Guide
Food labels: what to put on a delivery or prep label
A label should let anyone in the kitchen answer three questions without asking: what is it, when did it arrive or get made, and when must it be used or thrown away. On a delivery label add the supplier and the batch so you can find the source. On a prep label add who made it. Write dates day first, for example 21/10/2026.
Field by field
| Field | Delivery label | Prep label | Why it is there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product name | Yes | Yes | Nobody should have to guess what is in the tub |
| Supplier | Yes | Not applicable | Shows where it came from |
| Batch or lot | Yes | Where you give batches a number | Lets you find the source if there is a problem |
| Date and time received or prepared | Received | Prepared | Starts the clock on how long it has been stored |
| Use-by | The supplier's date, or yours if you change the packaging | Set by your plan | Tells the next person when to stop using it |
| Who | Initials of the person who received | Initials of the person who made it | Someone can be asked if the label is unclear |
| Allergens and storage | Usually on the supplier's pack | Where the prepared food contains allergens, or needs specific storage | Requirements apply to food you sell, so check them |
Use-by and best-before are not the same
A use-by date is about safety: after it, the food should not be used. A best-before date is about quality: after it the food may be less good but is not necessarily unsafe. On your own labels, use "use-by" for food that should not be used after a date, which is most chilled prepared food, and make sure the date is one your plan can support.
Delivery labels
A delivery label works because it records the information that exists only at the moment of delivery: who supplied it, which batch, when it came, and its use-by date. Without it, six hours later nobody knows which of the three boxes of chicken is the older one. The label should be stuck on what you keep, not only on the outer box that gets thrown away, so decant carefully: if you move food into a new container, move the label information with it.
Prep labels
A prep label starts a new clock. The date and time the food was made, plus the use-by from your plan, tell the next shift how long it has left. For anything made from several ingredients, the label also helps with allergens, which is why many kitchens list them on the container. How long prepared food can be kept is decided in your plan, and check the current requirements with your competent authority.
Good habits
- One format everywhere. If every label looks the same, the eye finds the date in a second.
- Legible and waterproof. A marker on tape that smears in the cold room is a label nobody can read in a week.
- Label at the moment of putting away, not at the end of the shift.
- Re-label when you open or decant. The original date may not apply once the pack has been opened. Your plan should say what the new date is.
- Throw away on the date. A label no one acts on is decoration.
Handwritten or printed
Handwritten labels work if people write all the fields every time. In practice, a busy team writes the product and skips the batch. A printed label fills all fields from the delivery record, is readable, and takes the same number of seconds. With Temperature Intelligence, ProOps prints the delivery label on a label printer in the kitchen: product, supplier, batch, received date and time, use-by. It comes from the same record as the temperature reading, so the label and the reading cannot disagree. See how restaurants use it.
See a printed delivery label. The demo shows the label that comes from a receiving record, with sample data from a fictional hotel.
Book a demoQuestions
Do I have to label everything in the kitchen?
Labelling food that is stored, decanted or prepared ahead is common good practice. What is required for your business depends on your plan and the rules that apply. Check the current requirements with your competent authority.
What is the difference between use-by and best-before?
Use-by is a safety date: do not use the food after it. Best-before is a quality date. Use-by is the one to put on food that must not be used after a date.
Can I use handwritten labels?
Yes, if every field is filled in every time and it stays legible in cold and damp conditions. A printed label makes that easier.
The supplier's label is already on the box. Do I still need my own?
If you keep the food in the original pack with the supplier's label visible, that may cover the supplier, batch and use-by. If you decant, or if the box is thrown away, your own label needs the same information, plus the date and time received.
What does a ProOps delivery label show?
Product, supplier, batch, received date and time, and use-by.
See it on your own checks.
A 20-minute call. We set up your checklists, tickets, audits and machines in a demo account and walk through them with you.
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