Whatnot Food & Drink Policy

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. Buyers must receive their items prior to any expiration date or best before date. 
• 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

Whatnot’s Fresh Food categories - Meat & Seafood and Specialty Food: In order for Whatnot to be a great and trusted place to buy and sell specialty fresh food, we’ve created the Meat & Seafood and Specialty Food categories for fresh meat, seafood, produce, dairy, and prepared meals. All perishable food on Whatnot must be sold in the Meat & Seafood or Specialty Food categories. See below for more details. 

• Meat & Seafood and Specialty Food category approval: To sell fresh, perishable items on Whatnot, sellers must be approved to sell in the Meat & Seafood or Specialty Food categories. To apply, schedule a show or list a product in the Meat & Seafood or 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 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:  

• 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)
• Shipping and packing temperature-controlled food: To ensure buyers receive their temperature-controlled food quickly and unspoiled, we have requirements around when and how to ship them.
  • When to ship: end-of-week shipping restrictions. To avoid weekend transit delays, sellers must not ship temperature-controlled food on Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays. If shipping on a Thursday, sellers must use 1-day shipping, or wait until the following Monday if using 2-day shipping. This does not apply if the seller’s carrier confirms Saturday or Sunday delivery. 

  • How to ship: temperature-controlled shipping method. Sellers are responsible for shipping their temperature-controlled food items quickly to ensure the buyer receives unspoiled items at a safe and expected temperature before any applicable consume-by date. Whatnot recommends that sellers ship their items using the quickest option where possible, with specific requirements for live or fresh seafood (see table below).

    Fresh and live seafood (not frozen) Including fresh and live lobster, oysters, crabs, scallops, shrimp.	1-day shipping required
    Refrigerated food Refrigerated prepared meals (cooked and uncooked), fresh meat, dairy, cheese, deli meat, refrigerated desserts or pastries	1 or 2-day shipping required
    Frozen Frozen meat & seafood, frozen meals, frozen desserts.	1 or 2-day shipping required

  • How to pack - temperature controlled packaging:  Sellers are responsible for packaging all items to ensure the buyer receives undamaged, unspoiled items at a safe and expected temperature before any applicable consume-by date. When determining the appropriate packing materials, sellers must take into account their shipping method and include enough coolants to cover transit time plus additional 24-hour buffer period in case of delays. Depending on the product, we recommend the following when packing perishable food items. See also UPS guidance.  
    • Insulation: Sellers must use appropriate insulation to maintain the required temperature range as needed (e.g., EPS [expanded polystyrene] foam coolers, insulated corrugated boxes).
    • Coolant: Sellers must use appropriate coolants depending on the food item: 
      • Frozen products: Dry ice or gel packs rated for sub-zero temperatures to maintain items frozen for the full transit window plus a 24-hour buffer period (ensure you comply with carrier requirements, in particular sellers must not use more than 5.5 pounds of dry ice when shipping their items via air).
      • Refrigerated products: Gel packs frozen at time of packing sufficient to maintain a safe temperature for the full transit window plus a 24-hour buffer. 
      • Cool/Chilled products: Gel packs or phase-change materials appropriate for the target temperature range for the full transit window plus a 24-hour buffer period
    • Protection and Sealing: Sellers must pack items securely to prevent movement and damage, use cushioning materials as needed, and seal products properly to prevent leakage or contamination.
    • Packaging labeling: Sellers should clearly mark packages as perishable and temperature-sensitive.
• Shipping and carrier requirements: Sellers are responsible for complying with all shipping regulations and carrier requirements, including limit and labeling requirements for dry ice or other hazardous material restrictions. See also UPS guidance.  
• 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.
• Food Shipping Conditions: When selecting food shipping conditions, sellers must pick the condition that describes their food product’s temperature state when shipped and how it is expected to arrive.
  • Ships Live: Food product is shipped live, e.g., live lobster, oysters, clams, mussels, and other shellfish (around 35–40°F / 2–4°C). Do not freeze, do not seal airtight, and do not submerge in fresh water.
  • Ships Frozen: Food product packed to arrive frozen solid (0°F / -18°C). Use this condition when you are packaging to keep the product fully frozen through delivery, e.g., ice cream, frozen meat and poultry, frozen seafood.
  • Ships Frozen (may thaw): Food product shipped frozen that may arrive partially thawed but still cold (at or below 40°F / 4°C (ideally still containing ice crystals). Use this condition when partial thaw is acceptable but the item must still arrive cold and safe. e.g., frozen meat and poultry, frozen prepared meals.
  • Ships Refrigerated: Food product requiring refrigeration, shipped cold and arriving at or below 40°F / 4°C, e.g., cheese, fresh meat, eggs, refrigerated prepared meals.
  • Ships Fresh: Food product that does not require temperature control for safety, but is kept at highest quality with some cooling and protective packaging. This condition is only for foods that are safe at room temperature for their expected shelf life e.g., fresh-baked bread, most pastries, whole produce, and similar items best consumed soon after delivery. Any item that must be kept cold in order to be safely consumed belongs in Ships Refrigerated or Ships Frozen. 
  • Shelf-stable: Food product that is shelf-stable with no temperature control requirements, e.g., canned goods, properly canned or acidified foods, jarred preserves, jams, honey, sauces, dried pasta and beans, spices, teas, and shelf-stable baked goods.
  • When a product could reasonably fit two conditions, choose the condition with the stricter temperature control.

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 Meat & Seafood or Specialty Food categories 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 Meat & Seafood and Specialty Food categories or all seller permissions) depending on the severity or recurrence of issues.  See our Fresh Foods Best Practices for packaging and shipping guidance.