FMCG distributors seek national SOP for disposal of damaged, expired food products

AICPDF has urged the Health Ministry and FSSAI to mandate batch-wise tracking, collection and certified destruction of damaged and expired FMCG food products, with manufacturers retaining primary responsibility for disposal.

— Source publishedWed, 2 Sept, 2026, 16:34 IST·First seen Wed, 2 Sept, 2026, 18:08 IST·Source NDTV Profit

What happened

AICPDF has urged the Health Ministry and FSSAI to mandate a national SOP for batch-wise tracking, collection and certified destruction of damaged and expired FMCG food products, with manufacturers retaining primary disposal responsibility.

Key facts

  • 90 days
  • 1.5 lakh kg
  • Rs 75 lakh
  • Sept. 2

Why this matters

Evaluate partnerships or acquisitions in food-waste collection, certified destruction and supply-chain traceability to address a potentially formalized compliance need.

What to watch

  • FSSAI consultation paper, draft regulation or advisory specifying responsibility for expired packaged-food collection and destruction.
  • Health Ministry response to AICPDF or formation of a joint industry-regulator working group.
  • Mandatory digital batch tracking, QR-code traceability or retention requirements in food-distribution rules.
  • Large FMCG companies issuing revised distributor contracts, expiry-return policies or reverse-logistics tenders.
  • Reported food-safety raids or prosecutions involving relabelled, resold or improperly discarded expired products.
  • Announcements from waste-management firms on certified destruction capacity and FMCG collection partnerships.
  • FMCG manufacturers are likely to tighten distributor agreements on expiry returns, inventory rotation, retailer buybacks and proof-of-destruction requirements.
  • Distributors may demand shorter replenishment cycles, lower minimum-order quantities and automated credit notes for near-expiry and damaged stock.
  • ERP, barcode/QR traceability, warehouse-management and reverse-logistics providers could see increased demand for batch-level ageing and recall workflows.
  • Certified waste handlers and co-processing/incineration vendors may pursue partnerships with FMCG firms and distributor networks.
  • Smaller distributors may consolidate purchasing or exit categories with high expiry risk if working-capital lockup and compliance costs rise.
  • Manufacturers may redesign pack sizes, reduce channel inventory days and expand data-driven replenishment to lower write-offs.