Privacy Policy

By continuing to use MealTote, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

Data Collection & Usage

MealTote collects and processes the following information to provide recipe management services:

• Account information (email, username, profile data)
• Recipe data (saved recipes, ingredients, cooking preferences)
• Pantry and grocery list items
• Usage analytics (app interactions, feature usage)
• Device information (iOS device type, app version)

Third-Party Data Sources

MealTote integrates with external platforms to provide enhanced recipe discovery:

📺 YouTube (via Free Public APIs)

• Video titles, descriptions, thumbnails, and channel names via oEmbed API and web scraping
• Video transcripts/captions (when available) via open-source transcript extraction for ingredient parsing
• Data accessed only when you explicitly save a recipe from YouTube
• All content properly attributed with links back to original videos
• No YouTube Data API quota used; no analytics data collected (views, likes, comments)

📘 Facebook & Instagram

• Video metadata (titles, descriptions, thumbnails) via oEmbed API
• Recipe content extracted from video descriptions
• Data accessed only when you provide a Facebook/Instagram URL
• Original post links maintained for proper attribution

📕 Red Note (Xiaohongshu/小红书)

• Post content and images for recipe extraction
• Author information for proper attribution
• Data extracted via web scraping when you share Red Note posts
• Links back to original posts preserved

Data Storage & Retention

• Recipe data stored indefinitely as part of your personal collection
• Deleted recipes removed immediately from your account
• Account deletion permanently removes all your data within 30 days
• Third-party content (YouTube, Facebook, Red Note) stored as metadata references only
• Original videos/posts never downloaded or re-hosted

AI Processing

MealTote uses OpenAI's API to analyze recipe content and extract ingredients. Your recipe data is:

• Processed securely via OpenAI's API for ingredient extraction
• Not used to train AI models (per OpenAI's API policy)
• Transmitted over encrypted connections (HTTPS)

Data Sharing

Your data is never sold or shared with third parties, except:

• Service providers (hosting, AI processing) under strict confidentiality
• When required by law or legal process
• To protect rights, property, or safety of MealTote users

Your Rights (GDPR/CCPA Compliance)

• Access: Request a copy of your data anytime
• Deletion: Delete your account and all associated data
• Portability: Export your recipes in standard format
• Correction: Update or correct your information

Contact us at support@mealtote.com to exercise your rights.

Security

• Industry-standard encryption (SSL/TLS) for data transmission
• Secure authentication with password hashing (bcrypt)
• API keys and secrets stored securely on backend only
• Regular security audits and updates

iOS App Permissions

• Network: To sync recipes and access external recipe sources (YouTube, Facebook, Red Note)

Updates to Privacy Policy

We may update this policy periodically. You'll be notified of significant changes via app notification or email. Continued use constitutes acceptance of updated terms.

Last Updated: October 10, 2025

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