Printable use-by date tracking sheet
A use-by tracking sheet is the list, kept day by day, of the products in stock with their date: what came in, when, where it is stored, and when it leaves, used or discarded. It serves one purpose: that no food past its use-by date is served, which Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 forbids, and proving it at an inspection. No text prescribes its form; this one is generated here, as a PDF to print or an Excel file.
Build my sheetThe date is on the label. The temperature has to be watched.
A use-by date only holds under the storage conditions printed on the pack: a product kept too warm is spoiled before its date, and no sheet will say so. A KelvinTag sensor in each enclosure records the temperature continuously and alerts the moment it leaves the range, so that the date on the label stays true.
The sheet stays free, with no sign-up.
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In the print dialog, choose "Save as PDF".
Preview
A4 landscape · 28 rowsFood safety plan - product traceability
| Entered on | Product | Lot no. | Use-by or best-before | Quantity | Location | Out (date, used / discarded) | Initials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
What each column is there to prove
The sheet is filled in when the product comes in and read again every day; what is approaching its date goes to the front of the queue, what has passed it goes out. An inspection does not ask for a perfect sheet: it asks to see that the daily reading happens and that the exits are recorded.
- Entered on - the day the product enters stock, or is opened.
- Product and lot number - as they appear on the label, so the goods-received line can be found again.
- Use-by or best-before - the printed date with its wording: "use by" is a safety date, "best before" a quality date.
- Quantity and location - so the product can be found at the daily check without opening every enclosure.
- Exit and initials - the date the product leaves stock, used or discarded, and who recorded it. That is the column an inspection reads.
Sources
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Article 24 and Annex X - the "use by" and "best before" dates and their exact wording.
- Regulation (EC) No 178/2002, Article 14 - a food past its "use by" date is deemed unsafe and may no longer be placed on the market.
- Regulation (EC) No 852/2004, Article 5 - the HACCP-based procedures and the documents and records that prove them, retained for an appropriate period.
Frequently asked questions
No text prescribes this document in this form. What is prescribed is the result: a food past its use-by date is deemed unsafe under Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 and may no longer be served or sold, and Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 requires procedures and records showing that the business controls this point. The sheet is the simplest proof of a daily date check; it sits in the food safety plan on that basis.
Take it out of stock the same day, do not serve it, and note the exit in the column provided with its reason. The use-by date is a safety date: passing it is not a matter of judgement. The best-before date is a quality date; a product past it is judged on its condition, and the decision is noted the same way. The use-by and best-before page details the difference and the texts.
Yes, in the same column: the sheet is what rotates the stock. A passed best-before date does not make the product unsafe, but a stock that is not tracked ends up holding some, and an inspection asks how rotation is ensured. Note the date as printed, with the wording that goes with it.
Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 asks for documents and records to be retained for an appropriate period, without putting a figure on it; the food safety plan sets it, consistently with the other traceability records. One sheet per month, dated and initialled, is filed with the goods-received register.
Yes. The sheet downloads here as a PDF to print and as an Excel file to keep on a computer, with the same columns. What matters at an inspection is being able to show past checks, dated and signed or validated; an electronic version must therefore be kept per period, not overwritten.
Dates are read. The cold chain is proven.
One sensor per enclosure, an Android phone as the gateway, no subscription: the timestamped temperature history that makes every date on this sheet credible.
See the KelvinTag sensorSee also
The other documents in the food-safety file, free to download or generate.
- Temperature log sheetGenerate a blank sheet matched to your cold enclosures and their limits, ready to post in the kitchen.Open
- Food safety plan templateThe full structure of a food safety management system - hygiene practices, HACCP plan, traceability - with your enclosures pre-filled and the questions each section must answer.Open
- Food traceability registerGoods received or opened products: a blank book ready to fill in, with the columns an inspection expects (lot, use-by, temperature on arrival).Open
- Allergen matrixDishes × 14 allergens to tick, or the Annex II list to display: the written document the rules expect front of house.Open
- Cleaning and disinfection planThe area-by-area plan to fill in, plus the daily record that proves it is applied.Open
- Storage temperaturesRegulatory storage temperatures by food category: chilled, frozen, hot holding and healthcare products.Open
- Use by and best before datesWhat each date means, what may still be sold or served once it has passed, and the article of Regulation 1169/2011 that says so.Open
- The HACCP methodDefinition, the seven principles of Article 5 of Regulation 852/2004, the twelve steps, foodborne outbreaks and what training actually requires.Open
- Food hygiene inspectionWho inspects, which records you are asked for, and what can follow a visit - from a reminder of the rules to an order to close all or part of the premises.Open
- Temperature mappingWhen it is required (Good Distribution Practice for medicines), the method in six steps, and where the monitoring probe goes afterwards.Open
- Choosing a temperature data loggerThermometer, stand-alone logger or connected sensor: what each one proves, what Regulations 37/2005 and 852/2004 require, and the seven questions to ask before buying.Open
- Cold-chain breakFridge failure, door left open, vaccine out of the fridge: what the texts say, what decides the fate of the goods, the five moves of the first hour and the signals before a breakdown.Open