The date after which a product should not be sold or used
Expiry date, also referred to as shelf life or best-before date, is the date after which a product is considered unfit for sale, consumption, or use. Tracking expiry dates is critical for businesses dealing in perishable and time-sensitive goods such as pharmaceuticals, food products, cosmetics, and chemicals. In India, the Legal Metrology Act and FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) regulations mandate that all packaged food and drug products display expiry dates prominently. Selling expired products can result in heavy fines, licence cancellation, and legal action under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act or the Food Safety Act. From an inventory management perspective, expiry date tracking ensures that older stock is sold first (FIFO — First In First Out), reducing waste and financial losses from expired goods that must be written off. Businesses must also track items nearing expiry to offer clearance discounts, return them to suppliers (if agreements exist), or dispose of them properly. In a well-managed Indian pharmacy or grocery store, expiry tracking is integrated with batch management — each batch has its own manufacturing date, expiry date, and quantity. This enables precise identification of which specific stock units are expiring, rather than flagging the entire item. Effective expiry management directly impacts profitability, regulatory compliance, and customer trust.
Dr. Pharma Medical Store in Kolkata receives a batch of Amoxicillin 500mg capsules. Batch No: AMX-2024-087, Manufacturing Date: June 2024, Expiry Date: May 2026, Quantity: 500 strips, Purchase Price: Rs. 42 per strip. In February 2026, Stock Register shows an 'Expiring Soon' alert — 120 strips from this batch expire in 3 months. The pharmacist moves these strips to the front shelf for FIFO compliance and offers a 10% discount to clear them quickly. He also creates a purchase return for 30 strips that remain unsold close to expiry, as his distributor accepts returns within 3 months of expiry. The remaining expired strips are written off with a stock adjustment entry of Rs. 1,260 (30 strips x Rs. 42).
The expiry date indicates the last date a product is safe to use — after this date, the product must not be sold or consumed (common for medicines and dairy). The best-before date indicates the date until which the product retains its best quality — it may still be safe to consume for a short period after, but the quality may degrade (common for packaged foods and snacks). Under Indian regulations, both must be printed on the product packaging.
Expired stock must be removed from your sales shelves immediately. Depending on the product, you can: return it to the supplier if your distribution agreement allows returns for expired goods; dispose of it per regulatory guidelines (especially for medicines and chemicals); or write it off in your inventory system using a stock adjustment entry. The financial loss from expired stock should be recorded in your books for tax purposes. Under GST, you may need to reverse the Input Tax Credit claimed on expired goods.
Yes, in Stock Register you can configure custom alert thresholds for different items or categories. For example, you might set a 90-day advance alert for slow-moving medicines but a 15-day alert for fast-moving FMCG products like milk or bread. This ensures you receive timely and relevant notifications based on each product's sales velocity and shelf life.
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