Privacy Policy for ReFood

ReFood ("ReFood", "we", "our", or "us") is a mobile application developed and operated by Kateryna Shashkina.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, how we protect it, and what choices you have when using the ReFood mobile application and related services collectively referred to as the "Service".

1. Information We Collect

We collect only the information reasonably necessary to provide, maintain, protect and improve the Service.

1.1 Account and Authentication Information

You may use ReFood anonymously or choose to sign in using Apple Sign-In.

If you use ReFood anonymously, we may create a local or pseudonymous app identifier to support core functionality, such as scan history, saved products, favorite products, daily content and app settings.

If you sign in using Apple Sign-In, we may receive limited account information provided by Apple, such as your name and email address, depending on your Apple account settings and choices.

We use this information to authenticate your account, synchronize your progress across devices and maintain your app profile.

1.2 Camera, Barcode and Scanning Data

ReFood may request access to your device camera to scan barcodes, products, packaging and recyclable materials.

Camera access is used to provide scanning functionality. Depending on the feature you use, scanned data may include barcode values, product identifiers, product images, packaging information or related product details.

Routine scanning is used to identify products and display relevant product, nutrition, recycling and sustainability information.

If you choose to upload a product image, submit a product correction or add a new product, the submitted image and related information may be processed, moderated and stored as part of the product submission workflow.

You should not upload images containing faces, people, private documents, personal information or anything unrelated to the relevant product or packaging.

1.3 Product Searches, Scan History and Favorites

When you use ReFood, we may process information related to your product searches, scanned products, viewed products, favorite products, liked products, product comparisons and saved items.

This information is used to provide app functionality such as:

• displaying your scan history;
• showing previously scanned products;
• saving favorite or liked products;
• opening product previews;
• comparing products;
• synchronizing app progress across devices.

Depending on whether you use the app anonymously or with Apple Sign-In, this information may be associated with a pseudonymous device identifier or your authenticated account.

1.4 Location, Address Search and Routing Data

With your permission, ReFood may access your device location to show nearby recycling points and map-related results.

Location information is used to provide map functionality, address search, geolocation, route building and nearby recycling-point recommendations.

Depending on the feature you use, ReFood or third-party map providers may process:

• your approximate or precise device location;
• selected map points;
• address search queries;
• route origin and destination points;
• recycling-point search areas;
• coordinates needed to display nearby results.

ReFood uses location information only for map, routing and recycling-point features. ReFood does not use location access for continuous background tracking and does not create a long-term location history.

You can disable location access at any time through your device settings.

1.5 User Contributions and Product Edits

ReFood may allow users to add new products, edit product information, submit corrections, upload product photos, suggest packaging data or provide other product-related contributions.

Submitted content may include:

• product names;
• barcode values;
• product photos;
• ingredient information;
• nutrition information;
• allergen information;
• packaging information;
• recycling or sorting details;
• text corrections or suggestions.

Submitted content may be automatically reviewed using moderation and safety systems. If accepted, some product-related contributions may become part of ReFood's product database or be used to improve product information shown to other users.

If a feature allows or requires submission of data to a public third-party database, such as Open Food Facts, that submission may also be governed by the third party's own terms, licenses and privacy practices.

We may retain accepted product contributions in a non-personal or pseudonymized form even after account deletion, unless removal is required by law or the content contains personal information.

1.6 AI Processing Data

Certain ReFood features use AI-assisted systems, including Google Gemini, to analyze products, generate product insights, compare products, evaluate packaging, support recycling recommendations and moderate user submissions.

Depending on the feature, the information processed by AI systems may include:

• product names;
• barcode or product identifiers;
• ingredients;
• allergens;
• nutrition facts;
• packaging information;
• product images submitted by users;
• product edits or correction text;
• product comparison requests;
• recycling-related data;
• user-submitted content that requires moderation.

We aim to limit the information sent to AI providers to what is reasonably necessary for the requested feature.

You should not submit sensitive personal information, medical records, private documents, confidential information or unrelated personal data through product edits, images, search fields or other user-submission features.

1.7 Daily Tips and Scientific Content

ReFood may display daily tips, sustainability information, educational content and scientific or health-adjacent content on the home screen.

Some daily tips are created by the ReFood team. Some scientific content, publication metadata or references may be obtained through APIs provided by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), U.S. National Library of Medicine, including PubMed-related data.

To rotate daily content, ReFood may use limited technical information such as the current date, app settings, language preferences or a pseudonymous app identifier. This is used to display varied or relevant content and is not intended to create a medical, dietary or health profile about you.

Scientific content is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

1.8 Technical, Device and Diagnostic Information

We may collect limited technical information necessary to maintain app stability, security and performance, such as:

• device type;
• operating system version;
• app version;
• language or region settings;
• crash diagnostics;
• server logs;
• IP address;
• authentication events;
• security and abuse-prevention logs.

This information is used to operate the Service, troubleshoot errors, protect accounts, prevent misuse and improve app reliability.

2. How We Use Information

We may use collected information to:

• provide and maintain the Service;
• enable barcode scanning and product recognition;
• show product previews and product pages;
• display scan history and favorite products;
• synchronize progress across devices;
• provide search functionality;
• display nearby recycling points on the map;
• provide address search and route-building features;
• generate AI-assisted product analysis;
• generate AI-assisted product comparisons;
• provide nutrition, allergen, ingredient, packaging and recycling information;
• display daily tips and scientific content;
• moderate user submissions;
• detect spam, abuse, fraud or policy violations;
• improve app accuracy, performance and reliability;
• respond to support requests;
• comply with legal obligations;
• enforce our Terms of Service.

We do not sell your personal information.

3. AI-Assisted Features and Automated Processing

ReFood uses AI-assisted systems to support certain features, including product analysis, sustainability insights, product comparisons, sorting guidance and moderation of user-submitted content.

AI-generated outputs may be based on product data, third-party databases, user-submitted information and automated model analysis.

AI systems may also be used to check whether uploaded images appear to show a product or packaging and whether submitted text or images may violate our content rules.

AI-assisted systems are not perfect. Results may be incomplete, inaccurate, outdated or inappropriate for your specific circumstances.

Important information, including allergens, ingredients, nutritional values, recycling instructions and health-related information, should always be verified independently using product labels, official sources, local recycling rules or qualified professionals where appropriate.

4. Third-Party Services and Data Sources

ReFood relies on third-party services and public data sources to provide core functionality.

These may include:

• Amazon Web Services (AWS) for cloud infrastructure, backend hosting, storage and related technical operations;
• Amazon Cognito for authentication and account management;
• Apple Sign-In for optional user authentication;
• Google Gemini for AI-assisted analysis, comparison and moderation features;
• Open Food Facts for product, ingredient, nutrition, packaging, image and sustainability-related data;
• Geoapify for address search, geolocation, maps, routing and location-related functionality;
• OpenStreetMap-based data and services used in map and geodata features;
• OpenMapTiles, where applicable, for map tile schema or related map attribution;
• NCBI APIs, including PubMed-related data, for scientific publication metadata and informational content;
• recycling-point APIs or location-data providers, where applicable, to display nearby recycling points.

These third parties may process limited information in accordance with their own terms, privacy policies and data-processing practices.

Some information shown in ReFood may come from third-party databases or public sources. We do not independently guarantee that third-party product, nutrition, allergen, sustainability, scientific, map, routing or recycling data is complete, accurate or up to date.

5. Open Data, Licenses and Attribution

Some data displayed in ReFood is provided by open-data projects and public databases.

Product information from Open Food Facts is made available under the Open Database License (ODbL). Product images provided by Open Food Facts may be available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license and may contain graphical elements subject to copyright or other rights.

Map and geodata used through Geoapify may be based on OpenStreetMap data, which is available under the Open Database License (ODbL). ReFood provides attribution to Geoapify, OpenStreetMap contributors and, where applicable, OpenMapTiles.

Scientific data, metadata and references obtained through NCBI APIs are provided for informational purposes. Some article texts, abstracts, publisher materials or linked resources may be protected by copyright or publisher terms.

6. How We Share Information

We may share limited information only when reasonably necessary for the following purposes.

Service Providers

We may share information with trusted service providers who help us operate the Service, including hosting providers, authentication providers, AI service providers, map providers, routing providers and technical infrastructure providers.

AI and Moderation Providers

Information submitted through AI-enabled features may be processed by AI systems or moderation tools to generate responses, compare products, analyze product data or detect prohibited content.

Map and Location Providers

When you use map, address search, geolocation or routing features, location-related information such as coordinates, address queries or selected destinations may be processed by Geoapify or related map/geodata providers to provide the requested functionality.

Public or Shared Product Contributions

If you submit product information, corrections or product images, accepted contributions may become part of the product database and may be visible to other users, depending on the feature.

If a feature submits contributions to a public third-party database, such as Open Food Facts, the contribution may become publicly available and subject to that service's own terms and licenses.

You should not include personal information in product submissions.

Legal and Safety Reasons

We may disclose information if we believe in good faith that such disclosure is necessary to:

• comply with applicable law;
• respond to lawful requests;
• protect our rights, users or the public;
• investigate abuse, fraud, security incidents or policy violations;
• enforce our Terms of Service.

Business Transfers

If ReFood is involved in a merger, acquisition, reorganization or transfer of assets, information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to appropriate protections.

7. Legal Bases for Processing

If you are located in a region where legal bases for processing are required, such as the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, we process personal information based on one or more of the following legal bases:

• Performance of a contract: to provide the Service, maintain accounts, synchronize progress and enable app functionality.
• Consent: where you grant permission for camera access, location access, Apple Sign-In or other optional features.
• Legitimate interests: to improve the Service, maintain security, prevent abuse, troubleshoot errors and protect our users.
• Legal obligations: where processing is necessary to comply with applicable laws or lawful requests.

You may withdraw permissions such as camera or location access through your device settings.

8. Data Retention

We retain information only for as long as reasonably necessary to provide the Service, maintain security, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes and enforce our agreements.

Account information, scan history, favorites, liked products and app progress are generally retained while your account or app profile remains active.

User-submitted product contributions may be retained for as long as needed to maintain the product database, especially where the contribution does not directly identify you.

Temporary logs, backups and security records may be retained for a limited period before deletion.

9. Account Deletion

You may delete your account at any time directly within the app:

Profile → Settings → Delete Account

Once deletion is confirmed, associated account information and app progress will be removed from active systems within a reasonable timeframe, except where limited retention is necessary for legal, security, fraud-prevention, backup or dispute-resolution purposes.

If you used ReFood anonymously, deleting the app or using available in-app deletion options may remove locally stored data from your device. Some server-side records associated with a pseudonymous identifier may be deleted or de-identified where technically possible.

Accepted product contributions that do not identify you personally may remain in the product database after account deletion.

10. Your Choices and Privacy Controls

You may control certain data uses through the app or your device settings.

You can:

• allow or deny camera access;
• allow or deny location access;
• disable location permissions through device settings;
• use the app anonymously where supported;
• sign in or stop using Apple Sign-In;
• delete your account through app settings;
• contact us with privacy-related requests.

Some features may not function properly if required permissions are disabled.

11. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location and applicable laws, you may have rights regarding your personal information, including the right to:

• request access to your information;
• request correction of inaccurate information;
• request deletion of your information;
• object to certain processing;
• withdraw consent where processing is based on consent;
• request a copy of certain information in a portable format;
• lodge a complaint with a relevant data protection authority.

To submit a privacy-related request, contact us using the information below.

We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling certain requests.

12. Data Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures designed to protect information against unauthorized access, loss, misuse, disclosure, alteration or destruction.

However, no method of internet transmission or electronic storage can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

You are responsible for maintaining the security of your device, Apple account and any credentials used to access the Service.

13. International Data Transfers

Because ReFood uses third-party infrastructure, cloud services, AI providers and map providers, information may be processed or stored in countries other than the country where you live.

Where required by applicable law, we take reasonable steps designed to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place for such transfers.

14. Children's Privacy

ReFood is not directed to children under the age of 13.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If we become aware that a child under 13 has provided personal information, we will take reasonable steps to delete it promptly.

If a higher minimum age applies in your country, you must meet that age requirement to use the Service.

15. Third-Party Links and Content

ReFood may display information, links, citations, product data, scientific content, map data, routing data or recycling-point information from third-party sources.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices, accuracy, availability or content of third-party websites, databases, APIs or services.

Your use of third-party services may be subject to their own terms and privacy policies.

16. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the Service, legal requirements, third-party services or operational practices.

Updated versions will become effective when posted in the app or on the associated Service page.

The "Effective Date" above indicates when this Privacy Policy was last updated.

17. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or want to submit a privacy-related request, you may contact us at: