The Balanced Bowl ("we," "our," or "us") operates The Balanced Bowl mobile application (the "App"). This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our App. Please read this policy carefully. By accessing or using the App, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.
1. Information We Collect
a. Information You Provide
When you create an account or use the App, we may collect:
- Account information — email address and authentication credentials managed through our identity provider (Amazon Cognito).
- Pet profile data — your dog's name, breed, weight, age, activity level, life stage, and any reported allergies or dietary sensitivities.
- Recipe preferences — nutrition standard selections (NRC, AAFCO, FEDIAF), macro targets, preparation style, ingredient choices, and saved recipes.
b. Information Collected Automatically
When you use the App, certain information may be collected automatically:
- Location data — we collect the country and zip/postal code that you provide during account setup. This is used to support features such as localized shopping cart export, regional ingredient availability, and country-specific grocery fulfillment partners. We do not collect GPS coordinates or device-based location data.
- Device and usage data — device type, operating system version, app version, session duration, and general usage patterns.
- Purchase data — subscription status and transaction identifiers managed through Apple App Store. We do not process or store payment card information directly.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- Provide and improve the App — generate balanced recipes, manage pet profiles, save your preferences, and deliver core functionality.
- Shopping cart export — use your country and zip/postal code to connect recipes with regional grocery fulfillment services.
- Analytics and product improvement — understand usage patterns, diagnose technical issues, and improve the quality of our recipe engine and user experience.
- Aggregated research insights — we may produce and share anonymized, aggregated datasets derived from user data. These datasets contain no personally identifiable information and may include information such as regional distribution (zip/postal code level), dog breed and size demographics, allergy and dietary sensitivity prevalence, and recipe preference trends. Such data may be shared with veterinary researchers, pet nutrition companies, or other third parties for research, product development, or statistical purposes.
- Communications — send transactional emails related to your account (e.g., password resets). We do not send marketing emails without your explicit opt-in consent.
3. Legal Basis for Processing (EEA/UK Users)
If you are located in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom, our legal bases for processing your personal data include:
- Performance of a contract — processing necessary to provide you with the App's services.
- Legitimate interests — analytics, product improvement, and fraud prevention, balanced against your privacy rights.
- Consent — where required, such as for marketing communications.
4. Data Sharing and Disclosure
We do not sell your personal information. We may share data in the following circumstances:
- Service providers — we use third-party services to operate the App, including Amazon Web Services (cloud hosting and authentication), RevenueCat (subscription management), and grocery fulfillment partners (cart export). These providers access only the data necessary to perform their services and are contractually obligated to protect it.
- Anonymized and aggregated data — we may share de-identified, aggregated data with third parties for research, analytics, or commercial purposes. This data cannot reasonably be used to identify any individual user.
- Legal requirements — we may disclose information if required by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request.
- Business transfers — in the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, user data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such change.
5. Data Retention
We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you with the App's services. If you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal data within 30 days, except where retention is required by law or for legitimate business purposes (e.g., fraud prevention, legal obligations). Anonymized and aggregated data may be retained indefinitely.
6. Data Security
We implement industry-standard technical and organizational measures to protect your data, including encryption in transit (TLS) and at rest, access controls, and secure authentication. However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
7. Your Rights and Choices
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights:
- Access and portability — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Correction — request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Deletion — request deletion of your personal data, subject to legal retention requirements.
- Withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw consent at any time by contacting us.
- Opt out of data sharing — you may opt out of anonymized data inclusion by contacting us at the email below.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at admin+privacy@the-balanced-bowl.com. We will respond within 30 days.
8. Location Data
The App collects your country and zip/postal code, which you provide during account setup. This information is used to support shopping cart export and connect you with grocery fulfillment services available in your region. The App does not request device location permissions and does not collect GPS or network-based location data. You may update or remove your country and zip/postal code at any time through your account settings.
9. Children's Privacy
The App is not directed to children under the age of 13 (or the applicable age of consent in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without parental consent, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.
10. Third-Party Services
The App may contain links to or integrate with third-party services (e.g., Instacart for grocery delivery). These services have their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for their practices. We encourage you to review their policies before use.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, provide additional notice within the App. Your continued use of the App after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
12. Contact Us
If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:
The Balanced Bowl
Email: admin+privacy@the-balanced-bowl.com