Apparatus for separating individual bowls from a stack of a plurality of bowls for receiving foodstuffs, comprising a machine frame for fixing components of the apparatus , a holding device for holding the stack , a separating device for separating individual bowls from the stack , having a separating element adapted to come into engagement with the respective lowermost bowl of the stack , wherein the holding device has at least one bottom carrier element for temporarily carrying the stack , that is mounted in the region of the bottom of the lowermost bowl of the stack moveably by means of a drive device and which is so adapted that it temporarily carries the stack from below and can be so moved away from the region of the bottom of the lowermost bowl that the lowermost bowl can be separated from the stack in a downward direction while the stack without the lowermost bowl remains in the holding device , and wherein a drive device is provided for moving the bottom carrier element, the drive device having a rotatably mounted shaft for moving the bottom carrier element and being arranged at the shaft and is in the form of a radially protruding projection with respect to the axis of rotation of the shaft . characterised in that the separating element of the separating device is arranged axially spaced with respect to the axis of rotation in operation above the bottom carrier element on the shaft and is of such a configuration that it applies to the lowermost bowl a force directed away from the remainder of the stack when the bottom carrier element temporarily releases the lowermost bowl to support separation of the lowermost bowl from the stack . a machine frame for fixing components of the apparatus , a holding device for holding the stack , a separating device for separating individual bowls from the stack , having a separating element adapted to come into engagement with the respective lowermost bowl of the stack , wherein the holding device has at least one bottom carrier element for temporarily carrying the stack , that is mounted in the region of the bottom of the lowermost bowl of the stack moveably by means of a drive device and which is so adapted that it temporarily carries the stack from below and can be so moved away from the region of the bottom of the lowermost bowl that the lowermost bowl can be separated from the stack in a downward direction while the stack without the lowermost bowl remains in the holding device , and wherein a drive device is provided for moving the bottom carrier element, the drive device having a rotatably mounted shaft for moving the bottom carrier element and being arranged at the shaft and is in the form of a radially protruding projection with respect to the axis of rotation of the shaft . characterised in that the separating element of the separating device is arranged axially spaced with respect to the axis of rotation in operation above the bottom carrier element on the shaft and is of such a configuration that it applies to the lowermost bowl a force directed away from the remainder of the stack when the bottom carrier element temporarily releases the lowermost bowl to support separation of the lowermost bowl from the stack . <EOS>