Privacy Policy

Who we are

Munch Method is a mobile app made by Rahul Sagar. We help couples and households decide what to eat together. When this policy says "we", "us", or "our", it means Rahul Sagar trading as Munch Method.

Questions? Email us at support@munchmethod.com.

What we collect and why

We only collect what we need to make the app work.

Account information

• Email address: provided when you sign in via Apple, Google, or email. Used to identify your account and send household invitations.
• Display name: chosen by you during onboarding. Shown to your household members.
• Profile photo: optionally uploaded. Stored in Firebase Storage.

Preferences and meal data

• Dietary preferences: diet type (e.g. vegetarian), allergens, and cuisine preferences. Used to filter recipes so you only see food that's safe and relevant for you.
• Recipe swipes: which recipes you liked or skipped, and in what context (time available, cuisine filter, meal type). Used to rank future suggestions and find household matches.
• Planned meals and cooking history: what you've added to your meal plan and what you've cooked. Used to avoid repeating meals too soon.
• Pantry contents: ingredients you've told us you have at home. Used to suggest recipes you can cook right now.
• Shopping list: ingredients added across your planned recipes. Synced across your household.

Health and nutrition data

Some features let you track food and activity. Because this data is health-adjacent, we treat it with the same care as allergen information and only process it to provide the tracking features you choose to use.

• Food diary entries: meals and foods you choose to log. Stored so we can show your eating history over time.
• Calorie and nutrition data: calorie and nutrient values for the foods you log. Stored to show your daily and historical nutrition totals.
• Weight log entries: weight values you choose to record. Stored so we can show your weight history. Logging weight is entirely optional.
• Body measurements: height, age, sex, and activity level, which you provide when setting up calorie and nutrition goals. Used only to calculate your personalised energy targets. As health-related data, we treat it with the same care as your allergen and other health information.
• Recently logged foods: a short list of foods you've recently added to your diary, stored so you can quickly re-log them.
• Apple Health data: only if you choose to connect Apple Health, we read active-energy (calories burned) data to show alongside your food diary. This is per-account opt-in, read only from the date you connect onward, used only to display your activity inside the app, never used for advertising, and never shared with third parties. You can disconnect at any time in the app or in iOS Settings, and we stop reading new data.

Household data

• Household membership: who you've invited and who's joined your household. Used for bilateral matching (both partners swipe, we surface meals you both like).

Device and technical data

• FCM device token: a push notification identifier provided by Apple (APNS) or Google (FCM). Used to send you household notifications (e.g. a partner likes a recipe). Never used for advertising.
• Crash reports: if the app crashes, Firebase Crashlytics automatically collects the device model, OS version, and a stack trace. This does not include your name, email, or recipe data. Retained for 90 days, then anonymized.
• Error reports: if something goes wrong, we record technical error details along with your account identifier to help us diagnose and fix the problem. These do not include your name or email.

Camera images

• If you use the "Snap your fridge" feature, photos are transmitted to Google Vertex AI for ingredient recognition. Images are not stored by Munch Method and are not retained after recognition is complete.

What we do not collect

• GPS location or precise location data
• Phone contacts or address book
• Phone number
• Payment card or banking information (we use Apple/Google platform billing)
• Microphone access
• Browsing history outside the app

Who we share data with

We do not sell your data. We do not share it with advertisers. We use the following third-party services to operate the app:

• Firebase (Google): Authentication, Firestore database, Storage, Cloud Functions, Firebase Messaging, and Crashlytics. Data is processed under Google's terms. Firebase Privacy.
• Google Vertex AI: image recognition for the "Snap your fridge" feature (europe-west1 region). Photos are transmitted for ingredient detection only. Google may process images transiently for its own safety filtering as described in Google's terms. Munch Method does not store these images. Google Cloud DPA.
• Spoonacular: recipe data. We fetch recipe content from Spoonacular on our servers. Your personal data is never sent to Spoonacular.
• FatSecret: food and nutrition data for the diary. We fetch food and nutrition information from FatSecret on our servers. Your personal data is never sent to FatSecret.
• Apple Health (HealthKit): if you connect Apple Health, data is read on your device and used only within the app. Apple Health data is never used for advertising and is never shared with any third party.
• Apple / Google: Sign-In with Apple and Google Sign-In are used for authentication only. We receive only the identity token and email they provide.
• APNS / FCM: Apple Push Notification Service and Firebase Cloud Messaging deliver push notifications to your device. Your device token is transmitted to deliver notifications.

How long we keep your data

• Your account data is kept until you delete your account.
• Free-tier tracking and diary history (food diary, nutrition, and weight logs) is retained for 30 days. Munch Method Pro retains your full tracking history.
• Crash reports are anonymized after 90 days.
• When you delete your account, all personal data (profile, preferences, swipes, pantry, shopping list, household associations, food diary, nutrition and weight logs) is deleted promptly.

Your rights

Delete your account: Open the app, tap your avatar, tap Profile, scroll to Account Actions, then tap Delete Account. This is immediate. Alternatively, email support@munchmethod.com with "Account deletion request" and we will process it within 30 days.

Export your data: Email support@munchmethod.com and we will provide a copy of your personal data within 30 days.

Correct your data: Most data (name, preferences) can be updated directly in-app. For anything else, email us.

See the Account Deletion page for full details of what gets deleted.

UK and EU, GDPR

If you are in the UK or EU, you have rights under the UK GDPR / EU GDPR including the right to access, correct, delete, restrict, or object to processing of your personal data, and the right to data portability. Our lawful basis for processing is contract (to provide the service you've requested) and legitimate interest (crash reporting and service improvement). You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

California, CCPA

If you are a California resident, you have the right to know what personal information we collect and to request deletion. We do not sell personal information. We do not share personal information for cross-context behavioural advertising. To exercise your rights, email support@munchmethod.com.

Children

Munch Method is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please email us and we will delete it.

Changes to this policy

We will update the effective date when we make changes. For material changes (changes that significantly affect your rights or how we use your data), we will notify you in-app before the change takes effect.

Governing law

This policy and any disputes arising from it are governed by the laws of England and Wales.