1. About Birp
Birp is a food redistribution platform created by three Grade 9 students at Bishops Diocesan College in Cape Town — Joshua Dembaremba, Joshua Fried, and Bonnar Richards — as part of the Big Ideas philanthropy and outreach programme.
Birp is an independent, student-led, not-for-profit initiative. It is not a registered company, and it is not operated by or on behalf of Bishops Diocesan College. The school bears no responsibility for the platform's content, transactions, or operations.
2. Prototype Status
This website is currently a prototype / demonstration. All reservations, login flows, and payment simulations are for demonstration purposes only. No real money is charged and no real orders are processed at this stage.
Before Birp processes real transactions, this document will be reviewed and updated with appropriate legal terms, and a responsible adult (teacher or school representative) will review the platform's compliance obligations.
Important: Do not submit real payment information to this platform at this stage. The payment flow is a demo only.
3. Transactions & Payments
When Birp launches real transactions, the following principles will apply:
- Customers pay for surplus bags through Birp's payment interface.
- Participating stores receive payment for their food, less Birp's platform contribution.
- Birp's share of proceeds is donated to food-security charities. The definition of "proceeds" and the precise donation structure will be published clearly before launch.
- Payment processing fees (charged by third-party payment providers) are a cost of operation and may be deducted before charitable donation.
- Refund and cancellation policies will be published separately before launch.
4. Food Safety & Responsibility
Birp facilitates transactions between customers and participating food businesses. Birp does not prepare, store, package, or physically handle any food.
Each participating business is solely responsible for:
- The preparation, storage, packaging, and hygiene of food they supply
- Providing accurate allergen information for their bag type
- Compliance with all applicable South African food safety regulations, including the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act and any applicable municipal requirements
- Ensuring food supplied is fit for consumption
Birp makes reasonable efforts to list allergen information provided by stores, but cannot guarantee accuracy. Customers with severe allergies should contact the store directly before collecting.
Allergen warning: Surprise bags contain a variety of food items. Birp and participating stores cannot guarantee that any bag is free from specific allergens. If you have a severe food allergy, please exercise caution.
5. Privacy & Personal Information (POPIA)
South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) governs the collection and processing of personal information. Birp is committed to complying with POPIA.
What we collect (when accounts are active)
- Name and email address (for account creation)
- Order history (to show you your reservations)
- General location/area preference (to show relevant deals)
What we do not collect
- Payment card details (handled by a third-party payment provider)
- Precise GPS location
- Sensitive personal information
How we use your information
- To process your reservations and send confirmation codes
- To show you deals relevant to your area
- To communicate important updates about your orders
- We will not sell your personal information to third parties
- We will not send marketing communications without your opt-in consent
Your rights under POPIA
You have the right to access, correct, or request deletion of your personal information. To exercise these rights, contact us at hello@birp.co.za.
Note: This section describes intended practice. The full POPIA-compliant privacy policy will be published before real user data is collected.
6. Store Partners
Businesses that join Birp as partners agree to the following principles (a formal partner agreement will be provided before going live):
- All food supplied must comply with applicable food safety regulations
- Allergen information must be provided honestly and kept up to date
- Collection windows must be honoured or communicated in advance
- Surprise bags must represent genuine value relative to the listed price
- Birp may remove listings or suspend partners who do not meet these standards
- Partners grant Birp permission to display their store name, category, and area on the platform
7. Limitation of Liability
Birp is an independent student initiative. It is not a registered company and has no institutional backing. To the fullest extent permitted by law:
- Birp is not liable for the quality, safety, or suitability of food supplied by participating stores
- Birp is not liable for losses arising from uncollected bags, cancelled listings, or changes to collection windows
- Birp is not liable for technical errors, downtime, or data loss during the prototype phase
- Bishops Diocesan College bears no responsibility for the platform's content, transactions, or operations
By using Birp, you acknowledge that this is a student project and agree to reasonable expectations of a prototype platform.