Which inventory rotation practice helps maintain freshness and reduce waste?

• A. Keep all items in the back storage until needed.
• B. Label items but never rotate their positions.
• C. Use FIFO rotation to ensure older items are used first and maintain freshness.
• D. Sell expired items if customers complain.

Answer: (C)

Rotating stock so the oldest items are used first keeps products at their best and minimizes spoilage. This approach, often called FIFO (first-in, first-out), ensures that the items that arrived earliest are taken from the shelves and used before newer stock. By consistently pulling the oldest stock forward and stocking newer items behind it, you maintain a steady flow of fresh product and reduce waste from expired or past-due items.

Keeping everything in back storage until needed fails to guarantee that older stock is used first, so some items may sit too long and spoil. Merely labeling items without rotating their positions doesn’t enforce the order needed to prevent older stock from aging. Selling expired items is unsafe and undermines quality and trust, and it still results in waste. FIFO is practical, enforceable, and aligned with maintaining freshness.