MealGenio

Privacy & Cookie Policy

Version 2026-10-16 · Last updated: October 16, 2026

At MealGenio we respect your privacy. This policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, which cookies we use (including Google’s for analytics and ads) and what rights you have. It takes into account major privacy laws, such as the GDPR (EU/UK), CCPA/CPRA (California), LGPD (Brazil) and similar regulations. MealGenio is free: we charge no payments and do not process card data. We do not use the Meta pixel and we do not collect payment data.

1. Data controller

This site is operated by the MealGenio team. For any questions about your data, email us at [email protected].

2. Data we collect

  • Account data (if you sign up): the account is free; we store your email and your password as a bcrypt hash (never in plain text). If you add them in your profile, also your name and preferences (language, diet, allergies). If you sign in with Google, Google sends us your email, name and Google profile photo; we never receive your Google password.
  • Your account activity: favorite recipes, history and planner menus, so we can show them to you.
  • Profile photo (optional): if you upload one, we store it after removing its metadata (for example, the camera’s GPS location).
  • Gym Mode and Weight Loss data: the age, weight, height and goal you enter are only used to calculate your plan at that moment and are not saved to your account.
  • Usage data (with a random identifier): if you accept analytics cookies, we log page views (path, language, date and a random visitor identifier, mg_vid), without your IP, name or email. This is pseudonymous data, not anonymous data.
  • Technical and security data: we use your IP address temporarily to limit abusive attempts (for example, sign-in attempts or mass account creation).

3. How we use your data

  • To provide the service: show recipes, save favorites, history and menus, and manage your account.
  • To send account emails (email confirmation, password changes).
  • To send you, if enabled, a weekly email with recipes (recipes only, no products or shopping links). It is turned on by ticking the box when you create your account or from the “Get the new recipes in your inbox every week” form. Every email includes an unsubscribe link, and you can also turn it off in that form while signed in.
  • To measure and improve the site with aggregated statistics.
  • To show ads (see section 4) and keep the service free.

We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

3.1 Providers that process data on our behalf

  • Abacus.AI: website hosting, database, file storage (such as your profile photo) and email delivery.
  • Cloudflare: website delivery and protection against malicious traffic.
  • Google: Google Analytics and Tag Manager (only with your analytics consent) and Google AdSense for ads.

These providers may process data outside your country, under the safeguards described in their own policies.

4. Ads and affiliate links

MealGenio will show third-party ads, such as Google AdSense. Once ads are live, Google and its partners may use cookies to show ads based on your visits to this and other sites. We will only show personalized ads if you accept the “Advertising and affiliates” category; if you reject it, any ads shown will be non-personalized. You can review how Google uses data at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites and manage personalization at adssettings.google.com.

Some links lead to external stores, such as Amazon, and are affiliate links. When you follow them, you leave MealGenio: the store may use its own cookies to know you came from our link, under its own privacy policy. We do not share your email or account data with those stores.

5. Cookies we use

  • Necessary: required for sign-in, security, language (NEXT_LOCALE) and to remember your cookie choice (mg_consent, plus mg_consent_v with the version of this policy and the date of your choice, no personal data). So that MealGenio can be installed from the browser, the browser stores an offline page with its icon, and if you close the install invitation we keep a marker in local storage (mg_pwa_hide, just a date) so it is not shown again for 60 days.
  • Analytics: our mg_vid cookie (a random identifier to count unique visitors, without storing your IP) and Google Analytics/Tag Manager cookies. Only active if you accept this category. If you withdraw it, we stop sending data to Google Analytics and delete its cookies.
  • Advertising and affiliates: Google AdSense and partner cookies for personalized ads and ad measurement. If you do not accept this category, Google Consent Mode is used with advertising storage denied and ads are non-personalized.

6. Legal basis & consent

We process account data to provide the service you request. Analytics and advertising cookies are only activated if you accept them in the cookie notice (each category separately). You can reject them and the site keeps working. You can change your decision at any time with the “Cookie Preferences” link in the footer.

7. Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4 and Google Tag Manager. You can review how Google uses information at policies.google.com/privacy and install the Google Analytics opt-out add-on.

8. Your rights

Depending on your country, you have the right to access, correct, delete or object to the use of your data, and to withdraw consent. To exercise them, or to ask us to delete your account and data, email [email protected] from your account email. You may also lodge a complaint with the data protection authority in your country.

9. Retention & security

We keep your account data while your account is active and delete it when you ask us to, except what we must keep for legal reasons. Security records are deleted automatically after a short time. Sessions expire after 30 days and your cookie choice is kept for 6 months. We apply reasonable measures to protect your information, although no system is infallible:

  • Passwords stored as bcrypt hashes, which do not allow the password to be read.
  • Encrypted connection (HTTPS/TLS) between your browser and our servers.
  • Abuse protection: limits on repeated attempts and validation of received data.
  • Protected sessions with HttpOnly, Secure and SameSite cookies; sessions end if you change your password.
  • Restricted access: each user can only view and modify their own data; administration requires role verification.

10. Minors

Accounts are intended for people aged 18 or the age of majority in their country (see the Terms of Use). We do not knowingly collect data from minors.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy. The current version and its date will be posted here.