Food preservation and pantry · HP-02

Food Storage and Date Record

A free printable food storage chart — what went in, when, the date from the pack and where it is, so the oldest gets used first.

First page of the Food Storage and Date Record — Index a freezer or a store cupboard so that stock rotates properly and things are found before they are forgotten.
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One page. Choose your paper size — both versions are laid out identically, so neither one gets shrunk to fit.

Print it and write on it

Fill it in type and save

The fillable versions have real form fields — open them in any PDF reader, type into them and save. Printing help.

What this sheet is for

Index a freezer or a store cupboard so that stock rotates properly and things are found before they are forgotten.

Who it is for

Households with a chest freezer, batch cookers, preservers, and small kitchens keeping their own stock records.

How to use it

  1. Label the item as well as the sheet — the label is what you read at the freezer door.
  2. Put new stock behind old; the sheet only works if the rotation does.
  3. Cross items off as they are used.
  4. Check the sheet against the shelf every few months and correct it.

What is on the sheet

The layout is fixed at a size that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the A4 and Letter files are visually identical and print at full size on either. Rows are set at a height that an adult can actually write a date and a few words into with a pen — most printable tables are built in a word processor and never tested with one.

Questions

How long can I keep things?

This sheet does not say, on purpose. Storage times depend on the food, how it was prepared, the packaging and the temperature it is actually held at, and a printed figure is exactly the kind of guess that does harm here. Use the date on the pack and the guidance from your own food safety authority.

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