FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

General

1.What is surplus food?

Food that is no longer suitable for sale but still safe to eat; Typically food that has passed its best before date but not yet passed its expiration date, e.g day-old bread.

2. Why are you not giving this food to the homeless and other people in need?

Foodsharing is unconditional in that we share our surplus food with everyone regardless of background or circumstance. Our events focus on rescuing food surplus from becoming food waste. The fact that we get a bag of free food as a consequence is a benefit of it, but not the main goal. We are here to share the food with everyone – no background checks. This means that we are not going to take it upon ourselves to check if someone is “needy enough” or is “too well-off” to save food.

Also, there are other organisations in Sweden already working on similar initiatives to support people who are food-insecure. In some cases, we are able to collaborate with organisations like these. The regulations regarding donating food to these established organisations are complicated, however, so in many cases, they can’t accept the food we have saved.

For Donors

1. If my business decides to donate, how will it work?

We set up partnerships with businesses and arrange regular times with them which will work with their schedule to pick up the food. Usually, we pick up the food once or twice a week, though this depends on how often the business would like us to come. From that “Pickup Point” (the location of the donor business), we transport the food to our “Share Points” (where we conduct food distributions). There, the food is given away to the community. All of the logistics involved are arranged by Foodsharing Stockholm. Our distributions are publicly announced in our social media channels (Facebook and Instagram) and are open for anyone who is interested in showing up.

2. Who are we giving the food to and why?

We give food to everyone and anyone! We want food to be accessible to everyone and we want to show people that food surplus is not “waste”.

3. Where do we share the food?

Currently, we share the food at our weekly Foodsharing Events at Kulturhuset Cyklopen in the south of Stockholm and biweekly distributions at Fryshuset. We also have a solidarity fridge and freezer at Blivande that will be up and running by the end of summer 2022. Our aim, however, is to increase accessibility by organising more events and solidarity fridges in different parts of the city. We therefore welcome new donors in all postcodes within the Stockholm area. 

4. Where do we store the food?

We try to ensure that the food is stored for as little time as possible before a distribution. Usually this means that we distribute the food within one to two hours of receiving it. This may change, however, as we continue to expand our operations and begin to work with more donors. If there is food that needs to be kept cool, we will use our solidarity fridges at Blivande.

4. What happens to the food after it leaves my business?

We share it in central distribution spaces which are accessible for everyone (e.g. Kulturhuset Cyklopen) and sometimes use it to create community meals (e.g. “Taste the Waste” dinners).

At this point it is important to say that according to Swedish law, no liability can be attributed to the donors regarding the donated food. Also, it is up to the donors whether they will or will not have their brands advertised at our events.

5. How do I know that your group is serious and reliable? 

Although Foodsharing Stockholm is a relatively new organisation, active since 2019, we are dedicated to being responsible, dependable and reliable, and we take our partnerships with our donors very seriously. We have started at a small and manageable scale, establishing clear standard operating procedures that are in line with food health and safety regulations.

Our current partners would be happy to share their experiences with Foodsharing Stockholm. Please reach out to us by mail if you would like us to put you in contact with them for a reference.

6. I am already collaborating with olio/karma/etc. So why should I start one with you too?

Food waste is a broad problem that requires multiple different approaches if we want to solve it. Volunteer organisations such as Foodsharing Stockholm have some more flexibility than businesses do in terms of the labour available for sorting and regulations around what we can share. This means that it is possible that you may have enough food surplus of different kinds that you would benefit from multiple collaborations.

For Foodsavers

1. Who is allowed to come and take food?

Food is available for anyone to take. With this said however, we ask that you only take what you and/or those you live with will be able to eat within a few days and that you consider the other foodsavers at the event who would also like to take food.

2. Will there be food left if I come late to a distribution?

Unfortunately, that is not possible to guarantee. The amount of food donated and the number of people attending the event varies from week to week. We therefore encourage people to come as close to the starting time as possible to avoid disappointment.

3. Can you save food for me if I want to come later?

Unfortunately not. Again, due to the fact that the amount of food donated and the number of people attending the event varies from week to week, we start the distribution at the scheduled start-time and are unable to set food aside for those who might come late. We are also a small operation that doesn’t have the capacity to check our emails and messages during a distribution to see if anyone has contacted us about coming late.

For Foodsharers

1. What kind of tasks are involved in being a volunteer? 

There are many different things that you can do as a Food Sharer!

  • Food pick-ups: This is one of the primary tasks that we always need more volunteers for. Participating in a food pick-up means coming to one of our food distributors (a grocery store, restaurant or café), sorting through the food that they have set aside for us, and transporting that food to the distribution point (i.e. a distribution event, solidarity fridge or community meal event).
  • Food distributions: This is another primary task that we always need more volunteers for. This task involves being at a distribution event, weighing the food that comes in from the pick-up, sorting through it, organizing it on the tables, collaborating with other Food Sharers about how much food can be offered to each Food Saver, being present and helpful during the entire distribution (i.e. giving out number tags to Food Savers, calling out the numbers, helping them choose their food), and finally cleaning up after the distribution.
  • Administrative tasks: These taskes include more overarching planning and organising that needs to be done. This includes things like ensuring communication between volunteers with different roles goes smoothly and making sure that the overall organisation of Foodsharing Stockholm is running properly.
  • Community Outreach: In charge of engaging the public via social media and semi-regular or one-time events/gatherings.
  • Finances: In charge of organising and managing finances and applying for funding. While we largely operate without costs, we do need to compensate drivers and pay for small costs during events, etc.
  • Design and Outreach: In charge of designing visuals, the website, and any other outreach tools they may think of.
  • Drivers: Includes all people who have access to a vehicle and are willing to drive for us. They organise amongst one another to plan for events or activities that require a car. Also good to know which Foodsharers have a driving licence to use as stand-in drivers. We currently operate by and large via public transit, but having the option to travel by car can be very helpful for large food pick-ups.

2. Do I need to attend meetings if I want to be a volunteer?

Not if you don’t want to. We welcome people to participate in any way they can/wish to. If you prefer to just help out in specific ways such as by helping at events or by conducting admin work, that’s totally fine!