FreshFolio is a food expiration tracker for iPhone and Android that keeps track of what's in your fridge, freezer, and pantry. Point your camera at the "Best By" date on a package, pick it from a date picker, or type it in. FreshFolio then alerts you before the food expires, so you can cook it before it becomes waste.
How expiration tracking works in FreshFolio
- Add the item. Scan its barcode to fill in the product name, brand, and category, or search your catalog by name.
- Capture the date. Tap the camera icon next to the expiration date field and point it at the "Best By" or "Exp" date. FreshFolio reads it with OCR. If the date doesn't come out clear, type it or pick it instead.
- Skip it if you want. Leave the date blank and FreshFolio estimates one from the product's shelf life or its category's default, and shows which estimate it used. It's an approximation, not the printed date.
- Get alerted. Choose a 3, 5, or 7-day heads-up in Settings → Notifications. When you open the app, FreshFolio checks for anything inside that window and groups it into one notification per pantry.
- Mark items opened. Milk, sauces, and other foods spoil faster once opened. Mark a lot opened and FreshFolio shortens its expiration date to match its post-open shelf life.
Every purchase keeps its own date
FreshFolio tracks each purchase of a product as a separate lot. Buy milk twice in one week and you get two lots, each with its own expiration date, so an old carton never hides behind the new one's date.
Then use it up
An alert is only useful if you act on it. FreshFolio Pro can generate recipes from your pantry, and you choose which items to send: each one shows how soon it expires, so you can steer the recipe toward what needs using first. What Can I Cook? checks your saved recipes against what you have in stock. More on recipes from expiring food →
Which plan includes this? Expiration tracking, OCR date scanning, and alerts are included in both Standard and Pro. AI recipe generation requires Pro. Every new account starts with a 30-day free trial of Pro, no credit card required. Compare plans →
Alerts are based on the date recorded in the app, which may be an estimate or a mistyped date. FreshFolio does not monitor how food is actually stored. When in doubt, throw it out. Never rely on the app alone to decide whether food is safe to eat.
Frequently asked questions
How do I scan an expiration date with FreshFolio?
When adding or editing a lot, tap the camera icon next to the expiration date field and point your camera at the "Best By" or "Exp" date. Formats like "12/31/2026" or "DEC 31 2026" are recognized automatically. Good lighting helps. Always confirm the detected date matches the package before saving.
What if the expiration date isn't detected?
Type it, pick it from the date picker, or leave it blank and add it later from Item Details. A blank date is estimated from your own override for that item, the catalog item's shelf life, the category's default, or a 14-day app default, in that order.
When does FreshFolio send expiration alerts?
When the app starts or returns to the foreground, it checks for items expiring within your chosen window of 3, 5, or 7 days (5 by default). The check runs at most once every 6 hours. FreshFolio also notifies you when an item drops below the Safety Stock level you set.
Does FreshFolio track food after it's opened?
Yes. Swipe left on a lot and tap Mark Opened. If the post-open shelf life is shorter than the original date, the expiration date is shortened and the lot card shows the date it was shortened from.
Read the full Expiration Tracking guide →
