Reasons for this include slight packaging damage, overproduction, misallocation, label changes or a short shelf life. The association accepts such food from around 1,000 product donors from agriculture, wholesale, retail and industry and distributes it to people in need via 141 distribution points. The association was founded in 1999 as a business initiative and supports more than 21,000 people every week. Over 3,300 volunteers are involved in "Tischlein deck dich" throughout Switzerland.

The company Galliker has been supporting "Tischlein deck dich" for many years by transporting donated food to regional logistics warehouses. In this way, Galliker is committed to a socially meaningful and ecologically sustainable organization that supports socially disadvantaged people and saves perfectly good food from being destroyed. This contribution to reducing food waste fits in well with our commitment to green logistics. A study by ETH Zurich has shown that collecting and distributing this food produces ten times less CO2 than destroying it.