Food Pantry Freshness Planner
Add your fridge, freezer, and pantry items once and get a live countdown to each expiry date. The list sorts by urgency so you always know what to eat first. Storage life estimates come from USDA FoodKeeper data. Nothing uploaded.
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Your pantry - sorted by urgency
Storage life quick reference (USDA FoodKeeper)
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Freezer
Pantry
Shelf-life tracking and expiry urgency
Understanding shelf-life and expiry calculations
Food storage life varies dramatically by item and storage method. The USDA FoodKeeper database provides science-backed guidelines: raw chicken lasts 2 days refrigerated but 9 months frozen; milk lasts 7 days open in the fridge; honey lasts indefinitely in the pantry. This tool stores your items in browser memory (nothing uploaded). When you add an item with a purchase date and shelf-life days, the app calculates expiry date and counts down remaining days automatically. The list re-sorts each day as expirations approach, putting items closest to expiry at the top.
Interpreting urgency bands and waste prevention
Items are color-coded by urgency: green (ok, 8+ days left), yellow (soon, 1-7 days left), red (expired, 0+ days past). The 7-day warning threshold gives you a full week to incorporate an item into your meal plan before it spoils. This preventive approach reduces food waste by surfacing items you might forget about in the back of the fridge. The eat-first queue keeps your most perishable items visible, encouraging you to prioritize them in cooking. For frozen items, the storage life is much longer, giving you a false sense of safety - the app reminds you that even frozen food degrades over time and tastes better fresh.
FAQ
How does shelf-life tracking calculate urgency?
This tool uses USDA FoodKeeper data for storage life estimates (e.g., raw chicken lasts 2 days in the fridge, 9 months frozen). You enter a purchase date and storage location (fridge, freezer, pantry). The app calculates days remaining until expiry and assigns urgency: 'soon' (7 days or less), 'expired' (negative days), or 'ok'. Items marked 'soon' float to the top of the list so you use them first. The countdown updates live as the day changes.
What do the urgency bands mean?
Green (ok): Item has more than 7 days left before expiry - no rush to use it. Yellow (soon): 7 days or less remaining - eat this soon to avoid waste. Red (expired): The expiry date has passed - do not consume. The threshold at 7 days gives you a full week to work an item into your meal plan.
How accurate is the storage life data?
Storage times come from USDA FoodKeeper, which are conservative estimates based on food safety science. Actual shelf life depends on packaging quality, temperature consistency, and humidity. Hard cheese may last much longer than 6 months if well-stored. Conversely, raw chicken may spoil faster if your fridge runs warm. Use these numbers as guidelines; trust your senses (smell, appearance, texture) as the final arbiter of safety.