Advancement · Community and Giving

Hand out the oldest first,
and never the formula past its date.

Log each batch as it is shelved with the kind of date on its label. The tracker counts down to each date, tells apart quality dates from the one date that is a hard stop, and keeps count of what is left after each distribution.

Add an itemWhat you get
$19one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $19

Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Development and giving kit, $39 for 19 items.

The shelf

The worked example is made up: infant formula past its use-by date, canned beans dated three weeks out with dented cans, and rice past its best-if-used-by date. Records save on this device only.

Loading the item form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Advancement · Community & Giving$19 · included with Classroom and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A record per item or batch with category, quantity, the kind of label date and the date, shelf, when and where it came from; five condition checks; how many have gone out and the plan; units on the shelf, units dated within 30 days and units past their date; flags for formula past use-by, other passed dates, dates within 30 days and condition problems.
Who it is for
School and community food pantry coordinators, volunteers who stock shelves, and family and community engagement staff who run a school pantry.
Format
Browser tracker with a saved record per item. Prints one record, the whole shelf as a table or a blank intake form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv) to share with the food bank; exports and imports a file so volunteers can hand off.
Access
$19 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Development and giving kit ($39) and the Advancement Suite pass ($99), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Community & Giving space in Caveat Advancement.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Log each batch when it is shelved, with the kind of date its label carries.
  2. Check its condition: seams, seals, distance from the floor and temperature.
  3. Before each distribution, check the flags: anything dated within 30 days goes out first.
  4. Pull anything flagged; formula past its use-by date never goes out.
  5. Update what was handed out, and export the file for the next volunteer.

Add an item

Reading the date on a label

What the date on the label meansBEST IF USED BYQuality: flavor and texture are best before this date. Not asafety date.SELL BYFor the store’s stock rotation. Not a safety date.USE BYLast date for peak quality, set by the maker.USE BY ON INFANT FORMULARequired by federal rules. After it, do not give it out.What the date on the label meansBEST IF USED BYQuality: flavor and texture are bestbefore this date. Not a safety date.SELL BYFor the store’s stock rotation. Nota safety date.USE BYLast date for peak quality, set bythe maker.USE BY ON INFANT FORMULARequired by federal rules. After it,do not give it out.
Federal rules require a date only on infant formula. Your food bank’s policy decides what you hand out after other dates.

Dates and safety

Except for infant formula, federal rules do not require dates on food, and most dates are about quality, not safety. Shelf-stable food past a best-if-used-by date can still be safe if the package is in good condition. Many food banks set their own rules for how long after a date an item can go out; follow yours.

Donors are protected

The federal Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act protects people and organizations that donate food in good faith, and the pantries that pass it on, from civil and criminal liability except for gross negligence or intentional misconduct. Careful records of condition and dates are part of good practice.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service. Food Product Dating (fsis.usda.gov).
  2. Code of Federal Regulations, 21 CFR 107.20: the use-by date required on infant formula.
  3. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Food Code, section 3-305.11: food stored at least 15 cm (6 inches) above the floor.
  4. FoodSafety.gov. Cold Food Storage Chart: refrigerator at 40°F or below, freezer at 0°F (foodsafety.gov).
  5. United States Code, 42 U.S.C. 1791: the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act.

The worked example is made up. Your food bank partner’s policies on dates and condition come first. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.