Which of the following is a method of managing inventory freshness?

Managing inventory freshness is essential, especially in industries dealing with perishable goods or time-sensitive materials. The method that best supports maintaining inventory freshness is First-in, First-out (FIFO).

FIFO ensures that the oldest inventory items are used or sold first, which is crucial in minimizing waste and ensuring that products do not expire or become obsolete while sitting in storage. This method effectively supports maintaining the quality and freshness of the inventory by rotating stock, so that items with the earliest expiration dates or oldest manufacturing dates are handled first.

In contrast, Last-in, First-out (LIFO) prioritizes the most recently acquired inventory, which could lead to older items remaining in stock longer than desired, thereby compromising their freshness. Just-in-time inventory (JIT) focuses on reducing storage costs and minimizing excess inventory but doesn't specifically address the issue of product freshness in the same systematic way as FIFO. Zero-based inventory management emphasizes budgeting and requires that all inventory levels be justified for each new period, but it does not specifically address the freshness of the inventory in the same manner as FIFO.

Thus, FIFO is the most effective method among the options for managing inventory freshness, ensuring that products are utilized in the order they were received.