The idea of having a rotating food storage is nothing new. Simply put, it means you have a number of the same food item. The oldest item is eaten first while the newer one is shelved for later consumption. This goes for most of your food items that last a while especially canned goods. The key to keeping track of your food storage it to label each item with the month and year you purchased it. With items that are labeled you can easily tell which items are oldest and newest. You don't have to play a guessing game to find out which can of food to open first. When organized in your pantry, shelf, or closet, the oldest would be at the front of the shelf for easy access, with the newest at the back. In case you get disorganized or someone comes along and messes it up, you still have the dates on the cans so it can be re-arranged.
I'm not talking about anything fancy, although you could use a nice label maker to label them. Personally, I just use a permanent marker and write the month and year on a spot that is easily readable. Canned goods are easy because they have a silver top and a black permanent marker is visible and works great on them. It would also be best to write the date on the can itself rather than the label in case the label was ever torn off.
