Can I refuse to collect food?
Can you refuse to collect food is there is too much of it, if it is of poor quality or against your beliefs?
- How much food can you expect to pick up at your collection?
Different stores have such different factors influencing their sales that, in short, it depends! As a Food Waste Hero, you will be collecting all unsold surplus food, so the amount you collect will vary day by day.
- Do you have to collect all the food offered during my collection?
No! We understand that collection sizes can vary from very small to very large. You should never feel pressured to take home more food than you can safely store & distribute from a collection even if it means having to leave some food behind at the store. However, you can always ask for backup on your Squad Chat if needed.
- Can you refuse products based on your religious beliefs or dietary requirements?
No. We have a lot of volunteers willing to collect all food types and refusing a type of food would result in avoidable food waste. We try to support volunteers who are vegan, for instance, but we cannot predict the types of food you will be asked to collect. We will remove your collection slots if you are refusing certain types of food and we recommend that you look for collection sites where such food won't be available (e.g. a vegan store).
- Can you refuse food past its "Use By" date or poor quality food at your collection?
Yes! You must always reject food that is past its "Use By" date. You should also inspect the food for visible signs of spoilage or damage before collecting it and, if you would not be happy to consume that food, you should reject it.
If this happens, please report this by tapping ''Report an Issue'' in My Collection Slots on the Volunteer Hub so that we can get in touch with the store to sort it out.
- Can you ask the business to split up the food more fairly?
No. Surplus food is given away as and when it comes to the end of the "Best Before" or "Use By" date, therefore we cannot ask the business to distribute it equally throughout the week and we can never guarantee the sizes of the collections.