Operator glossary
Expiration-dated FBA rules
The shelf-life regime for consumables in FBA — arrive with enough dated runway, get pulled automatically as expiry approaches, and label dates the way the machines read them.
FBA requires expiration-dated products to arrive with a minimum remaining shelf life (90+ days is the working rule) and automatically flags units as unsellable as they approach expiry (around the 50-days-remaining mark), routing them toward removal or disposal. Date formats and placement on the carton and unit are specified — misprinted dates strand inventory at receiving.
Inventory planning inherits the math: sellable window = shelf life − inbound transit − the protected tail. Supplements and food brands live by lot rotation, smaller more frequent replenishment, and treating slow-moving dated stock like the melting asset it is.
The numbers
- Working rules: arrive with 90+ days of shelf life; units auto-flag unsellable near the ~50-day mark.
- Date format and label placement are specified per unit and carton; violations strand stock at receiving.
Related terms