Templates and records · FSSC 22000 · Clause 2.5.16
FSSC 22000 food loss and waste plan
FSSC 22000 Version 6 added a new requirement: a policy and objectives to reduce food loss and waste, without putting food safety at risk.
In one sentence
The FSSC 22000 food loss and waste plan sets out the organisation's policy and objectives for reducing them, how they are measured, and the controls ensuring that products donated or sent to feed or other uses remain safe and are handled in a controlled way, as the additional requirements in clause 2.5.16 of Version 6 require.
- Where the standard requires it
- FSSC 22000 · Clause 2.5.16 Clauses beginning with 2.5 are additional requirements in Part 2 of FSSC 22000 Version 6; those of ISO 22000:2018 are explained in their own templates.
- Type of information
- Mandatory document Documented policy and objectives (FSSC 22000 v6, 2.5.16)
- Who fills it in
- Senior management with the food safety team Production and logistics provide the data
- When
- Annual review of objectives Monthly or quarterly follow-up of the indicators
- How long it is kept
- Set by the organisation ISO 22000 requires documented information to be retained without setting a period. It is sensible to cover the shelf life of the product with a margin, the applicable law and the three-year certification cycle.
What the standard requires
What FSSC 22000 demands and what it leaves to your judgement
FSSC requires a documented policy and objectives detailing the organisation's strategy for reducing food loss and waste in its own operations and, as far as it can influence it, in the supply chain.
Products that are donated, sold as by-products or sent for animal feed must be handled with controls that ensure their safety and traceability, in compliance with applicable legislation.
The requirement does not ask for a specific figure to be reached: it asks for a strategy, measurable objectives and follow-up.
Structure
Fields the template should include
- Food loss and waste policy
- Measurable objectives and deadline
- Indicators and measurement method
- Destinations: donation, by-product, feed, recovery
- Food safety and traceability controls for each destination
- Agreements with recipients
- Follow-up and review
Example
Example: objectives at a fictitious bakery plant
Company, people and figures are fictitious: the example only shows what a properly completed record looks like.
| Field | Content |
|---|---|
| Policy | Reduce waste without compromising food safety or legal compliance |
| 2026 objective | Cut production waste from 4.2% to 3.5% |
| Indicator | Kg of waste per tonne produced, measured monthly |
| Donation | Same-day bread with the correct date to a food bank, with delivery note and batch |
| Feed | Trimmings to a registered feed manufacturer |
| Control | Nothing with an undeclared allergen or a foreign body is donated or sent for feed |
| Follow-up | September: 3.8% · on track for the objective |
At the audit
Mistakes auditors commonly flag
- A declaratory policy with no objectives or indicators.
- Donations with no record of batch or recipient.
- Product that is nonconforming on safety grounds being donated.
- By-products sent for feed without checking that the recipient is registered.
- Objectives that are never reviewed.
In Kimobox
How this record is kept in Kimobox
- 1Objectives are defined with indicators fed by real production data.
- 2Donations and by-product dispatches are recorded with their batch and recipient, like any other dispatch.
- 3The disposition of nonconforming product requires a recorded decision before it can be closed.
- 4Follow-up on the objectives flows into the management review report.
Frequently asked questions
What people ask us before getting started
Is reducing waste mandatory under FSSC?
Having a documented policy and objectives and controlling where product goes is mandatory. The scheme does not set how much must be reduced.
Can nonconforming product be donated?
Only if the nonconformity does not affect food safety or legal compliance, for example a cosmetic defect. What is not safe is not donated.
What controls are required for by-products sent for feed?
That they comply with feed legislation, that the recipient is registered and that the material is kept separate from waste and contaminants. If it goes to feed, the recipient may need certification such as GMP+.
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Sources
Where each figure comes from
References to the official text in force. If a standard is revised, this page is updated and the review date says so.
- FSSC 22000 Version 6 — Scheme requirements (Part 2, additional requirements) Foundation FSSC · Published 31 March 2023
- ISO 22000:2018 — Food safety management systems ISO · 2018 ed.