Legal

Terms of Service

Last updated: 6 June 2026

These Terms of Service govern your use of GrocaChef. By downloading or using the app, you agree to these terms. Please read them carefully — they're written in plain English.

01 Acceptance of Terms

By downloading, installing, or using GrocaChef ("the App"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree, please do not use the App.

These Terms form a legal agreement between you and GrocaChef ("we", "us", or "our"). We may update these Terms from time to time. Your continued use of the App after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms.

02 Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years of age to use GrocaChef. By using the App, you confirm that:

  • You are 13 years of age or older
  • You have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement
  • Your use of the App complies with all applicable laws in your jurisdiction

If you are using the App on behalf of an organisation, you confirm that you have the authority to bind that organisation to these Terms.

03 Your Account

To use GrocaChef, you must create an account with a valid email address and a display name of up to 12 characters.

You are responsible for:

  • Keeping your password secure and confidential
  • All activity that occurs under your account
  • Notifying us immediately if you suspect unauthorised use of your account

Erase data & account deletion:

You may erase all your data or delete your account at any time via Profile screen → Erase Data / Delete Account in the app. Erasing data removes all your lists, items, and categories while keeping your account active. Deleting your account permanently removes all data and cannot be undone. See our Privacy Policy for details.

04 Subscriptions & Payments

GrocaChef offers a free tier and two Premium subscription plans.

Free tier

The free tier is available indefinitely and includes 1 shopping list (up to 15 items), barcode scanning, custom categories, and offline access.

Individual Premium — $1.99/month

Unlocks unlimited lists, unlimited items, AI meal planning, list archiving, exports, and real-time shared lists for a single account.

Partner Plan — $2.99/month

Everything in Individual Premium, plus the ability to share premium access with exactly one other person via a unique link code. See Section 5 for full Partner Plan terms.

General subscription terms

  • A free trial may be offered. You will not be charged until the trial period ends
  • Subscriptions automatically renew at the end of each billing period unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the renewal date
  • Payment is charged to your Apple ID (iOS) or Google Play account (Android) at confirmation of purchase
  • You may cancel your subscription at any time — see How to cancel below. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period; you retain full Premium access until then
  • Refunds are governed by Apple App Store or Google Play refund policies

How to cancel

GrocaChef includes a built-in Manage Subscription button so you can cancel without leaving the app:

  1. Open the app and tap the menu icon (☰) on the home screen
  2. Tap Manage Subscription
  3. You will be taken directly to your App Store subscriptions page (iOS) or Google Play subscriptions page (Android) where you can cancel or change your plan

You can also manage your subscription directly on your device without opening the app:

  • iOS: Settings → [Your Name] → Subscriptions → GrocaChef → Cancel Subscription
  • Android: Google Play Store → Profile icon → Payments & subscriptions → Subscriptions → GrocaChef → Cancel subscription
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Cancellation takes effect at period end When you cancel, your Premium access continues until the end of your current billing period. No partial refunds are issued for unused time. After the period ends, your account moves to the free tier and Premium features are no longer available.

Restore Purchases

If you reinstall the app or switch devices, use the Restore Purchases button on the subscription screen to recover your active subscription.

Price changes

We may change subscription prices. We will give you reasonable notice before any price change takes effect. If you do not agree to the new price, you may cancel before your next renewal.

05 Partner Sharing Plan

The Partner Plan allows the subscribing account holder ("Owner") to share premium access with one other GrocaChef user ("Partner") via a unique 8-character invite code. This section governs the use of that feature.

How it works

  1. The Owner subscribes to the Partner Plan and opens Menu → Link Partner in the app
  2. An 8-character invite code is generated and displayed. The Owner shares this code privately with their chosen Partner
  3. The Partner opens Menu → Link Code, enters the code, and immediately gains full premium access on their own account
  4. The Partner retains their own separate profile, lists, and data at all times

Rules and restrictions

  • Each invite code is single-use and can only be redeemed by one person
  • A Partner Plan subscription can be linked to a maximum of one Partner at any time
  • You must not share, sell, or publicly distribute your invite code. Codes are intended for private sharing with a known individual only
  • You must not use the Partner Plan to provide commercial access to third parties
  • The Owner may remove the Partner link at any time via Menu → Link Partner → Remove Partner. The Partner will lose premium access immediately upon removal
  • The Partner may leave the household at any time via Menu → Link Partner → Leave Partner Plan

Effect of cancellation

If the Owner cancels or downgrades their subscription, the Partner will lose premium access at the end of the Owner's current billing period. The Partner's account data is not deleted.

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Separate accounts, shared premium The Partner Sharing feature grants premium feature access — it does not merge accounts, share personal data between users, or give either party access to the other's lists unless lists are explicitly shared through the standard list-sharing feature.

06 AI-Generated Content

The Premium tier includes an AI meal planning feature ("AI Chef") that generates meal suggestions based on information you provide about your shopping list, fridge, and cupboard.

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Important disclosure Meal plans and suggestions are generated by artificial intelligence. They may not always be accurate, nutritionally complete, or suitable for your individual dietary needs, allergies, or health conditions. Always use your own judgement before preparing or consuming any meal.

We are not responsible for any adverse outcomes resulting from following AI-generated meal suggestions. The AI Chef is a convenience tool, not a professional dietary or medical service.

To get the best results, keep your lists accurate — add items as you stock up and check them off as you run out. The AI uses your list data to generate suggestions; inaccurate lists will produce less relevant results.

07 Your Content

You retain ownership of all content you create in the App — your shopping lists, categories, items, and notes ("Your Content").

By using the App, you grant us a limited, non-exclusive licence to store, process, and transmit Your Content solely to provide the App's functionality (including syncing across devices and enabling shared lists).

You are responsible for ensuring Your Content does not violate any third-party rights or applicable laws.

08 Prohibited Conduct

When using GrocaChef, you must not:

  • Use the App for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable laws
  • Attempt to gain unauthorised access to other users' accounts or data
  • Reverse-engineer, decompile, or disassemble any part of the App
  • Use automated scripts, bots, or scrapers against the App or its backend
  • Transmit any malicious code, viruses, or harmful content
  • Use the App to harass, abuse, or harm any person
  • Attempt to circumvent subscription or payment requirements
  • Misrepresent your identity or create accounts fraudulently

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these restrictions without notice.

09 Intellectual Property

All intellectual property rights in GrocaChef — including the app design, branding, code, and content we create — are owned by or licensed to us.

We grant you a limited, personal, non-transferable licence to use the App for your own personal, non-commercial purposes in accordance with these Terms.

Nothing in these Terms transfers any intellectual property rights to you. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from any part of the App without our prior written consent.

10 Disclaimers

GrocaChef is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied.

  • We do not warrant that the App will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free from viruses or other harmful components
  • We do not warrant the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of any content in the App, including AI-generated meal suggestions
  • We are not responsible for any loss of data due to technical failures, though we implement reasonable safeguards

Third-party data — Open Food Facts

When you scan a barcode, GrocaChef queries the Open Food Facts open-source food database to retrieve a product name. Product data is contributed by volunteers worldwide and may be incomplete, inaccurate, or missing for some products. We are not responsible for the accuracy of product information returned by Open Food Facts. Always verify product details before use. Open Food Facts is a free, non-profit project — see world.openfoodfacts.org.

Third-party services

GrocaChef integrates third-party services including Supabase, RevenueCat, Anthropic, and Open Food Facts. Each of these services operates under its own terms and privacy policy. We are not responsible for the availability, accuracy, or conduct of any third-party service.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of implied warranties, so some of the above may not apply to you.

11 Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, we shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of or related to your use of the App.

Our total liability to you for any claim arising from your use of the App shall not exceed the amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim (or R100 if you have not made any payments).

Nothing in these Terms limits our liability for fraud, wilful misconduct, or any liability that cannot be excluded by law.

12 Termination

You may stop using the App and delete your account at any time via the in-app account deletion flow.

We may suspend or terminate your access to the App immediately, without prior notice, if:

  • You breach these Terms
  • We are required to do so by law
  • We discontinue the App (with reasonable notice where possible)

Upon termination, your right to use the App ceases immediately. Sections on intellectual property, disclaimers, limitation of liability, and governing law survive termination.

13 Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms 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, notify you via the app.

Your continued use of GrocaChef after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not agree to the updated Terms, please stop using the App and delete your account.

14 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of South Africa, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Any disputes arising out of or in connection with these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of South Africa.

Notwithstanding the above, nothing in these Terms limits any rights you may have under the mandatory consumer protection laws of your country of residence.

15 Contact Us

If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us:

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GrocaChef Support admin@grocaaichef.com We aim to respond within 24 hours.