforced at allocation
Expired and blocked short-dated stock is tagged and moved to the quarantine hold location the same shift it is found, and only the disposition authority releases, sells down, or destroys it
Lot transaction history can produce a complete shipped-to list for any lot, and the mock recall exercise runs on its stated cadence against a time target
Waitlist
Generate this SOP for your facility
At launch you answer the facility questionnaire once and this template comes back with your equipment, your titles, and your sign-off sheet attached.
This page is informational and is not legal advice. Have a qualified safety professional review any procedure before it goes into service at your facility.