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Date labels

Date labels are the stickers you put on stock to show when it must be used by, when it should be defrosted by, or when it was opened. They are the operational artifact behind the SFBB Stock Control safe method and a core part of running a first-in-first-out kitchen.

You will find them at /safety/labels under the Date labels tab, and on the Team App for printing from the floor.

What you can print​

Three label kinds, all rendered through the same preset library as PPDS labels:

  • Use-by - "use by Friday 9 May" stickers for cooked or opened ready-to-eat stock.
  • Defrost-by - for items moved from freezer to fridge that need to be used within a defined window.
  • Opened-on - for jars, containers, and packs whose shelf life starts from the moment of opening.

Each label is rendered to the same preset library as PPDS labels, so the same Avery sheet, the same printer, and the same paper stock work for both flows.

Printing from the web​

From the Date labels tab on /safety/labels:

  1. Choose the label kind.
  2. Set the date - SafetyBrik defaults to a sensible value based on the kind (use-by tomorrow, opened-on today).
  3. Optionally add a free-text item name and the staff member who prepared it.
  4. Choose a preset and the number of copies.
  5. Click Render PDF.

The browser opens the PDF inline so you can send it straight to the printer.

Printing from the Team App​

The Team App exposes the same date-label flow, designed for staff to print from a phone or tablet on the floor. The flow is intentionally short - kind, date, copies, print - because it is used many times a day during prep.

The Team App route is the recommended surface for kitchen staff. The web route is there for managers setting things up at the start of service or printing in bulk.

What date labels are not​

Date labels are an operational artifact, not a regulated declaration. Unlike PPDS labels, they do not write a per-print audit row, and they do not require an allergen review. The point is to get the right sticker on the right tub at the right time, with as little friction as possible.

If you also want centralised tracking of opened-on dates, expiry alerts, or first-in-first-out enforcement at inventory level, that belongs to CostingBrik / StockBrik and is separate from the labelling artifact here.

Cross-references​