Privacy Policy
Additive Check · Last updated 6 October 2026
Additive Check is an app from Scientific Humans ("we", "us") that reads the label on packaged food. This page explains what personal data the app handles, why, who else processes it, how long we keep it, and what you can do about it. We have tried to write it in plain language.
The short version
- You sign in with an email address and a password.
- The photos you take of food packaging are sent to our server and to Google Cloud Vision, which reads the text on the label. Only that text, not the photos, goes on to OpenAI to pick out the ingredients and additives.
- Allergies and health conditions are optional. If you add them, they are used only to tailor the warnings you see.
- We do not show ads, we do not use advertising or analytics trackers, and we do not sell your data.
- You can delete your account and its data from inside the app or from this page.
What we collect
| Data | What it is | Why we need it |
|---|---|---|
| Account | Your email address and password. The password is stored only as a one-way hash, so nobody at Scientific Humans can read it. | To sign you in, confirm your email with a code, and reset a forgotten password. |
| Profiles | For each of up to eight profiles: a name you choose, a relationship label (for example "me" or "child"), an age group, and any allergies and health conditions you add. | To check each scan against the person you are shopping for and show warnings that fit them. Only some conditions change the warnings today; the rest are saved for future use. |
| Photos | The photos of food packaging you take or pick from your gallery: a front, a back and a nutrition table photo, plus one extra if you want (a side panel, the date stamp). | To read the label. They are stored privately, in folders tied to your account, and each is sent to Google Cloud Vision to read its text (see below). |
| Label text and results | The text read from your photos, the ingredients, additives, allergens, nutrition, barcode (the camera reads it on your phone), batch and dates found on the pack, and the rating and warnings produced for the profile you chose. | To show the result and to keep your scan history. |
| Reports | If you report a result as wrong: the reason you pick and an optional note of up to 500 characters. | To find and fix mistakes. |
| Usage records | A record of each analysis you run, with your account and the time. | To enforce fair-use limits and protect the service from abuse. |
| Connection data | Your IP address and basic request details, which our servers and Cloudflare see when the app connects. | To deliver the service, limit abuse and fix faults. |
The app asks for camera access only so you can photograph a pack. While the camera is open it shows a live preview and looks for a barcode in it, on your phone; nothing is recorded or sent until you tap to take a photo, and from a barcode only its number is kept. It reads from your gallery only the photos you choose. It does not collect your location, contacts or advertising ID.
Health information
Allergies and health conditions are sensitive. Adding them is your choice, and the app works without them. We use them only to tailor warnings and we do not share them with anyone else. They are not sent to Google or OpenAI: Google receives only the photos of the pack, and OpenAI only the text read from them. You can edit or remove them in the Profile tab at any time, or delete a whole profile.
Warnings are general information about what a label declares. They are not medical advice.
How we use your data
- To read your photos, score the product and show the result.
- To keep your scan history and profiles.
- To send the sign-up and password-reset emails.
- To limit abuse and keep the service running.
- To answer you if you contact us.
We do not use your data for advertising, we do not build advertising profiles, and we do not sell it.
The shared product catalogue
When a scan identifies a product, the product details on its label (brand, name, ingredients, additives, nutrition) can be added to a shared catalogue, so that the same product is recognised and scored consistently next time. Catalogue records describe products, not people: they carry no email address, no profile and no photos from your account. Because they are shared, they remain after you delete your account.
Who else handles your data
We use a few providers to run the service. They process data for us for the purposes below, and we send them only what each job needs.
- Google Cloud Vision receives each packaging photo you scan and returns the text printed on it. It does not receive your email, your profile or your health details. See Google's privacy policy.
- OpenAI receives the text read from your photos, not the photos themselves, to pick out the ingredients, additives and nutrition and to tell products apart. It does not receive your email, your profile or your health details. See OpenAI's privacy policy.
- Cloudflare carries the traffic between the app and our server, so it handles connection data such as your IP address. See Cloudflare's privacy policy.
- Brevo delivers our sign-up and password-reset emails, so it receives your email address and the code in the message. See Brevo's privacy policy.
Your account data, photos and results are stored on a server that we operate, not with a cloud database provider. We may also disclose data if the law requires it.
How long we keep it
- Your account, profiles, photos, label text, results and reports are kept until you delete your account.
- When you delete your account, this data is removed from the live system straight away. Our rolling backups can still hold a copy for up to 14 days, after which it is gone.
- Catalogue records (see above) are kept, without any link to you.
- Emails sent through Brevo may remain in its delivery logs for the period its own policy sets.
Security
The app talks to our server over HTTPS. Each account can read only its own profiles, photos and history, and photos are kept in a private store that is not publicly reachable. No system is perfectly secure, so please use a strong password that you do not use elsewhere. Passwords that appear in known data breaches are rejected when you sign up.
Your choices and rights
- See and change your data: your profiles and history are in the app.
- Delete your data: use Delete account in the Profile tab, or follow the steps on the delete-your-account page.
- Ask for a copy, a correction, or to restrict how we use your data: email contact@scientifichumans.com from the address on your account.
Depending on where you live, laws such as India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 or the EU's GDPR may give you additional rights. We will respond to reasonable requests wherever you live.
Children
Additive Check is meant for adults. A parent or guardian can add a profile for a child, using an age group and a name of their choosing, so that warnings fit the child. We do not knowingly create accounts for children. If you believe a child has made one, tell us and we will delete it.
Changes to this policy
If we change how we handle data, we will update this page and its date. If the change is significant, we will also tell you in the app.
Contact
Questions about this policy or your data: contact@scientifichumans.com.