FAQs
Can you still consume food after the best-before date?
The best-before date (BBD) specifies the date by which a food, if properly stored, can be consumed without any significant loss of taste, quality or health risk.
Since this is a best-before date and not an expiration date, the food can usually still be consumed after the specified date. We carry out regular sensory tests and repeat them constantly.
Best before date vs. use by date
Best before date
This information is a recommendation by the manufacturer. With the best-before date, the manufacturer guarantees that the food will retain exactly the same taste, crispness, color and consistency up to this point in time as it was immediately after production. In the vast majority of cases, this quality remains unchanged for months to years after the best-before date. Throwing these products away is waste!
In addition, depending on the product type, food retailers have differently strict requirements as to when the shelf contents should be replaced. For many products that are replaced by newer ones in the store, the best-before date is still months or even more than a year away. At SECEND you can buy exactly these products - the usual grocery stores define them as "too short" before the best-before date and therefore no longer sell them. However, the goods can be kept for quite a while and of course 100% edible and delicious!
As long as food is stored correctly and properly closed, it can be enjoyed even if the best-before date has passed. You can see the best before date on each of our product pages before you add the product to your shopping cart.
Use by date
This date indicates the day after which the product may be unsuitable for consumption. This marking is usually used for perishable products such as minced meat, raw chicken or fish. SECEND does not sell food that has a specific use by date.
Is it even allowed to sell expired groceries?
A best-before date is not a use-by date. It is legal to sell food that has already passed its best before date after checking whether it is palatable and indicating that it has already expired. After the expiry of the best-before date, the manufacturer of the food is no longer solely liable for the enjoyment of the products, but the person placing the product on the market has to assume a large part of the liability. Since SECEND is the distributor of expired food, we assume a large part of the liability. That's why we make 100% sure that all of our food is still edible.
It is our concern to draw attention to the fact that a large amount of still edible food is simply "wasted" if one strictly adheres to the best before dates calculated by the manufacturers.
What does SECEND do?
SECEND is a start-up that campaigns against food waste. We bring excess food back into the cycle by offering it for sale in our online shop. By working directly with producers and wholesalers, we are able to save a large amount of food and offer it to end consumers. We want to draw attention to the topic of food waste and encourage society, politics and the economy to rethink.This not only increases the appreciation of food, but also makes an important contribution to more sustainability and climate protection. We create a win-win-win situation for the environment, and win customers and our partners.
Does SECEND compete with non-profit organizations?
We would never stand in the way of a large charitable initiative that addresses socially needy people. On the contrary, they have our full support.
There is enough food in danger of being wasted. A third of all food produced is never eaten! There is enough food waste to feed the starving world population four times over. Therefore, all initiatives, non-profit organizations and even companies like ours that bring food to the market or to people in are required Bring hardship.
What is the difference between SECEND and non-profit organizations?
In a way, we are addressing the same issue as these organizations, as both are fighting food waste. But non-profit organizations help socially disadvantaged people, and we are an online shop that sells surplus groceries at good prices.
The solution to the problem lies in holistic cooperation with organizations and companies in the food industry as well as with non-profit organizations. If millions of people can consume saved food, sustainable food waste can be reduced!
Where do you get your groceries from?
We obtain our products at a fair price from a large number of different food manufacturers who had to dispose of these actually still edible products as an alternative. With this we can not only save food, but at the same time support small and large manufacturers in covering at least part of the costs that have already been incurred for the production of the food.
Have all products already passed their expiration date?
No, we don't just sell products that have exceeded their shelf life. There are many other reasons why products are no longer sold in ordinary stores and thus run the risk of being unnecessarily discarded. This can be due to the following reasons:
- Change of packaging (e.g. introducing a new color)
- Seasonal goods (e.g. Christmas or Easter sweets)
- Printing errors or incorrect labeling (e.g. a spice pack that contains black pepper but a label with " Weisser Pfeffer ”)
- Best before soon exceeded (eg pasta, which can be eaten for many years without hesitation, but which, according to the packaging, expire in a few weeks and can therefore no longer be sold in normal supermarkets)
What happens if an article that I have ordered is no longer in stock?
Since we can only "save" a certain amount of food, some products are completely saved after a short time and were therefore only in stock for a short time. Occasionally it can happen that there are products in an order that are no longer in stock. Of course, this should not normally be allowed to happen! However, if your orders contain products that are no longer available, we will cancel them from your orders and refund you the respective amount.
Some of my products no longer taste good.
In order to really only offer our customers food that is suitable for consumption, we take a number of precautionary measures.In particular, we check every batch of food we offer, depending on the ingredients, and only such batches in ours Offer online shops that are roadworthy. Unfortunately, it is not possible for us to test every single product, but rather, as written, the test is only carried out randomly. Should it ever happen that a product is not in perfect condition, please contact us at support@secend.ch
My order is damaged.
If your order was damaged during transport, we ask you to document the damage and to contact us by email support@secend.ch
The following is required for this:
- Photo of the damaged package and / or the damaged packaging- Photo of the damaged products
- Photo from above showing the contents of the package
I received the wrong product rsp. a product is missing from my order.
If your package contains a wrong or not ordered article or if one of your ordered articles is missing, please contact our customer service support@secend.ch to submit a complaint. For this we need the following information:
- Your order number- Which product (s) are missing or missing Which product (s) you received instead
- Photos of the front and back of the product that you received incorrectly
How does a refund work?
Your return will always be credited according to the payment method you selected when ordering.
How long does shipping take? When will my order be delivered?
We ship via DPD or DHL. Delivery usually takes 1-3 working days.
What payment options do I have?
You have the option to pay with Twint, PayPal or credit card. You can easily manage and change your payment options yourself in your log-in area. Simply log in with your email address and password.
Dealing with expired food
It is important that our customers treat the food we have purchased correctly (e.g., store it in a cool place if necessary), as it does with any other food that is bought anywhere. Because, of course, we cannot accept any liability for food spoilage that is not due to our behavior but to that of our customers. In general, we ask our customers to store the food particularly carefully until it is consumed due to the special circumstances of the purchase and to consume it immediately after purchase.
How can I cooperate with SECEND?
We are very happy that our concept is attracting so much interest! You can send your request to info@secend.ch and we will contact you if a cooperation could be useful.If you as a potential supplier would like to save products together with us, please send us an email to info@secend.ch
How are SECEND prices composed?
Since we purchase goods that have visual defects or have a shortened shelf life, the manufacturers offer us cheaper purchase prices compared to food retailers.Depending on how big the defects are or how close the food is before the use-by date, the prices at which we buy the products fluctuate
We would like to pass these discounts on to our customers who support us in saving food in a very transparent manner. Therefore, the discounted prices in our shop fluctuate between 20-80%, depending on how close we are to the best before date of the respective product.
Why does SECEND also sell products that are not sustainable?
We want to tackle the huge amounts of food waste and we work with all types of food suppliers, from smaller organic brands to large multinational companies.
To combat food waste, one of the most important things you can do if you want to be sustainable is not to waste what has already been produced. Greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced. And the worst emissions are those that occur in vain. Food waste alone is responsible for nearly 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. If we can lower this number, it will be of great help to our planet - even if the product itself is not the most sustainable option.
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