Trust starts before a storefront becomes public.
Survdd uses vendor review, private document storage, product-level controls, and verified-order reviews to reduce avoidable marketplace risk. These controls do not replace regulatory oversight or a customer’s responsibility to review food information.
Vendor verification
Vendor accounts begin as private and cannot open for orders until both the vendor account and its compliance submission are approved by Survdd. Compliance documents are stored outside the public uploads directory and are available only through the authenticated admin review route.
Home-based food vendors
The Mobile, Alabama pilot is configured around Alabama cottage-food requirements. Survdd blocks a home-based menu item from public sale unless the vendor marks the item as cottage-food eligible, provides ingredients, confirms that the item does not contain meat, poultry, or fish, and confirms that the item does not require time/temperature control for safety. Survdd also requires a food-safety credential and cottage-food review/confirmation documentation before admin verification.
A software checkbox cannot determine whether a product is legally allowed. Vendors must confirm eligibility with the appropriate county health department and remain responsible for approved food-safety training, direct-sale requirements, and product-specific rules.
For the Alabama pilot, home-based vendors must also follow applicable cottage-food labeling requirements, including the food name, operation name/address information allowed by law, ingredient information, the required statement that the food may not have been inspected by the health department, and applicable allergen disclosures. Products such as acidified or freeze-dried foods can require product-specific verification before sale.
Food trucks
Food trucks must submit food-service/mobile-unit permit documentation before Survdd verification. A Survdd profile does not replace health-department permitting, business licensing, commissary or servicing-area requirements, fire rules, zoning/location permission, or any other local requirement that may apply.
Allergens and special diets
Ingredients and allergen notes shown on Survdd are vendor-provided. Cross-contact can occur in home kitchens, mobile units, shared facilities, and food-preparation environments. Customers with severe allergies or medical dietary restrictions should contact the vendor directly and should not rely solely on menu tags or free-text notes.
Report a concern
Customers can open a Food Safety support request from an order in their Survdd account. Survdd may restrict a vendor, hide items, request updated documents, or suspend public ordering while a concern is reviewed. Urgent illness or public-health concerns should also be reported to the appropriate health authority.