Privacy Policy

App: FoodCheck Last updated: 10 May 2026 Developer: Dane Rich ("we", "us", "our") Contact: foodcheckuk@icloud.com

1. Overview

FoodCheck is designed with your privacy in mind. Most data stays entirely on your device: favourites, cache, and app preferences are never transmitted to us. The app does make calls to our backend service (foodcheckuk.app) to fetch inspection history and geocoded establishment data, and those requests carry an anonymous identifier described in Section 2.5. We do not advertise, profile, or sell data.

This policy is provided in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. Data We Process

2.1 Location Data

FoodCheck requests access to your device's location solely to show you food hygiene ratings near you. Your location is:

  • Used on-device to centre the map and query the Food Standards Agency (FSA) public API
  • Never stored by us or transmitted to our servers as a precise coordinate
  • Never shared with third parties for advertising or profiling

When the app fetches geocoded establishment data, an approximate bounding box derived from the visible map area is sent to our backend service. This is used to query our database and is not stored.

You can revoke location permission at any time in Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → FoodCheck. Without location access, the app will not function as intended.

2.2 Saved Establishments (Favourites)

If you save establishments as favourites, that data is:

  • Stored locally on your device using Apple's SwiftData framework
  • Never transmitted to us or any third party
  • Removed if you delete the app

This feature is available to Supporters only (see Section 3).

2.3 Offline Cache

The app may cache food hygiene data on your device to enable faster loading and offline browsing. This cache:

  • Contains only publicly available FSA data (establishment names, addresses, ratings)
  • Is stored locally on your device
  • Can be cleared at any time from Settings → Cache → Clear Cache
  • Is automatically cleared for non-Supporters on a periodic basis

2.4 Push Notifications

If you enable notifications (a Supporter feature), the app checks for new inspection results for your saved establishments. This check is performed on-device by querying the FSA public API. No personal data is sent to us as part of this process.

2.5 Backend Telemetry

When the app contacts our backend service, basic operational data is collected to keep the service running reliably. This does not include your name, email address, location, favourites, or any data that identifies you personally. It is used solely for rate-limiting and abuse prevention, not for advertising or profiling.

3. In-App Purchases (Supporter)

FoodCheck offers two Supporter purchase options via Apple's App Store: an annual auto-renewing subscription and a one-time lifetime purchase. All payment processing is handled entirely by Apple. We do not receive, process, or store any payment card details or financial information.

Apple's privacy policy governs the purchase transaction: https://www.apple.com/uk/legal/privacy/

Purchase records are managed by StoreKit on your device. We do not maintain an account or server-side record of your purchase status.

4. Third-Party Services

Food Standards Agency (FSA)

Food hygiene ratings data is provided by the Food Standards Agency under the Open Government Licence v3.0. When the app fetches data, your device connects directly to the FSA public API at api.ratings.food.gov.uk. No personal data is sent as part of these requests. The FSA's own privacy policy is available at https://www.food.gov.uk/about-us/privacy-policy.

Apple

The app is distributed via the Apple App Store. Apple may collect diagnostic and usage data in accordance with your device settings. Location searches and reverse-geocoding within the app are handled by Apple's MapKit services. For more information, see Apple's privacy policy at https://www.apple.com/uk/legal/privacy/.

Cloudflare

Our backend service (foodcheckuk.app) is hosted via Cloudflare. Cloudflare processes requests on our behalf and may retain transient infrastructure logs in accordance with their own data retention practices. See Cloudflare's privacy policy at https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/.

Visiting foodcheckuk.app in a browser: The FoodCheck website (landing page, statistics pages, establishment pages) does not set cookies, does not load third-party analytics scripts, and does not load advertising trackers. A theme preference (light/dark) may be stored locally in your browser.

5. Data Controller

Because FoodCheck collects only minimal operational telemetry (Section 2.5) and does not hold personal data that identifies you, we act as the data controller only in respect of that limited processing. If you have any concerns, please contact us at foodcheckuk@icloud.com.

6. Children's Privacy

FoodCheck is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect any personal data from children.

7. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, you have rights in relation to personal data. The anonymous identifier we hold does not identify you by name or other personal information. If you have concerns or wish to raise a query, please contact us at foodcheckuk@icloud.com.

8. Data Retention

Most data is stored on your device. You control retention:

  • Delete the app to remove all locally stored data (favourites, cache, anonymous identifier)
  • Clear Cache in Settings to remove cached establishment data
  • Revoke location permission in iOS Settings at any time

Backend telemetry (Section 2.5) is retained on our servers while we operate the service. We may periodically purge records for devices that have not been active for an extended period.

9. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The most current version will always be available at https://foodcheckuk.app/privacy/ and the "Last updated" date will be revised. Continued use of the app after a policy change constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

10. Contact

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or the app's data practices, please contact us at:

Email: foodcheckuk@icloud.com

This privacy policy was prepared in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.