Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Chakula ("Chakula", "we", "our", or "us") is a food and nutrition application developed and operated from Nairobi, Kenya. We are the data controller for personal information collected through the Chakula mobile application and this website.

Contact: hello@chakula.app

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

• Account data — email address, display name, and password when you create an account.
• Profile data — optional details such as age, gender, height, weight, and dietary preferences you choose to enter to improve recommendations.
• Meal and nutrition data — foods you log, recipes you save or share, meal photos, and related nutritional information.
• Community content — recipes, comments, and other content you voluntarily post in the community.
• Communications — messages you send us via email or in-app support.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Usage data — features you use, pages you view, search queries, and interaction timestamps.
• Device data — device type, operating system version, app version, and unique device identifiers.
• Log data — IP address, crash reports, and error logs to diagnose technical issues.

2.3 Information We Do Not Collect

We do not collect precise GPS location. We do not access your contacts, camera, or microphone unless you explicitly grant permission for a specific feature (e.g., uploading a meal photo). We do not collect payment information — purchases are handled entirely by Apple App Store or Google Play and are subject to their privacy policies.

3. How We Use Your Information

• Provide, operate, and improve the Chakula app and services.
• Personalise meal suggestions and nutritional insights based on your preferences and logged data.
• Send transactional emails (account confirmation, password reset) and, where you have opted in, product updates and waitlist notifications.
• Monitor app performance, diagnose bugs, and ensure security.
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Service.
• Generate aggregated, anonymised analytics to understand how the app is used — this data cannot identify you.

We do not use your health or nutrition data for advertising purposes, and we will never sell your personal data.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data on the following grounds:

• Contract — processing necessary to provide the service you signed up for.
• Legitimate interests — improving the app, preventing fraud, and ensuring security, where your interests do not override ours.
• Consent — where you have given explicit consent, such as opting in to marketing emails or enabling optional device permissions. You may withdraw consent at any time.
• Legal obligation — where required by applicable law.

5. Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell your personal data. We may share data only in the following limited circumstances:

• Service providers — trusted third parties who help us operate Chakula (e.g., cloud hosting, analytics, email delivery) under strict data processing agreements.
• Community features — content you post publicly (recipes, profile name) is visible to other users. You control what you share.
• Legal requirements — if required by law, court order, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Chakula, our users, or the public.
• Business transfers — in the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your data may be transferred. We will notify you before any such transfer.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active, or as needed to provide the service. If you delete your account, we will delete or anonymise your personal data within 30 days, except where we are required to retain it for legal or regulatory purposes (e.g., billing records for up to 7 years under Kenyan tax law).

Aggregated, anonymised analytics data may be retained indefinitely.

7. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction — update inaccurate or incomplete data directly in the app or by contacting us.
• Deletion — request deletion of your account and associated personal data. See our Data Deletion page for full details.
• Data portability — request an export of your data in a machine-readable format.
• Objection / Restriction — object to or request restriction of certain processing activities.
• Withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent, withdraw it at any time without affecting prior processing.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at hello@chakula.app. We will respond within 30 days.

8. Data Security

We implement industry-standard technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including encryption in transit (TLS) and at rest, access controls, and regular security reviews. No system is completely secure; if you suspect your account has been compromised, contact us immediately at hello@chakula.app.

9. Children's Privacy

Chakula is not directed at children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

10. International Data Transfers

Your data may be processed on servers located outside Kenya, including in the European Economic Area or the United States. Where data is transferred internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place consistent with applicable data protection law.

11. Third-Party Links

The app may contain links to third-party websites or services. This policy does not apply to those third parties. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before sharing any personal information.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated via in-app notification or email at least 14 days before they take effect. Continued use of Chakula after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

13. Contact Us

For any privacy-related questions, requests, or complaints, please contact:
Chakula
Nairobi, Kenya
hello@chakula.app