Expiry date alerts for perishable items

Purpose

1. Immediate and proactive notification to staff or management about upcoming expiry dates of perishable stock in an African restaurant distinctively focused on indigenous cuisines.

2. Helps prevent food wastage, ensures compliance with food safety standards, and optimizes inventory utilization.

3. Enables scheduled procurement or removal procedures, supports supplier management, and maintains freshness critical for African food authenticity.

Trigger Conditions

1. Stock intake entry with recorded expiry date.

2. Daily/weekly review of stock database.

3. X days before expiry threshold (customizable, e.g., 3/5/7 days).

4. Manual override/flag by staff for priority items.

Platform Variants

1. Twilio (SMS Alert)

• Feature/Setting: SMS API; configure to trigger API to send staff an expiry notice with item details and days left.
  

2. SendGrid (Email Alert)

• Feature/Setting: Transactional templates; configure API to send automated emails to inventory managers with a list of items near expiry.
  

3. Slack (Messaging)

• Feature/Setting: Incoming Webhooks; integration posts alerts in designated inventory channel.
  

4. Microsoft Teams

• Feature/Setting: Connector; send adaptive card notifications to inventory group/team chat.
  

5. Google Sheets

• Feature/Setting: Scripted trigger; set Google Apps Script to daily scan expiry columns, then notify via email/SMS.
  

6. Notion

• Feature/Setting: Database reminders; formula and reminder integration to flag and send in-app and email reminders.
  

7. Airtable

• Feature/Setting: Automations; automate record review and trigger email/SMS actions based on expiry date field.
  

8. Trello

• Feature/Setting: Butler Automation; move expiring items to a specific board/list and send notifications.
  

9. Zapier

• Feature/Setting: Multi-step Zaps; configure trigger for expiring stock and actions for multi-platform notifications.
  

10. Monday.com

• Feature/Setting: Automations center; set condition for expiry column and automate status change and notifications.
  

11. HubSpot

• Feature/Setting: Workflows; assign milestones for food items and notify inventory managers before expiry.
  

12. Freshdesk

• Feature/Setting: Ticket automation; open alert ticket and assign to kitchen/inventory leads for urgent action.
  

13. Salesforce

• Feature/Setting: Process Builder; auto-generate tasks/reminders based on expiry date field in inventory object.
  

14. Asana

• Feature/Setting: Rules; add task and comment for items nearing expiry and notify relevant assignees.
  

15. ClickUp

• Feature/Setting: Automation; trigger alert and comment tagging inventory staff about expiring items.
  

16. Google Calendar

• Feature/Setting: Calendar Events; API creates events/reminders for each item nearing expiry.
  

17. Outlook 365

• Feature/Setting: Flow automation; scheduled email reminders for each expiry instance using Power Automate connector.
  

18. WhatsApp Business API

• Feature/Setting: Send template message alert to designated phone numbers on expiry trigger.
  

19. Discord

• Feature/Setting: Webhook integration; push expiry notifications into designated channel.
  

20. Smartsheet

• Feature/Setting: Automated workflow; send alerts based on pre-set date-driven criteria in sheet.
  

Benefits

1. Drastic reduction in waste from perishable stock spoilage.

2. Higher compliance with food safety laws and inspections.

3. Cost savings from optimized inventory rotation.

4. Support for timely reordering and supply chain management.

5. Enhanced menu consistency and freshness for African cuisine.

6. Improved accountability and streamlined communication between staff, kitchen, and suppliers.

7. Reliable documentation trail for audits and health department checks.