Import & Export Format

Before It's Gone can export your inventory to JSON or CSV, and import from either format. This page documents the exact structure expected for each.

JSON

Exporting

The app exports a single JSON object with three top-level keys:

{
  "version": 1,
  "exportedAt": "2026-05-18T14:30:00.000Z",
  "items": [ ... ]
}

Item object

Full example

{
  "version": 1,
  "exportedAt": "2026-05-18T14:30:00.000Z",
  "items": [
    {
      "id": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
      "name": "Whole Milk",
      "quantity": 2,
      "location": "fridge",
      "barcode": "5000112637922",
      "expiresAt": "2026-05-25T23:59:59.000Z",
      "shelfLifeDays": 10,
      "createdAt": "2026-05-15T08:00:00.000Z",
      "updatedAt": "2026-05-15T08:00:00.000Z",
      "category": "dairy",
      "depletionThreshold": 1,
      "tags": ["organic", "fridge-door"],
      "recurring": true,
      "restockQuantity": 2
    },
    {
      "id": "b2c3d4e5-f6a7-8901-bcde-f12345678901",
      "name": "Penne",
      "quantity": 3,
      "location": "pantry",
      "barcode": null,
      "expiresAt": "2027-12-31T23:59:59.000Z",
      "shelfLifeDays": 730,
      "createdAt": "2026-05-10T10:00:00.000Z",
      "updatedAt": "2026-05-10T10:00:00.000Z",
      "category": "pasta",
      "depletionThreshold": null,
      "tags": [],
      "recurring": false
    }
  ]
}

Importing

The importer reads the items array from inside the { version, exportedAt, items } envelope. Items missing an id or name are silently skipped. If you re-import a file that was previously exported, existing items with matching id values are overwritten in place rather than duplicated.

Tip: JSON import is best for full backups and restores. Use CSV import when adding items from a spreadsheet.

CSV

Exporting

The exported CSV uses the following fixed column order:

name,quantity,location,barcode,expiresAt,category,tags,shelf_life_days,depletion_threshold,createdAt

• Values that contain commas are double-quoted.
• barcode, category, shelf_life_days, and depletion_threshold are empty strings when not set.
• expiresAt is a date-only string (YYYY-MM-DD); createdAt is a full ISO 8601 timestamp.
• tags is a semicolon-separated list (e.g. organic;bulk); empty string if none.

Note: CSV export omits id, recurring, restockQuantity, and per-item photos. Use JSON export for a complete, lossless backup.

Example export

name,quantity,location,barcode,expiresAt,category,tags,shelf_life_days,depletion_threshold,createdAt
"Whole Milk",2,fridge,5000112637922,2026-05-25,dairy,organic;fridge-door,10,1,2026-05-15T08:00:00.000Z
Penne,3,pantry,,2027-12-31,pasta,,730,,2026-05-10T10:00:00.000Z
"Free-range Eggs, 6pk",6,fridge,5010029005120,2026-06-01,eggs,,21,2,2026-05-18T09:00:00.000Z

Importing

The CSV importer accepts any column order and a wider set of column names. Column headers are case-insensitive.

Column reference

Date formats

The importer accepts all of the following formats for expires_at. The time portion is always normalised to end-of-day UTC automatically — you never need to write a timestamp yourself.

Note: Slash and dash formats with a 4-digit year at the end (e.g. 6/1/2026) are treated as MM/DD/YYYY. Use YYYY-MM-DD to avoid ambiguity.

Rows that are skipped

A row is skipped (counted in the "X rows skipped" status message) if:

• name is empty or missing
• expires_at / expiresat is empty, missing, or not a parseable date
• location is not one of fridge, freezer, pantry
• The entire row throws an unexpected parse error

Skipped rows do not cause the import to fail; the rest of the file continues to be processed.

Example import file

name,quantity,location,expires_at,barcode,category,shelf_life_days,tags,depletion_threshold
Whole Milk,2,fridge,2026-05-25,5000112637922,dairy,10,organic;fridge-door,1
Penne,3,pantry,2027-12-31,,pasta,730,,
"Free-range Eggs, 6pk",6,fridge,2026-06-01,5010029005120,eggs,21,,,2
Frozen Peas,4,freezer,2027-03-01,,vegetables,365,bulk,

Tip: When creating a CSV by hand or from a spreadsheet, use YYYY-MM-DD for expires_at and separate multiple tags with semicolons (not commas).

Format comparison

For a lossless round-trip (export → edit → re-import), always use JSON. CSV export omits id, recurring, restockQuantity, and photos. CSV import creates new item IDs and timestamps.

Barcode import

The Import barcodes (.txt) button in the Data section accepts a plain text file with one barcode per line:

5000112637922
5010029005120
3017620429484

For each barcode the app:

1. Queries Open Food Facts for the product name, category, and nutritional info.
2. Creates a new inventory item using your default shelf life and default storage location from Settings.
3. Saves the nutritional profile (kcal/100g, allergens) to the barcode profile store.

A progress bar tracks enrichment. Barcodes that Open Food Facts does not recognise are still imported, using the raw barcode string as the item name.

Note: Barcode import always creates new items with new UUIDs. It does not deduplicate against existing inventory.