Prohibited Items Policy

Food Prepped is not a curated marketplace. However, for a variety of reasons, we prohibit certain types of items from Food Prepped. Some items present legal risks to our community; others are inconsistent with our values, are harmful to our members, or simply are not in the spirit of Food Prepped. This prohibited items policy explains what is prohibited or restricted on Food Prepped.

We have a zero-tolerance policy for prohibited items, particularly those that promote, support, or glorify hatred, those that promote, support, or glorify violence, or are unlawful. Sellers deemed to violate this prohibited items policy can be subject to immediate account suspension or termination, in accordance with our Terms of Use.

This prohibited items policy is a part of our Terms of Use. By opening a Food Prepped shop, you’re agreeing to this policy and our Terms of Use. If Food Prepped has reason to believe you, Your Content, or your use of the Services violate our Terms of Use, we may deactivate your content to some or all buyers or suspend or terminate your account (and any account Food Prepped determines is related to your account) and your access to the Services. Usually, Food Prepped will inform you that your content or account has been suspended or terminated, unless you’ve frequently infringed our Terms of Use, or we have legal or regulatory reasons inhibiting us from alerting you.

The following types of items are prohibited or restricted on Food Prepped:

Food Prepped is not a curated marketplace. However, for a variety of reasons, we prohibit certain types of items from Food Prepped. Some items present legal risks to our community; others are inconsistent with our values, are harmful to our members, or simply are not in the spirit of Food Prepped. This prohibited items policy explains what is prohibited or restricted on Food Prepped.

We have a zero-tolerance policy for prohibited items, particularly those that promote, support, or glorify hatred, those that promote, support, or glorify violence, or are unlawful. Sellers deemed to violate this prohibited items policy can be subject to immediate account suspension or termination, in accordance with our Terms of Use.

This prohibited items policy is a part of our Terms of Use. By opening a Food Prepped shop, you’re agreeing to this prohibited items policy and our Terms of Use. If Food Prepped has reason to believe you, Your Content, or your use of the Services violate our Terms of Use, we may deactivate your content to some or all buyers or suspend or terminate your account (and any account Food Prepped determines is related to your account) and your access to the Services. Usually, Food Prepped will inform you that your content or account has been suspended or terminated, unless you’ve frequently infringed our Terms of Use, or we have legal or regulatory reasons inhibiting us from alerting you.

The following types of items are prohibited or restricted on Food Prepped:
  1. Tobacco, Drugs, Drug Paraphernalia, and Medical Drugs
  2. Protected Animal Products and Human Remains
  3. Dangerous Items: Hazardous Materials, Recalled Items, and Weapons
  4. Hate Items: Items that Promote, Support, or Glorify Hatred
  5. Illegal Items, Items Promoting Illegal Activity, and Highly Regulated Items
  6. Internationally Regulated Items
  7. Nudity and Mature Content
  8. Violent Items: Items that Promote, Support, or Glorify Violence

Prohibited items policy decisions are complex. We consider many different and often divergent factors before coming to a decision about what is best for our community. Because we are a creative community, we believe in freedom of expression. We also tend to allow items that have educational, historical, or artistic value, but we know that even those items are subject to a variety of valid and sometimes conflicting interpretations and emotional responses.

Art and history can be provocative, emotional, divisive, and controversial. Art in its realest and truest form is how we should perceive it, and if it evokes emotion then it has fulfilled its purpose. There are some topics on which we may never reach agreement on as a community, and that is fine. In the words of Theodor Adorno, ‘Art-respects-the-masses, by-standing-up-to-them for-what-they-could-be, rather-than-conforming-to-them-in-their-degraded-state.

To help provide clarity and insight into our prohibited items policy making process, we have included the rationale behind our decisions and details about how they will be enforced, including some representative examples below of what is allowed on Food Prepped. We reserve the right to remove listings that we determine are not within the spirit of Food Prepped. Violating this prohibited items policy can result in the member’s business opportunities being suspended and/or terminated.

1.  Tobacco, Drugs, Drug Paraphernalia, and Medical Drugs

Drugs are prohibited on Food Prepped. These materials face severe legal constraints and in many cases are deemed controlled substances under applicable law. Our prohibited items policy also affects other elements that have or are claimed to have an intoxicating or healing effect. Possible legal constraints aside, these substances are not in the spirit of Food Prepped.

More Details:

The following are examples of items that may not be sold on Food Prepped:

  1. Tobacco products, smokeable products, e-cigarettes, and e-liquid.
  2. Drugs and certain herbal substances, including substances used for recreational and medicinal purposes, regardless of their legality.
  3. Drug paraphernalia, including, for example: items with a carburettor; slides and/or items with a slide; bongs and bubblers; vaporisers and their components. 
  4. Medicinal drugs regulated medical devices, and pharmaceuticals.
Restrictions on descriptions of purported health benefits:

A medicinal drug claim is a statement or suggestion that an item prevents, heals, or treats a medical condition or disease. Medical drug claims are subject to varying degrees of regulation. If you make claims about the purported health benefits of an item for sale on Food Prepped, we urge you to speak with a qualified expert about which regulations apply to you. It is your responsibility to know and comply with all laws and regulations that apply to the items you sell.

Food Prepped prohibits certain medicinal drug claims based on our values, such as claims likely to deceive or pose an unreasonable risk to our community. Food Prepped may remove claims that we deem to be inappropriate, excessive, or otherwise unsuitable for our marketplace. We also remove content that promotes prohibited medical claims, such as anti-vaccine items. If Food Prepped receives proper notice from a legal authority, we may remove an item. You can find more information on prohibited medical drug claims here.

Examples of What is Allowed:

Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

Resources https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/medicines-and-healthcare-products-regulatory-agency

2. Animal Products and Human Remains

Animal products are decidedly controlled and prohibited on Food Prepped due to the risk of detriment to live, companion, or threatened animals.

More Details:

The following are examples of animal products that may not be sold on Food Prepped:

  1. Live animals.
  2. Items created using any endangered or threatened animal species. We define these as animal species designated as threatened or endangered by Part I of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 or listed in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Click here for more details about which animals we prohibit.
  3. Items made from cat and dog parts, or pelts as defined by UK Legislation.
  4. Ivory or bones from ivory-producing animals, including tusks, elk ivory, fossilised ivory, and woolly mammoth ivory.
  5. Items comprised from human remains or products from the human body.

We expect all our members to follow their local laws. If you are delivering items across international borders, you should also consult CITES for specific information about importing and exporting species that may be threatened. If you sell products containing feathers, you should also consult the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2007

3. Dangerous Items: Hazardous Materials, Recalled Items and Weapons

For welfare and lawful reasons, we disallow certain dangerous items from our marketplace.

More details:

Hazardous Materials

Due to the likeliness of harm caused by hazardous materials, as well as complex legal and delivery legislation surrounding such materials, hazardous materials are prohibited on Food Prepped.

While not exhaustive, the following materials are examples of prohibited hazardous materials:
  1. Explosives (fireworks or sparklers)
  2. Explosive precursors
  3. Flammable items 
  4. Gases
  5. Radioactive material
  6. Toxic substances (such as poisons)
  7. Individual or loose lithium-ion batteries

Some ingredients are identified hazardous when found in certain contexts. For more information, please see our Seller Handbook articles about products. We’ve also put together a list of ingredients that cannot be used in cosmetic or consumable products on Food Prepped, here

Recalled Items or Items that Can Pose a Health or Safety Threat

Items that have been recalled by governments or manufacturers are prohibited from being sold on Food Prepped.

Items that can pose a health or safety threat are forbidden, even if they have not been the subject of a recall. This would include, for example, items that present a choking, electrocution, or strangulation threat. We rely on intelligence from user reports and various government organisations to recognise these items.

Weapons

Context matters when it comes to defining what is or is not a weapon. When in doubt, it’s safe to assume that we won’t allow any item intended to be used as a weapon to inflict harm. The following items are not allowed on Food Prepped:

Guns, knives, or other blatant weapons. See here for more information.

Imitation firearms and weapons that look real or are prohibited by UK Law

4. Hate Items: Items that Promote, Support or Glorify Hatred

We want Food Prepped to be a community where people of all backgrounds, nationalities, religions, political affiliations and even different types of artistic taste and humour feel welcome. Art is incredibly subjective, and what is offensive to one is not necessarily offensive to others. 

More Details:

Food Prepped does not allow items or listings that promote, support, or glorify hatred towards people or otherwise demean people based upon race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, disability, or sexual orientation (collectively, “protected groups”). We also forbid items or content that endorse associations or people with such opinions. 

The following items are not allowed on Food Prepped:
  1. Items that support or commemorate current or historical hate groups, including propaganda or collectibles. Examples of hate groups include Nazi or Neo-Nazi groups, Ku Klux Klan (KKK) groups, misogynist or misandrist groups, supremacist groups, or groups that advocate anti-gay, anti-immigrant, or Holocaust denial agendas.
  2. Items that contain racial slurs or derogatory terms in reference to protected groups.

Some items may contain symbols or terms associated with hate groups in a context unrelated to the group itself. We comprehend that these items are subject to a range of valid and often opposing interpretations of their educational, historical, and artistic value. Recognising that there may be no consensus on their value and reserving the right to evaluate such items on an individual, case-by-case basis, the following types of items are generally allowed on Food Prepped:

Co-opted symbols, such as the swastika, when used in peaceful or religious context (often in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism). The item itself must possess features that clearly depict its cultural or religious origin or purpose.

A note on swastikas:
We are sensitive to the fact that there are many cultures throughout the world which use the swastika for legitimate purposes completely independent of Nazism. However, due to the widespread recognition of the Nazi swastika as a hate symbol, we have decided to only allow swastikas when part of a clear religious or cultural context. 

ResourcesHate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021

5. Illegal Items, Items Promoting Illegal Activity and Highly Regulated Items

We respect the law and expect Food Prepped sellers to respect the law as well.

More Details:

Illegal items, items that promote illegal activity, and stolen items are not allowed on Food Prepped. Neither are certain items that are subject to complex legal regulations or registration systems. We require sellers to follow all applicable laws for the items they list. Listings may be unavailable for users in regions where the item is restricted to purchase or sell.

While not exhaustive, examples of items which may be subject to regulation include: 
  1. Plants and seeds
  2. Children’s products
  3. Food products

See the linked pages for more information on requirements and specific items Food Prepped prohibits in these categories.

Because Food Prepped is a multi-national company, it’s important to abide by the laws of the markets in which you are selling. What is legal in one country may be illegal in another. All forms of illegal activity are strictly prohibited.

This includes, but is not limited to the sale of:
  1. Unauthorised or counterfeit goods
  2. Personal information
  3. Highly regulated items, such as currency and real estate
  4. Listings which facilitate or promote illegal activity, such as: 
          a. Impersonation 
          b. Evasion of the detection of illegal activity 
          c. Fraudulent deception that is misleading of one’s medical status, or that enables privacy infringement
Unauthorised Goods

Unauthorised replicas or copies of items are prohibited on Food Prepped. We consider counterfeit or unauthorised goods to be items that imitate an authentic good, particularly by using a brand’s name, logo, or protected design without the brand owner’s consent

Personal information may not be sold, for instance as part of a data bank or mailing list. The sale of personal or government documents, such as credit cards, identification cards, and licences is also prohibited. 

Financial Instruments

Evident to related policies, lottery tickets, cryptocurrency mining rigs, and current, interchangeable currency and postage cannot be sold on Food Prepped. We also forbid the sale of financial instruments such as stocks, bonds, and other securities. Handmade items containing any of these items in a usable condition are also not allowed. Collectible currency may not be offered as ‘unsearched’ or as a mixed lot of unknown contents. Furthermore, due to intricate legal restrictions that differ by location, Food Prepped does not authorise the sale of real estate, accommodation, or motor vehicles.

Items may not aid in impersonation. We prohibit realistic items that identify the wearer as an active law enforcement, military, or government official. It is also forbidden to enable the imitation of a ride-share vehicle by the sale of ride-share company decals.

We prohibit items which are intended to evade the detection of illegal activity, such as materials for faking drug tests.

Items meant to illegally mislead others about one’s medical status are forbade. This includes items such as falsified test results, or items defining an animal as a service animal. We also forbid items which misleadingly infringe on someone’s privacy.

6. Internationally Regulated Items

Food Prepped provides a direct connection between buyers and sellers multi-nationally. If you buy or sell an item from another country, or if you enter a transaction with someone across international borders, you are responsible for complying with laws and regulations of the country of destination as well as your local laws.

More Details:

When buying and selling internationally, you must conform with your nations laws and be mindful that other countries may have their own limitations. You might be forbidden from exporting or importing certain items under international laws and policies. Some transactions may require licences, permits, or other documentation. If you have questions about how to comply with the law, we recommend that you speak to a qualified professional.

When you use Food Prepped’s services, you are also responsible for complying with economic sanctions and trade restrictions. All Food Prepped members must comply with our Sanctions Policy, regardless of their location.

Food Prepped reserves the right to request that sellers provide additional information, disclose an item’s country of origin in a listing, or take other steps to meet compliance obligations. 

You should be aware that third-party payment processors, such as PayPal, may independently monitor transactions for sanctions compliance and may block some transactions as part of their own compliance programmes. Food Prepped has no authority or control over the independent decision-making of these providers.

Examples of What is Allowed:

Sanctions or compliance programmes may have certain exceptions to their restrictions. Items that don’t originate from a sanctioned region but make suggestion to a sanctioned area are largely permitted. 

7. Nudity and Mature Content

As a creative community, we tend to be liberal about what we allow on Food Prepped. That said, we prohibit pornography, illegal or exploitative items, and used intimate items. Beyond that, we allow but place restrictions on mature content so that people who are offended by this kind of material don’t have to see it. If you are selling mature content, make sure you are considerate of opposite feelings by listing and tagging your items appropriately.

More Details:

We prohibit items which are not aligned with Food Prepped’s brand and values, or which carry legal or other restrictions. Depictions of the sexualization of minors are prohibited. We also prohibit depictions of bestiality, incest, and non-consensual sex.

Pornography of any sort is prohibited on Food Prepped, whereas mature content is restricted. Although pornography can be difficult to define, an item generally qualifies as pornography when it contains printed or visual material that explicitly describes or displays sex acts, sex organs, or other erotic behaviour for the purpose of sexual arousal or stimulation. 

We define mature content as printed or visual depictions of human genitalia, sexual activity or content, profane language, sexual wellness items, violent images (within reason; see also Violent Items). Click here to read more about how to properly list and tag mature content. Not all nudity is considered mature, and examples are listed below. If you find yourself querying whether your item is mature, then it is likely a good idea to suppose that it is mature content, and you should label it accordingly.

When deciding whether mature content crosses over the threshold into pornography, we take into consideration the explicitness of depictions of sexual activity or content.

Examples of What is Allowed Without Restriction:

Non-pornographic nude photography and depictions of breasts.

Abstracted or cartoonish depictions, within reason

Cartoon Men and Women Nude Print

Resources: How to List Your Mature Products Listing Mature Content Correctly

8. Violent Items: Items that Promote, Support or Glorify Violence

We want Food Prepped to be a safe place for everyone. While violent content can be a reasonable part of historical, educational, or artistic illustration, it should certainly not be used to encourage or glorify violent acts against others.

More Details:

We do not allow items or listings that promote, support, or glorify acts of violence or harm towards self or others, including credible threats of harm.

The following items are not allowed on Food Prepped:

  1. Items that glorify human suffering or tragedies, including items that commemorate or honour serial killers
  2. Items that attempt to exploit natural disasters or human tragedies
  3. Items that incite, praise, or commend acts of violence against individuals or groups
  4. Items that encourage self-mutilation, starvation, or other self-harm
  5. Items that promote or endorse harmful misinformation
Examples of What is Allowed:

Fictional literary or artwork (such as zombies, vampires or other fictional works that tend to contain violence)

BDSM items (See Pornography and Mature Content for additional information)


We hope these guidelines are helpful, but we can’t catalogue every permitted or prohibited item. If you see something on Food Prepped that appears to violate these rules, you can report it to us. At the bottom of a listing page, you can click Report this item to Food Prepped. To report copyright or intellectual property infringement, please follow the instructions in Food Prepped’s Intellectual Property Policy.

For all other reports, or for any questions, please contact Food Prepped Support.

Reading Materials

In crafting these policies, we found several thoughtful essays and articles. Here are a few that we found illuminating:

Sexism, Racism and Other isms in Library Materials (1973),
http://ethics.iit.edu/ecodes/node/3748

‘It is inevitable in the give and take of the democratic process that the political, the moral, or the aesthetic concepts of an individual or group will occasionally collide with those of another individual or group. In a free society everyone is free to conclude for themself what they wish to read, and each group is free to decide what it will advise to its freely associated members. But no group has the right to take the law into its own hands, and to impose its own concept of politics or morality upon other members of a democratic society.

Freedom is no freedom if it is accorded only to the accepted and the inoffensive. We realise that submission of these proposals may mean the distribution of ideas and manners of expression that are distasteful to many persons. We do not state these proposals in the contented belief that what people read is insignificant. We believe rather that what people read is deeply important; that ideas can be dangerous; but that the suppression of ideas is fatal to a democratic society. Freedom the situation is a precarious way of life, but it is ours.’

How the world loved the swastika – until Hitler stole it, BBC News Magazine, 22nd October 2014
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-29644591

Keeping Kids From Toy Guns: How One Mother Changed Her Mind, The Atlantic, 9th August 2013
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/08/keeping-kids-from-toy-guns-how-one-mother-changed-her-mind/278518/

Toy Guns: Do They Lead to Real-Life Violence? WebMD, 1st December 2011
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/toy-guns-do-they-lead-real-life-violence

Art And Violence, The Huffington Post, 18th September 2014
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ian-buruma/art-and-violence_b_5837648.html

When the master of peace did violence, The Guardian, 25th October 2003
http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2003/oct/25/1

Last updated on 04 Dec 2023

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