- What is MealPass?? MealPass is a crowdsourced digital food donation and distribution platform. Our revolutionising management system targets local food businesses’ end-of-day unsold food providing a real-time, reliable connection between food services, charities and people in need of food relief. We rescue and donate the food that charities are unable to rescue. Yes thats right, instead of restaurants just throwing away their end of day excess unsold food, it is donated to people in need.
- How do You donate food?? After receiving your login details for your MealPass account, you can start posting the food you want to donate. You can either add a fixed daily amount of meals or you can add meals daily. It’s as easy as….
- Why is there a specified time time?? The concept is to save end of day surplus unsold food so the pickup time is usually set for a fixed window – normally just before your food service business closes. You can off course set the pick-up time to suit your business – and it doesn’t have to be the same every day.
- What do I do when customers arrive at my shop?? The customers will arrive at the pickup time set by you in the app. They will also follow any instructions that you have specified in the app. The customer will show you the on-screen receipt, which they must swipe in your presence. NOTE: It’s important that you make sure that the receipt is swiped – otherwise you wont be credited for a donation. After the receipt is swiped you give the customer the food and they will be on their way.
- What is the difference between donating end of day excess food on MealPass App and selling end of day excess food on other apps? When you donate a meal on MealPass there are no monetary transactions – extra tax benefits (receive 2 X cost price for your food) – Get 60% of your foods retail value– Deduct subscription fee as operations cost – Return Of Investment – Strong CSR which benefits your shop in the community – no City or State sales tax settlement – No tax on profit – Monthly statement for your accountant.
When you sell a meal at discounted price on a food waste app there will be monetary transaction-costs – payment fees to payment gateway providers – tax of profit – settlement statements to make for City and State tax – Risk of cannibalising your own business – No write off.
- How does MealPass help with tax deduction? The platform monitors and tracks the donated food and provides our restaurant partners with the data and documentation required by the IRS to qualify for substantial tax deductions in the $25,000 – $33,000 range per year assuming 5- 6 meals are donated each day. We find that even in cases where a restaurant has minimal food wastage at the end of the day, it makes economic sense to prepare 5 – 8 extra meals for this program so they can take advantage of the tax deduction and the social impact story.
- What is the federal tax enhancement?? Businesses that donate inventory may claim a tax deduction in the amount of the property’s basis, which is usually its cost to the business. Enhanced tax deduction provides an extra economic incentive for food donation – and is either cost price multiplied by 2 – or – cost price plus 50% of mark-up which ever is the lowest amount. More info here
- What about food safety?? When you donate food your are coverd by the Bill Emmerson “Good Samaritan Act” of 1996 more info here . The law is a Federal protection from civil and criminal liability for persons involved in the donation and distribution of food and grocery products to needy individuals.
- I forgot my my password – What to do?? Simply click on the “Forgot my password button” and you will receive all the information to your email straight away.
- I you have any further questions just contact us as soon as possible on merchant@mealpass.org.