Terms of use
Plain language, like the rest of Surplate. Last updated October 2026.
What Surplate is
Surplate puts restaurants and food banks in touch so good food is not wasted. Food banks post what they need; restaurants offer food and take requests. Surplate does not handle, transport, inspect or own any food, and it is not a party to any donation.
Who can use it
Accounts are for restaurants, food businesses and food banks or other nonprofits that distribute food, and for the people who act for them. You must be at least 18 and allowed to act for the organization you sign up. Keep your details accurate and your password to yourself.
Food safety is on the people handling the food
- A restaurant only offers food it would serve, prepared, stored and handed over according to the food safety rules that apply to it.
- Labels show ingredients, allergens and nutrition. When a photo is read to draft a label, that draft is a suggestion: the restaurant checks and confirms every ingredient and allergen before posting, and the nutrition panel is an estimate.
- A food bank inspects what it receives and decides what it can safely pass on.
- The food donation guidance in the app is general information about the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, not legal advice.
How to behave
There is no tolerance for abusive behavior or objectionable content. Do not harass, threaten or insult anyone, post anything false, misleading, hateful or sexual, send spam, sell or advertise, or pretend to be an organization you do not represent. Use order messages only to arrange the food on that order.
Every order has Report a problem. We review reports, normally within 24 hours, and remove content and close the accounts of people who break these rules. You can always cancel an order you are not comfortable with.
Your account
You can delete your account at any time from the settings menu behind your initials (see Help). We may suspend or close an account that breaks these terms or puts people at risk.
No guarantees
Surplate is offered as it is. We work to keep it running and accurate, but we cannot promise that a request will be filled, that food will arrive, or that what other people post is correct. As far as the law allows, Surplate is not liable for food that is offered, given or received through it, or for what organizations do with each other.
Changes
If these terms change, we will update this page and the date at the top. Continuing to use Surplate after that means you accept the new terms.
Contact
support@surplate.app. How we handle your data is on the privacy page.
Have somebody qualified review these terms before launch.