Monday, May 10, 2010

FIFO? What's That?

Easy to Adjust Food Storage Rotation Shelves
FIFO Can Rack

FIFO Can Racks are not as well known as the Shelf Reliance brand can racks, but are similar in use and quality.  The rack pictured above is the 72" tall model that is 36" wide and 24" deep and can hold over 500 small and medium sized cans.  Shelves that are 72" high, 36" wide and 24" deep are the largest size that either Shelf Reliance or FIFO makes.  Many of you have these type of shelves or are familiar with them.  For those that are not familiar with these shelving systems, these can racks help make storage of cans and rotation easy.

The food rotation shevles operate under the principle of First In First Out (FIFO).  The tracks are angled toward the back of the rack in a U-Shape.   You simply load your cans from the top of the track and the cans roll toward the back.  As the cans near the back of the track they slip down the back of the U, slide down the curved back and then roll forward.  The cans you put in first at the top can then be extracted first.  This helps you rotate your cans using the oldest cans first.

The FIFO can racks are actually easier to set up and adjust than the Shelf Reliance racks because of how the tracks fit into the main unit.  However,  FIFO only makes two models right now:  A 72" rack for small and medium cans and a 72" rack for #10 cans.  The small and medium can rack will hold small cans like tuna fish and green chillis, as well as soup cans, vegetable cans, fruit cans and other cans up to 36 oz cans.  The #10 can unit holds small cans up to gallon size (coffee) #10 cans.
FIFO Can Tracker

While this is the only size of can racks that FIFO makes, they do make a Can Tracker and a Mini Can Tracker.  The Can Tracker is designed to fit on pantry shelves, while the Mini Can Tracker is designed for cupboard shelves.  Both of these units can be adjusted to hold various types of small soup sized cans.

We add a board to the top of our unit and you can store food or gear on top.  If you are struggling to organize your canned food and need help with rotation, these shelves can be a great tool.