Freshness first: Upholding our Minimum Life on Receipt (MLOR) standards
*Applicable to Fresh Trade Partners only (excluding Fruit and Veg).
At Woolworths, our “Fresh Food People” promise isn’t just a slogan — it’s a commitment to our customers that every item in their basket meets the highest standards of quality and longevity. To ensure we deliver on this, we are refocusing on our Minimum Life On Receipt (MLOR) standards.
Maintaining these standards is a joint effort. When we get MLOR right, we reduce food waste, increase customer confidence, and protect the reputation of the brands on our shelves.
What are the MLOR Standards?
| Article Origin | Minimum Life Standard |
| Locally Produced | At least 75% of maximum shelf life |
| International | At least 50% of maximum shelf life |
The math in motion: If a local product has a total shelf life of 20 days, it must have at least 15 days remaining when it arrives at our Distribution Centre (DC).
Why the focus now?
A recent review of our network data shows that many registered MLOR dates have drifted away from these core standards. We’ve also seen an increase in “one-off” exceptions at the DC gates.
While we recognise that stock rejections are disruptive for everyone, upholding these standards is the only way to ensure the end customer receives the quality they expect. To create a level playing field and prioritise freshness, we are moving toward a more standardised approach.
What’s changing?
Starting in February, we will be conducting a central review of article master data.
- Data alignment: We will be adjusting article settings to align with the 75% (local) or 50% (international) standards where no formal variation agreement currently exists.
- Reduced exceptions: Following this data reset, our intention is to significantly minimise the approval of MLOR breach requests.
How you can prepare
We value the transparency of our partnerships and want to ensure this transition is smooth for your operations. We recommend the following steps:
- Internal review: Ensure your production and logistics teams are aligned with the 75% / 50% benchmarks.
- Verify master data: Double-check that your current life-on-receipt specs match our standard requirements.
- Open dialogue: If you believe there are reasonable grounds for a variation to the standard for a specific product, please reach out to your Category Manager directly.
Thank you for your continued support in putting our customers first and ensuring that only the freshest products make it to their homes.
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