Privacy Policy
Last updated: 19 August 2026
The Lazy Fork ("we", "us", "our") is operated by Adam Potgieter, trading as The Lazy Fork ("the Operator"), a sole trader based in the United Kingdom. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal data when you use the thelazyfork.co.uk website and app (the "Service"), regardless of where in the world you access it from.
We are the data controller for the personal data described below. If you have any questions, contact us at [email protected].
1. What Data We Collect
| Category | Examples | Why we collect it |
|---|---|---|
| Account data | Email address, password (stored as a salted hash — we never see or store your plain-text password), display name | To create and secure your account, and identify you within a shared household |
| Household/sync data | Sync codes, links between household members, who owns which recipes | To let you share meal plans and grocery lists with people you invite |
| Recipe & content data | Recipes you create or import, recipe photos, ingredients, instructions, prep/cook times, scraped recipe URLs | To provide the core meal-planning features of the Service |
| Grocery list data | Items and checked/unchecked status | To provide the grocery list feature |
| Billing data | Subscription/plan type, Stripe customer and subscription IDs | To manage your subscription. We do not collect or store your card details — these are handled entirely by Stripe |
| Communications | Emails sent to verify your account or invite household members | To operate account verification and household invitations |
| Technical data | IP address, browser type, theme preference (cookie), authentication token (local storage) | To keep you signed in, remember your preferences, and secure the Service |
We do not knowingly collect any special category data (e.g. health data), and dietary or recipe information you choose to enter is provided voluntarily by you.
2. How We Use Your Data
- Create, authenticate, and manage your account
- Provide meal-planning, recipe-import, grocery-list, and household-sharing features
- Process payments and manage subscriptions via Stripe
- Send transactional emails (verification links, household invitations, service notices)
- Maintain the security and integrity of the Service (e.g. detecting abuse)
- Comply with our legal obligations
We do not sell your personal data, and we do not use your data for third-party advertising or behavioural tracking.
3. Legal Basis for Processing
Where UK/EU data protection law applies, we rely on:
- Contract — processing needed to provide the Service you sign up for (account, recipes, subscriptions)
- Legitimate interests — securing the Service, preventing abuse, and improving features
- Consent — where you explicitly opt in (e.g. inviting a household member by email)
- Legal obligation — where we must retain records (e.g. billing records for tax purposes)
4. Who We Share Data With
We share data only with service providers who help us run the Service, under contracts that protect your data:
- Stripe — payment processing and subscription billing
- Cloudinary — hosting of recipe images you upload or import
- Our email delivery provider — sending verification and invitation emails
- Household members you invite — your display name and shared recipes/lists are visible to people you link your account with via a sync code
We may also disclose data if required by law, to protect our legal rights, or in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets (in which case we'll notify you). We do not share your data with third parties for their own marketing purposes.
5. International Data Transfers
We are based in the United Kingdom, but our users and service providers (e.g. Stripe, Cloudinary) may be located outside the UK/EEA. Where we transfer personal data internationally, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses or the provider's own certified transfer mechanisms (e.g. the EU-US Data Privacy Framework).
6. Data Retention
We retain your account and content data for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we will delete or anonymise your personal data within a reasonable period, except where we are required to retain certain records (e.g. billing data) for legal or tax purposes.
7. Your Rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you
- Correct inaccurate data
- Request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten")
- Object to or restrict certain processing
- Request a portable copy of your data
- Withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent
You can delete your account and all associated personal data at any time from Profile → Delete Account inside the app. For any other request, email [email protected]. We will respond within one month (or as required under your local law). If you are in the EU/UK and unhappy with our response, you have the right to complain to your local data protection authority (in the UK, the ICO — ico.org.uk).
If you are a California resident, you may have additional rights under the CCPA/CPRA, including the right to know what personal information we collect and to opt out of its sale — noting that we do not sell personal information.
8. Cookies and Local Storage
We use one functional cookie (theme) to remember your light/dark mode preference, and browser local storage to keep you signed in and remember app preferences. We do not use third-party advertising or analytics cookies. See our Cookie Policy for details.
9. Security
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including password hashing, encrypted connections (HTTPS), and access controls on our database and third-party providers. No system is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
10. Children
The Service is not directed at children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, contact us and we will delete it.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the updated version here with a new "Last updated" date, and for material changes we will make reasonable efforts to notify you (e.g. by email).
12. Contact Us
Adam Potgieter, trading as The Lazy Fork
Email: [email protected]