Privacy Policy for Meal Vista

Last Updated: October 18, 2025

Welcome to Meal Vista ("we," "our," or "us"). We are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your data when you use our meal planning services at mealvista.com.

This Privacy Policy complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other applicable data protection laws.

1. DATA CONTROLLER

Meal Vista is the data controller responsible for your personal information. You can contact us at:
Email: contact@mealvista.com
Website: mealvista.com

2. INFORMATION WE COLLECT

2.1 Personal Data
When you use Meal Vista, we collect the following personal information:
- Name
- Email address
- Payment information (processed by third-party payment processors)
- Account credentials
- Dietary preferences and restrictions (optional)

2.2 Usage Data
We automatically collect certain information when you use our Service:
- IP address
- Browser type and version
- Device information
- Pages visited and time spent on pages
- Referring website addresses

2.3 Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience and improve our services. For more information, see Section 5.

3. LEGAL BASIS FOR PROCESSING (GDPR)

We process your personal data based on the following legal grounds:

3.1 Contractual Necessity
Processing is necessary to perform our contract with you (providing meal planning services, managing subscriptions).

3.2 Consent
For cookies and optional data collection (dietary preferences), we rely on your explicit consent, which you can withdraw at any time.

3.3 Legitimate Interest
For service improvement, fraud prevention, and security purposes, we have a legitimate interest in processing certain data.

3.4 Legal Obligation
We may process data to comply with legal requirements, such as tax and accounting obligations.

4. HOW WE USE YOUR DATA

We use your personal data for the following purposes:
- Processing your meal plan subscriptions
- Managing your account
- Processing payments
- Delivering our services to you
- Generating personalized meal plans using AI technology
- Sending service-related communications and updates
- Improving our Service and user experience
- Preventing fraud and ensuring security
- Complying with legal obligations

5. COOKIES AND TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES

Our website uses cookies to improve user experience and analyze website traffic. Cookies are small text files stored on your device. You can control cookie settings through your browser preferences.

Types of cookies we use:
- Essential cookies (necessary for Service functionality)
- Analytics cookies (to understand how you use our Service)
- Preference cookies (to remember your settings)

6. DATA SHARING AND THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

While we do not sell your personal data, we share it with trusted third-party service providers who help us operate our Service:

6.1 Payment Processors
We use third-party payment processors (such as Stripe) to handle payment transactions. Your payment information is transmitted directly to these processors and is not stored on our servers.

6.2 Hosting and Infrastructure Providers
We use hosting services to store and process your data securely.

6.3 AI Service Providers
We use artificial intelligence services to generate meal plans and recipes. Your dietary preferences may be shared with AI providers to create personalized content.

6.4 Email Service Providers
We use email service providers to send you service-related communications and updates.

6.5 Analytics Providers
We may use analytics services to understand how users interact with our Service.

All third-party service providers are contractually obligated to protect your data and use it only for the purposes we specify.

7. INTERNATIONAL DATA TRANSFERS

Your data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA), including the United States, where our service providers are located. When we transfer data internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as:
- Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission
- Adequacy decisions by the European Commission
- Other legally recognized transfer mechanisms

8. AI-GENERATED CONTENT AND AUTOMATED DECISION-MAKING

We use artificial intelligence (AI) technology to generate personalized meal plans and recipes based on your preferences. This involves automated decision-making to create meal recommendations. You have the right to:
- Request human review of AI-generated meal plans
- Opt out of automated meal plan generation
- Provide feedback on AI recommendations

Please note that AI-generated content may not be perfect and should be reviewed for accuracy, especially regarding allergens and nutritional information.

9. DATA RETENTION

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy:

- Active account data: Retained while your account is active
- Payment records: Retained for 7 years for tax and accounting purposes
- Marketing communications: Until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent
- Cookies: As specified in cookie settings (typically up to 12 months)

After the retention period, we will securely delete or anonymize your personal data.

10. CHILDREN'S PRIVACY

Meal Vista does not knowingly collect any data from children under the age of 18. Our services are not directed to children, and we do not intentionally gather personal information from individuals under 18 years of age. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child, we will delete it immediately.

11. DATA SECURITY

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction, including:
- Encryption of data in transit and at rest
- Regular security assessments and updates
- Access controls and authentication mechanisms
- Secure payment processing through PCI-DSS compliant providers

However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. YOUR RIGHTS UNDER GDPR

Under GDPR and applicable data protection laws, you have the following rights:

12.1 Right to Access
You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.

12.2 Right to Rectification
You can request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.

12.3 Right to Erasure ("Right to be Forgotten")
You can request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances.

12.4 Right to Restrict Processing
You can request that we limit how we use your personal data.

12.5 Right to Data Portability
You can request a copy of your data in a structured, machine-readable format and transfer it to another service provider.

12.6 Right to Object
You can object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes.

12.7 Right to Withdraw Consent
Where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

12.8 Right to Lodge a Complaint
You have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection supervisory authority if you believe we have violated your privacy rights.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at contact@mealvista.com.

13. UPDATES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. When we make material updates, we will notify you via email at the address associated with your account and update the "Last Updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Continued use of our Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

14. CONTACT INFORMATION AND DATA PROTECTION OFFICER

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy, your data rights, or our data practices, please contact us at:

Email: contact@mealvista.com
Website: mealvista.com

For data protection inquiries, you can reach our designated contact at the same email address.

15. GOVERNING LAW

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of Germany and the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

16. CONSENT

By using Meal Vista, you consent to the collection and use of your information as described in this Privacy Policy.