This Partner & Product Policy sets out who may sell on ecomealz, how Partners are reviewed and approved, and what may — and may not — be listed as a "Surprise Bag". ecomealz operates an online surplus-food marketplace: licensed restaurants, bakeries, and cafés (our "Partners") list their unsold, end-of-day food at a discount, and ecomealz provides the platform that connects them with customers for in-person pickup. ecomealz is an intermediary and is not the seller of the food — the Partner is.
This policy also serves as our prohibited-categories and anti-counterfeit policy. It applies to every Partner and every listing on the Service.
This policy is offered in English, Azerbaijani, and Arabic. If there is any conflict between translated versions, the English version prevails.
1. Who Can Be a Partner
Only licensed food businesses may sell on ecomealz. This means established restaurants, bakeries, cafés, and comparable food outlets that hold a valid trade licence to prepare and sell food to the public in their city (Dubai, United Arab Emirates, or Baku, Azerbaijan).
- Each Partner must operate lawfully and hold all licences, permits, and food-safety approvals required for its business in its city.
- Only food that the Partner itself has prepared, baked, or is lawfully authorised to sell may be offered on the Service.
- Private individuals, unlicensed home kitchens, and businesses without a valid food trade licence are not eligible to be Partners.
2. Partner Onboarding & Review (KYC)
Before any listing can go live, every prospective Partner is reviewed and approved by the ecomealz team ("Know Your Customer" / onboarding checks):
- Application. A prospective Partner applies through the app and provides its business details — such as business name, trade licence details, location and city, contact information, and the type of food it offers.
- Review & approval. The application is placed in a pending state and is reviewed by the ecomealz team. A Partner and its listings become active only after ecomealz approves the application.
- Supporting documents. ecomealz may request additional documents or information at any time (for example, a copy of the trade licence or food-safety registration) to verify a Partner's identity, eligibility, and compliance.
- Ongoing eligibility. Partners must keep their information accurate and up to date, and must promptly notify ecomealz of any change that affects their eligibility (such as a licence lapse or closure).
Right to suspend or remove. ecomealz may decline, suspend, restrict, or remove a Partner or any listing at any time — with or without notice — where a Partner breaches this policy, provides false or incomplete information, loses a required licence, or presents a risk to customers, other Partners, or the Service.
3. Permitted Items
Partners may list only surplus food and beverage intended for human consumption that has been prepared, baked, or lawfully sold by the Partner itself. In practice, this means:
- Genuine surplus, unsold, or end-of-day food and drink that is safe and fit for consumption at the time of pickup;
- Items prepared or offered by the Partner as part of its normal, licensed food business;
- Food packaged and presented as a "Surprise Bag" for collection during the stated pickup window.
Nothing other than food and beverage for human consumption may be listed on the Service.
4. Prohibited Items
The following must never be listed, included in a Surprise Bag, or supplied through the Service. This list is not exhaustive:
- Alcohol of any kind;
- Tobacco, vaping, and nicotine products (including e-cigarettes and related accessories);
- Any drugs or controlled substances, whether legal or illegal;
- Non-food goods of any kind;
- Weapons or any dangerous or restricted articles;
- Live animals;
- Expired, spoiled, contaminated, or otherwise unsafe food, or food unfit for human consumption;
- Counterfeit, replica, or branded resale goods, or any item that is not the Partner's own lawfully sold food;
- Anything unlawful under UAE law (or, for Baku Partners, under the law of the Republic of Azerbaijan) or otherwise prohibited by the applicable authorities.
Zero tolerance. Listing or supplying any prohibited item is a serious breach of this policy and may result in immediate removal of the listing, suspension or permanent removal of the Partner, and, where appropriate, referral to the competent authorities.
5. Authenticity & No Counterfeits
Every Surprise Bag must contain genuine surplus food prepared or lawfully sold by the Partner itself. The resale of counterfeit goods, replicas, or branded third-party products is strictly forbidden.
By listing on ecomealz, each Partner warrants and represents that:
- The food it offers is its own genuine product, or is otherwise lawfully sold by it;
- The food is authentic surplus food fit for human consumption, and not counterfeit, mislabelled, or falsely presented;
- It has the right to sell each item and does so in compliance with all applicable laws, including intellectual-property, trademark, food-safety, and consumer-protection laws.
ecomealz does not permit its platform to be used to move counterfeit, illicit, or branded resale goods, and will act against any Partner found doing so.
6. Seller Identification
ecomealz is transparent about who the seller of each Surprise Bag is. Every listing on the Service displays the Partner's (seller's) name and city, so that customers can clearly see which business they are buying from and where they will collect their bag.
The contract of sale for any Surprise Bag is between the customer and the identified Partner; ecomealz provides the platform and charges the Partner a commission per order, but is not the seller of the food.
7. Monitoring & Enforcement
ecomealz actively monitors the Service to keep it safe and trustworthy:
- We review listings and monitor Partner activity and customer feedback for compliance with this policy;
- We receive and handle complaints about Partners, listings, or specific Surprise Bags, and follow up with the Partner where appropriate;
- We may remove any listing, and suspend, restrict, or permanently remove any Partner, that breaches this policy or applicable law;
- In serious cases — such as unsafe food, counterfeit or prohibited items, or unlawful conduct — we may take immediate action and, where required, notify the competent authorities.
Customers who have a concern about a Partner or a Surprise Bag should raise it with the Partner at pickup and may also contact ecomealz so we can assist.