Ingredient batches, use-by dates and FEFO

Also known as: ingredient traceability, batches, use-by dates, FEFO, pantry, batch control.

This is the ‘step back’ aspect of traceability: knowing exactly which batch from which supplier of each ingredient is in your kitchen, and when it expires. Here, the ingredients are your pantry raw materials (minced meat, bread, cheese, oil) — as distinct from the products you sell at the POS.

Enable this under Administration → Settings → Kitchen Traceability. A Traceability option will appear in the administration menu.

Create an ingredient

1. Open Administration → Traceability and tap New ingredient.
2. Give it a name, a base unit (g, ml or unit) and any allergens it contains (EU codes 1–14).
3. Optionally, set a low stock threshold and a default expiry date.

Receive a batch (a delivery)

1. On the ingredient page, click Receive lot.
2. Enter the quantity, the supplier’s batch code and the best-before date / use-by date (brasio distinguishes between use-by and best-before — they have different legal implications).
3. brasio generates an internal batch number and prints a FEFO date label to stick on the packaging.

Each ingredient can have several open batches at the same time, each with its own remaining quantity and expiry date.

No typing required: just take a photo of the label

Copying batch codes by hand is time-consuming and prone to errors. If you enable label scanning, take a photo of the packaging and brasio reads the batch code and date for you; you check it, enter the quantity and save. The resulting batch is identical to one created manually, but retains the photo of the packaging as proof.

You can also do this when opening the packaging during a production run, rather than upon receiving the goods — see Production Runs and Recipes.

Package cost (optional)

When creating a batch, you can specify the pack cost — what you paid for that specific container. This isn’t mandatory, but it’s what allows brasio to subsequently calculate the actual cost of each production run. See Cost prices and margins.

FEFO consumption

When stock is used (recorded as used, wastage or consumed by a batch), brasio uses the batch with the nearest expiry date (first-expiry-first-out) first and automatically moves on to the next one. It never allows a batch to go into negative stock and ignores expired or discarded batches.

Expiry and Disposal Alerts

The Expiries view lists everything that is due to expire soon or has already expired across all ingredients, so you can rotate or dispose of them before service. Discarding items requires a reason and (by default) a manager’s PIN — you can enable this for all staff in the settings. Every transaction is recorded in a chained, tamper-proof log, so that a withdrawal from the supplier can be traced accurately.