Privacy Policy

Last Updated: January 12, 2026

ChefSpAIce ("we", "our", or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our mobile application and related services.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Contact Information

• Email address: Required for account creation and communication
• Name: First name, last name, and display name (optional)
• Profile photo: Optional profile image you choose to upload

1.2 Health & Fitness Information

• Dietary restrictions: Such as vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, etc.
• Food allergies: Allergens you need to avoid
• Nutrition tracking: Foods consumed and their nutritional values
• Food waste tracking: Items discarded for waste reduction insights

1.3 User Content

• Food inventory: Items in your pantry, fridge, and freezer including names, quantities, expiration dates, and nutrition information
• Recipes: Saved and AI-generated recipes
• Meal plans: Weekly and daily meal planning data
• Shopping lists: Items you plan to purchase
• Photos: Images of food items you choose to add
• Kitchen equipment: Appliances and cookware you own

1.4 Identifiers

• User ID: Unique identifier for your account
• Device identifiers: For push notification delivery
• Session tokens: For maintaining your login state

1.5 Usage Data

• Feature usage: How you interact with app features (e.g., AI recipe generation counts)
• App preferences: Settings, notification preferences, preferred units
• Feedback: Bug reports and feature suggestions you submit

1.6 Purchase Information

• Subscription status: Your billing period (monthly or annual) and subscription state
• Payment processing: Handled securely by the Apple App Store (we do not store your payment card details)

2. How We Use Your Information

3. AI-Powered Features

ChefSpAIce uses OpenAI's technology to generate recipes and provide kitchen assistance. When you use AI features:

• Relevant data (such as your inventory items, dietary preferences, or questions) is sent to OpenAI to generate responses
• OpenAI processes this data according to their privacy policy
• OpenAI does not use data submitted through our API to train their models
• AI-generated content is stored in your account for future reference

4. Third-Party Services

We share data with the following third-party services:

5. Data Storage & Security

• Your data is stored securely on cloud servers using industry-standard encryption
• We use PostgreSQL databases with encrypted connections
• Passwords are hashed using bcrypt and are never stored in plain text
• Session tokens are securely generated and expire automatically
• Data is synced across your devices when you're logged in

6. Data Retention

• We retain your data for as long as your account is active
• If you delete your account, we will delete your personal data within 30 days
• Some data may be retained longer if required for legal purposes or to resolve disputes
• Anonymous, aggregated data may be retained indefinitely for analytics

Automatic Log Archival

To maintain application performance and manage storage, individual waste and consumed log entries older than 12 months are automatically archived into monthly summaries (totals by category per month). After successful aggregation, the original detailed entries are permanently deleted. Your long-term trends and statistics remain available through these summaries.

7. Your Rights & Choices

You have the right to:

• Access: View all personal data we hold about you
• Export: Download your data (inventory, recipes, meal plans) in common formats
• Correct: Update inaccurate personal information
• Delete: Delete your account and all associated data
• Opt-out: Disable non-essential notifications at any time
• Withdraw consent: Revoke permissions for camera and photo access in device settings

8. Push Notifications

With your permission, we send push notifications for:

• Food expiration reminders
• Meal planning reminders
• Recipe suggestions (optional)

You can disable notifications at any time in your device settings or within the app's Settings screen.

9. Camera & Photo Access

ChefSpAIce requests access to:

• Camera: To scan barcodes for adding food items to your inventory
• Photo Library: To select images for food items

These permissions are optional and can be revoked at any time in your device settings.

10. Tracking

ChefSpAIce does not track you across other companies' apps or websites for advertising purposes. We do not share your data with data brokers or use it for targeted advertising.

11. Children's Privacy

ChefSpAIce is not intended for children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have collected data from a child under 13, please contact us immediately.

12. International Data Transfers

Your data may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by:

• Posting the new Privacy Policy in the app
• Updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page
• Sending you a notification for significant changes

14. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

California residents have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act:

• Right to know what personal information is collected
• Right to delete personal information
• Right to opt-out of sale of personal information (we do not sell your data)
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your rights

15. European Privacy Rights (GDPR)

If you are in the European Economic Area, you have additional rights including:

• Right to access, rectify, or erase your personal data
• Right to restrict or object to processing
• Right to data portability
• Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority