To ensure the safety of our community and the quality of items sold on Whatnot, we have rules and restrictions when selling food and drink. To sell fresh, perishable food items, we require sellers to be approved to sell in the Fresh & Specialty Food Category. Please see “Fresh & Specialty Food” below for more details.
Prohibited Food & Drink: The following food items are currently prohibited for sale on Whatnot:
- Alcoholic beverages
- Expired or recalled items
- Unsafe food and drink items or those that do not comply with applicable laws or regulations, including:
- uninspected meat or poultry
- wild or hunted game meats (e.g., venison, boar, elk)
- unpasteurized dairy products or juice (excluding cheese aged at least 60 days in compliance with applicable regulations)
- food or drink containing controlled substances or illegal ingredients
- food or drink that Whatnot determines, at its sole discretion, to be unsafe, non-compliant, misleading, or otherwise unsuitable for the platform
- Food or drink that violates any applicable laws, including food safety laws or regulations, including restrictions on the shipment of fresh produce to and from certain jurisdictions
- Food or drink lacking required labeling, including ingredient lists, and allergen disclosures
Fresh & Specialty Food: In order for Whatnot to be a great and trusted place to buy and sell specialty fresh food, we’ve created the Fresh & Specialty Food category for fresh meat, seafood, produce, dairy, and prepared meals. All perishable food on Whatnot must be sold in the Fresh & Specialty Food Category. See below for more details.
- Fresh & Specialty Food approval: To sell fresh, perishable items on Whatnot, sellers must be approved to sell in the Fresh & Specialty Food Category. To apply, schedule a show or list a product in the Fresh & Specialty Food Category and follow the application process. Whatnot will review your application and reply within 5-7 business days.
- US-only: To maintain a quality experience, we currently only permit the sale of perishable food within the United States.
- Best practices: Please see our Fresh & Specialty Food best practices for more on how to provide the best experience selling fresh food on Whatnot.
- Raw Meat, Raw Poultry: Raw meat or raw poultry must be USDA-inspected, with a USDA inspection seal. We prohibit the sale of uninspected, state-inspected-only, or home-processed meat.
- Seafood: To sell raw molluscan shellfish (i.e., oysters, clams, mussels, and whole scallops) sellers must be listed on the Interstate Certified Shellfish Shippers List (ICSSL) and those foods must comply with National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) guidelines.
Seller requirements:
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Food safety and compliance: Sellers are responsible for ensuring the safety of their foods sold on Whatnot, including:
- Complying with all applicable laws include food safety laws and regulations (e.g., FDA, USDA, state health departments, cottage food laws, produce quarantines)
- Complying with all labeling requirements (e.g., allergen disclosure, ingredient lists, net quantity, manufacturer information, and handling and cooking instructions for ready to cook food)
- Maintaining applicable inspection and certification requirements (e.g., USDA inspection for meat, NSSP/ICSSL for molluscan shellfish, HACCP plan as applicable)
- Maintaining appropriate temperature-controlled storage and cold-chain shipping requirements (overnight or 2-day with refrigeration/freezing as required)
- Packaging and shipping: Sellers are responsible for packaging and shipping all items to ensure the buyer receives undamaged, unspoiled items before any applicable consume-by date. See our Fresh & Specialty Foods Best Practices and UPS Shipping Guidance for more on shipping food.
- Shipping and carrier requirements: Sellers are responsible for complying with all shipping regulations and carrier requirements, including limits on dry ice or other hazardous material restrictions. In particular sellers must not use more than 5.5 pounds of dry ice if shipping their items via air.
- Food Recalls: Sellers must notify buyers and Whatnot if they become aware of any food safety issue, contamination, spoilage, or adverse event (including food-borne illness or allergic reaction) related to products sold on Whatnot.
- Compliance with all laws: Sellers are responsible for complying with all applicable laws and regulations.
- Request for further information: Sellers will provide Whatnot with applicable compliance documentation or evidence upon request.
FAQs:
What is meant by perishable or fresh food?
Fresh or perishable food includes items that are not shelf stable, which includes:
- raw or cooked meat, poultry, and seafood
- dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt) and eggs
- fresh prepared meals or ready-to-cook meals (including cooked rice or pasta, fresh soups, sauces, dressings, dips)
- fresh fruit or vegetables, including cut fruit or vegetables
- frozen foods
Shelf stable items include sealed
- dry pasta, rice, flour
- cookies, crackers, candy
- canned foods
- jams and jellies
- shelf-stable sauces
- dried spices
Can I sell fresh perishable foods on Whatnot?
- You must be approved to sell fresh perishable foods on Whatnot. To apply, schedule a show or list a product in the Fresh & Specialty Food Category and follow the application process.
- Applications will be evaluated based on a combination of factors, including seller experience, compliance requirements and overall alignment with marketplace standards.
What happens if food arrives and it is spoiled?
Whatnot takes the safety and quality of food very seriously. In order to sell perishable food on Whatnot, sellers must be approved, and we look into sellers with claims of spoiled food. Spoiled food can be the result of a shipping carrier’s error, a seller’s packaging issue or weather.
For Buyers: If your food arrives spoiled, thawed, or otherwise in a different condition than described, take photos of the item in its packaging before discarding, contact Whatnot support and message the seller as soon as possible after delivery. Spoilage can result from shipping delays, packaging issues, or weather, but we'll review the issue and work with the seller to determine what happened.
For Sellers: You're responsible for packaging items to arrive fresh and unspoiled. If we receive spoilage complaints, we may request information about your packaging and shipping practices, hold your responsible for refunds (i.e., billbacks), and/or take action against your account (e.g., removing your access to the Fresh & Specialty Foods category or all seller permissions) depending on the severity or recurrence of issues. See our Fresh & Specialty Foods Best Practices for packaging and shipping guidance.