Managing shelf life on goods sourced from China
Agree minimum remaining shelf life at your receiving warehouse before ordering. Check each batch's dates and storage records before shipment, recheck at receipt, and allocate eligible stock by earliest expiry while meeting customer date requirements. Coordinate factory checks through Cambridge China Bridge.
Set a receipt requirement before ordering
Write the minimum remaining life into the purchase specification for each product. Define receipt as arrival at the named receiving warehouse, rather than factory dispatch or port arrival. Work backwards from customer requirements, expected stockholding and onward delivery, allowing for delays. Use the shipping lead-time guide to plan the journey.
State how remaining life will be calculated from the receipt date and the applicable end date. Apply the threshold to each batch, rather than an average across the shipment. Agree what happens if a delay leaves a batch below the threshold: replacement, a revised shipment or a buyer-approved exception before dispatch.
Define what the date actually means
For food, use-by dates concern safety, while best-before dates concern quality. Keep that distinction in your specification and stock records. For other goods, ask the manufacturer to explain whether the stated life concerns unopened storage, performance or use after opening. Do not apply food date meanings automatically to cosmetics, adhesives or other products.
Ask for the basis of the shelf-life claim for the exact formulation, packaging and storage conditions being ordered. Request supporting stability or shelf-life information and clarify when the clock starts. Keep production, packing and expiry dates in separate fields, and obtain a written explanation of any coded or ambiguous date.
Verify dates against the physical batches
Before shipment, obtain a batch list showing product, quantity, production date, applicable end date and carton or pallet location. Ask for readable photographs of dates on sale units and outer packaging. Compare these with production records and check for inconsistent dates, overprinted labels or older stock mixed into the order.
Include date and batch checks in the pre-shipment inspection brief. Recalculate remaining life against the latest expected receipt date before release. At receipt, compare the physical goods with the batch list and hold discrepancies apart from available stock. Use the batch traceability guide for linking those batches to customer deliveries.
Collect storage evidence across the journey
A date photograph does not show how the goods were stored. Ask for product-specific storage instructions, factory warehouse records and evidence covering consolidation, transport and handovers. For sensitive goods, agree temperature or humidity monitoring and identify which batch travelled with each logger. Set the acceptable conditions and the response to excursions before shipping.
For food, follow the storage instructions on the label. As a purchasing control, hold affected batches when monitoring records are missing or conditions fall outside the agreed limits. Obtain a documented assessment before releasing them. Check that your receiving warehouse can maintain the specified conditions using the UK warehouse guide.
Allocate stock by expiry and customer eligibility
Make the earliest-expiring eligible batch the default pick. Eligibility should include release status, storage evidence and the customer's minimum remaining-life requirement at delivery. Receipt order alone can mislead when a later delivery contains older goods. Keep batch quantities and dates visible in the warehouse system, including when cartons are split.
Review stock against expected demand and customer date limits so slow-moving batches are identified before they become unusable for planned orders. Block held batches from picking and require recorded approval for allocation overrides. Keep short-dated stock separate for review; do not extend dates or release it merely to clear the warehouse.
Frequently asked questions
How much shelf life should remain when goods arrive?
Set a product-specific threshold covering customer requirements, stockholding and onward delivery. Name the receiving warehouse and assess each batch against its applicable end date.
Can I accept mixed expiry dates in a shipment?
Agree this before ordering. Require quantities and dates for each batch, check each against your receipt threshold, and keep the batches identifiable during storage and picking.
What proves goods were stored correctly before arrival?
Request records covering factory storage, consolidation and transport, linked to the actual batches. Date photographs alone do not establish storage conditions. Hold gaps or excursions for assessment.
Should I pick the oldest delivery first?
Pick the earliest-expiring eligible batch. Check release status and the customer's remaining-life requirement first, since the oldest delivery may contain goods with a later expiry.