Peel off the label and send that back. As for destruction, there's the easy option of making the expiration untradable (marker or alcohol) so anyone opening it doesn't know what's inside or if it's good, and the more time consuming option of puncturing it (this option would work on most food items). Working at a grocery store, if the outer packaging of an item is damaged by a tear or even a dent, nobody will buy it unless it's the only one left and they're desperate, even if the contents are in a stronger inside container (microwave meals, cereal, multipacks, etc). I was asked to replace an item for someone once because the package coloring was off. Cosmetically damaged product sits on the shelf until it gets scanned out, and customers only touch it to move it so they can get the item behind.

Most products in stores today that aren't sold in bulk have a bar code on the packaging, which can be sent back as symbolic proof the item was "destroyed" (about as meaningful as the; for smaller objects, send back the entire front of the package.

I'm not saying this is a good idea. (I think this is a terrible idea, and that we create too much waste already) I'm just saying it's entirely possible.