Basics

Foodsharing is a project based on the idealism and good will of its members. That’s why it is really hard for us to get the right balance between an easy-going attitude and professionalism. We do not want to discourage anybody due to bureaucratic conditions but we also do not want to make anybody think this project is actually just a big joke without any serious structure and organization. The more people we attract, the more important general rules become, which set the framework for the cooperation among our members and clearly state what is not okay. That’s why it is really important to report any violations immediately! Violation reports are never published; the whole process is anonymous and the reported person does not know, that you reported him or her, if you do not directlytell them yourself (which you should actually do!). It is not about denigrating somebody but to point out possible problems and to solve them quickly. We really appreciate users who report their own violations - even the little ones!

This system works extraordinarily well: In the first two years there were only about 200 reports of violations in spite of tens of thousands of pick-ups at more than 800 cooperating stores, and about half of them are from people who did more than one violation. The majority of all the volunteers is working perfectly harmoniously! In order to keep it that way, we want to communicate no-goes as transparently and precisely as possible, so that everybody knows how better not to behave.

The rules listed below rose up from bad experiences and don’t have to be permanent for ever. As our community is growing steadily, the rules are reworked as well.

But: The rules listed here are significant at the moment!

Not to act according to these rules is a violation!

If you notice any violation (commited by either yourself or someone else), please report it immediately!

Current rules

Food offered in food baskets has to be for free!
No risky food with expired use-by date is allowed to be to be offered in food baskets! These offers have to be deleted by the team when spotted.
Food saved by Foodsavers has to be fairshared! It is not okay to sell it or throw it away as it is against our basic principles!
People who sign up for pick-ups have to show up on time or find a replacement coming from the foodsharing team!
People who don’t sign up for pick-ups are not allowed to carry them out! (but for cases when it’s communicated, e.g. as replacement for a sick Foodsaver who had signed up before.)
Be polite and respectful to the cooperating partners!
In presence of the cooperating partners the team has to behave in a polite and respectful manner also within the team!
All the food provided for the pick-up has to be taken!
It is not allowed to take food that is not explicitly intended for being picked up!
The location of the pick-up has to be clean and tidy when the Foodsavers leave!
Empties from pick-ups have to be refunded or brought back!
Cancelling pick-up dates over and over again can end in a violation.
Cumulative disregard other Foodsavers’ contactings can end in a violation.

Legal limbo and regional differences

There are still some legal limbos, even if we try to eliminate arbitrariness as much as possible, and that is alright. We are a community of people who is made up by a lot of small groups that have their own behavioral patterns. So it is up to the local team, how strictly a rule is applied in real life. The most important element, which produces understanding and fructuous cooperation, is communication. Talk to other active people in your region! Find out, how they tick, what they consider to be no-goes and what is okay to them! This way you are on the safe side and additionally you might even find some new friends… :)
In the long run it would be good to have some subpages on the wiki which list regional differences. It is always good to know such details! So, if you know how things are handled in your hood, please let us know!

Violations and consequences

If a violation is reported, a subgroup of the Orgateam receives an email with the task to take care of it. Depending on the severity of the violation, there are three different sanctions:

The warning
The warning is in written form and indicates that there is going to be a yellow card for the next report of the same kind. The Foodsaver has to be informed in written from about the reasons why his behavior is unallowable. The ambassador declares this warning after (s)he got informed by the store coordinator.
The yellow card (6 weeks suspension)
The verification is removed and the Foodsaver gets a 6-week time-out. This is communicated in written form and a copy is sent to verstossmeldungen@foodsharing.de (for Germany). The yellow card is declared by the ambassador. After the time-out, the respective Foodsaver needs to message the ambassador and ask for re-entry. He or she is then unlocked (without having to do the quiz again).
The red card (6 month suspension, then complete new start)
The account is deleted and the Foodsaver is informed in written form. The Foodsaver can re-sign in after 6 month and has to start from the beginning with the training pick-ups. The red card is declared after a detailed investigation and when the Ambassador initiated to do so.

When follows which consequence?

Of course you will not be excluded after one missed pick-up. There are more or less severe violations and a really grave case can have the same consequence as a lot of smaller cases. You can see how we handle the violations in the following chart. “To expire” means, the counter “Frequency and following consequence” is resetted after the according time (but the report stays and is still visible). After every new violation the expiration time starts from the beginning (e.g. the countdown of 8 weeks starts right after the second delay which happened 6 weeks after the first one).

Kind of violation	Frequency and following consequences	Time to expire
Was late for a pick-up	1x inquiry 2x warning 3x yellow card	Expires after 8 weeks, when there are no additional reports
Didn't show up for a pick-up	1x warning 2x yellow card 3x red card	Expires after 12 month, when there are no additional reports
Behaved impolite or disrespectful	Has to be decided by the store coordinator or ambassador; depends on severity	Expires after 12 month, when there are no additional reports
Left the pick-up location in a messy state	1x warning 2x yellow card 3x red card	Expires after 6 month, when there are no additional reports
Behaved unsocial during a pick-up	1x warning 2x yellow card 3x red card	Expires after 12 month, when there are no additional reports
Behaved greedy or pushy	Has to be decided by the store coordinator or ambassador; depends on severity	Expires after 12 month, when there are no additional reports
Addressed reproaches	Has to be decided by the store coordinator or ambassador; depends on severity	Expires after 12 month, when there are no additional reports.
Took food not intended to be picked up	Has to be decided by the store coordinator or ambassador; depends on severity	Expires after 12 month, when there are no additional reports
Did not return empties	1x inquiry/warning 1x yellow card 2x red card	Expires after 24 month, when there are no additional reports
Cancelled pick-ups on short term	1x inquiry 2x warning 3x yellow card	Expires after 12 month, when there are no additional reports
Ignores calls and messages	Has to be decided by the store coordinator or ambassador; depends on severity	Expires after 3 month, when there are no additional reports
Didn't pick up all that was intended to be picked up	1x inquiry 2x warning 3x yellow card	Never expires
Went to or tried to pick up food when there were no appointments	1x yellow card 2x red card	Never expires
Sold saved food	1x yellow card 2x red card	Never expires
Violated other rules (miscellaneous)	Has to be decided by the store coordinator or ambassador; depends on severity	Expires after 12 month, when there are no additional reports

What does it mean to have “no relevant violations”?

For some status upgrades there is the requirement to have “no relevant violations”. This means that we know Foodsavers are only human, it is great that they volunteer for a good cause so it’s alright to make little mistakes like missing a Pick-up or to say something not all too well thought-through once in a while. So people who participate in foodsharing long-term and take the report of every little violation very serious, will probably get some. But if these are only little violations which can easily be explained it is not severe.

Relevant violations would be such which suggest non-existent identification with the foodsharing background, bad teamwork or a general lack of responsibility. For example to sell saved foods, frequent usage of disagreeable manners or permanent short-term cancellations of Pick-ups.

What to do if I feel treated unfairly?

Tell your Ambassador about the problem and talk to them. If this did not work out, write a message to verstossmeldungen@lebensmittelretten.de (for Germany).