How to keep track of food expiration dates

Six ways to track expiration dates, compared

None of these is best for everyone. The right one is the one you'll keep doing, and most households end up combining two: a habit at the fridge plus one list.

The marker method

Keep a permanent marker in a kitchen drawer. When you unpack, write the use-by date large on the front of anything perishable whose date is printed small, on the bottom or under a flap. When you open something, write OPENED 10/5 on the lid. That second habit matters most, because opened food runs on a different clock from the one printed on it. For leftovers, a strip of masking tape with the dish and the date works; EPA also suggests labeling freezer containers with the contents and the date.

The eat-first bin

FDA's advice is to “create a designated space in your fridge for foods that you think will be going bad within a few days.” A shallow bin on the middle shelf works. Keep raw meat, poultry and fish out of it; they belong on the bottom shelf. The bin doesn't record anything, so pair it with the marker or a list.

Lists: whiteboard, paper, spreadsheet or app

A list is what catches food you can't see. FDA's tip is to “check your fridge often to keep track of what you have and what needs to be used,” and a list lets you do that in a minute instead of unloading the shelves. Paper is the fastest to fill in while you unpack. A spreadsheet is better for long-lived stock like a pantry or a chest freezer, where you want to sort by date. An app is the only one that reminds you without you looking. Apps differ a lot in how you add items; the comparison of food expiration apps covers barcode, camera and typed-list apps.

Which date to write down

Write the date printed on the package and note what kind it is, because they mean different things. USDA describes them this way:

• Use by: “the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality.” It is not a safety date, except on infant formula. On perishable food, it's the date to plan around. See what a use-by date means.
• Best by or best if used by: when the product will be at its best flavor or quality. Not a purchase or safety date. See best-by dates.
• Sell by: tells the store how long to display the product, for inventory. Don't track it as your deadline; use the storage time from the day you bought it. See sell-by dates.
• EXP or expiration: the maker didn't say which kind; treat it like a use-by date.

If a label shows two dates, a sell-by and a use-by, track the use-by. A packed-on date is when the food was packaged, not when it runs out. If you can't find the date at all, or it's a code of letters and numbers, the guide on how to read expiration dates and the expiration date decoder can help.

The clock starts when you buy or open it

USDA FoodKeeper storage times count from the day you buy the food, or the day you open, cook or thaw it, not from the printed date. For fresh meat and anything opened, that time usually runs out before the printed date does. So the Use by column on a tracker isn't always the printed date. When FoodKeeper gives a range, write the earlier day.

The shelf life chart has FoodKeeper times for hundreds of foods, and the food expiration calculator turns a purchase or opening date into a use-by day for you. FDA puts the safe refrigerator temperature at 40°F (4°C) or below; all of these times assume it. If food has been left out more than 2 hours, or looks, smells or feels wrong, the date on your list no longer applies. Don't taste it to check. When in doubt, throw it out.

Free printable expiration date tracker

Print this and stick it to the fridge door, or keep one for the freezer and one for the pantry. Add a row as you unpack or open something, and cross it off when it's used. The printout has 20 rows and fits Letter or A4 paper.

Using the spreadsheet version

The CSV template has the same columns plus Notes, and three example rows marked EXAMPLE that you can delete. Dates are written year-month-day (2026-10-09) so they read the same in every country.

• Excel: open the file with File > Open, or use Data > From Text/CSV to bring it into an existing workbook.
• Google Sheets: choose File > Import, upload the file and pick “Create new spreadsheet.”
• Sort by the Use by column so the next item due is always on top.
• Highlight what's due with a conditional-formatting rule that uses a custom formula, such as =AND($F2<>"",$F2-TODAY()<=2), applied to the rows below the header. It flags anything due within two days.

Rather not write anything down? FreshScan reads the date printed on the package with your iPhone camera, saves which kind of date it is, and reminds you at 9:00 AM two days before and on the day. Opened jars and leftovers can be added with a date by hand.

Free on theApp Store

The 10-minute weekly fridge check

Any tracker goes stale without a routine. Do this once a week, ideally the day before you shop, so the list you write is based on what you already have. EPA's first tip is the same: look in your fridge, freezer and pantry before you buy.

1. Start with what's open. Leftovers, opened jars, deli meat, cut fruit. Check each against its opened date and storage time.
2. Throw out what's past its time or that looks or smells off. Don't taste to decide; when in doubt, throw it out.
3. Pull forward what's due in the next 3 days into the eat-first bin. Plan the first meals of the week around it.
4. Freeze what you won't eat in time, while it's still good. FDA says food kept at 0°F (-18°C) stays safe indefinitely; freezer times are for quality. Write the freeze date on the bag.
5. Update the tracker. Cross off what's gone, and leave room for what you're about to buy.
6. Glance at the thermometer. The fridge should read 40°F (4°C) or below.

This is first expiring, first out: eat in order of date, not in order of purchase. The guide to reducing food waste at home shows why that order beats “oldest first” in a home fridge, and what to do with the food you find.

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