Shelf Gains

Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 8, 2026

This Privacy Policy describes how Shelf Gains ("we", "us", or "our") collects, uses, and discloses your personal information when you visit or use shelfgains.com (the "Service"), and the rights you have regarding that information.

By using the Service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. This Privacy Policy should be read together with our Terms and Conditions.

1. Who We Are

Shelf Gains is a website that lets users discover, review, and rate protein snacks. For the purposes of this Privacy Policy, the data controller is Shelf Gains, operating the website at https://www.shelfgains.com.

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how your data is handled, contact us at hello@shelfgains.com.

2. Information We Collect

Information you provide to us

  • Account information. When you create an account, we collect your email address and a username you choose. Your password is handled by our authentication provider and is stored by them in a securely hashed form; we do not have access to your plaintext password.
  • Profile information. You may optionally add an avatar image to your profile.
  • User-generated content. Reviews, ratings (including taste, texture, value, and would-buy-again indicators), and any snacks you submit, including product information and any images you upload (such as product photos or nutrition-label photos).
  • Communications. If you contact us by email, we receive the information you include in your message.

Information collected automatically

  • Usage data. Information about how you interact with the Service, such as pages viewed and actions taken.
  • Technical data. Information such as your IP address, browser type, device information, and general access times, which may be collected by our hosting and infrastructure providers as part of operating the Service.

Information we do NOT collect

  • We do not collect payment or credit card information, because the Service does not currently sell products or process payments.
  • We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under the age of 18 (see Section 9).

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

  • Create and manage your account and authenticate you when you sign in;
  • Operate, maintain, and provide the features of the Service, including publishing your reviews, ratings, and snack submissions;
  • Display your username and avatar alongside content you post;
  • Send you account-related and transactional emails, such as email address confirmation and password-reset messages;
  • Review and moderate user-submitted snacks and reported content;
  • Respond to your inquiries and provide support;
  • Detect, prevent, and address technical issues, abuse, fraud, or violations of our Terms;
  • Comply with legal obligations.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for third-party advertising.

4. Legal Bases for Processing (EU/EEA/UK Users)

If you are located in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, we process your personal data under the following legal bases of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

  • Performance of a contract — to provide the Service you have signed up for (e.g., creating your account, publishing your content).
  • Legitimate interests — to operate, secure, and improve the Service, moderate content, and prevent abuse, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights.
  • Consent — where we rely on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time (for example, by deleting content or your account).
  • Legal obligation — where processing is necessary to comply with the law.

5. How We Store and Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal information. We share information only with the service providers that help us operate the Service, and only as necessary for them to perform their functions:

  • Supabase — provides our database, user authentication, and file storage (including uploaded avatar and snack images).
  • Vercel — provides website hosting and content delivery.
  • Resend — sends our transactional emails (such as confirmation and password-reset emails).

These providers process data on our behalf and are permitted to use it only to provide services to us. Your account email and related data are stored and processed on infrastructure operated by these providers.

We may also disclose your information:

  • To comply with applicable law, regulation, legal process, or enforceable governmental request;
  • To enforce our Terms and Conditions;
  • To protect the rights, property, or safety of Shelf Gains, our users, or others;
  • In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, in which case we will take steps to ensure your information remains protected.

Publicly visible information

Please be aware that certain information is public by design. Your username, avatar, and any reviews, ratings, and snack submissions you post are visible to other users and to the public on the Service. Do not include information in your public content that you do not want to be publicly available. (Note: photos submitted with snack submissions, such as nutrition-label images, are only accessible to site administrators, not the general public.)

6. International Data Transfers

We are based in the United States, and our service providers store and process data in the United States. If you access the Service from outside the United States, your information will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your country. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards for such transfers. By using the Service, you acknowledge this transfer.

7. Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use only essential cookies and similar technologies that are necessary to operate the Service, primarily to keep you signed in and maintain your session. We do not use advertising cookies, and we do not sell behavioral data.

Because we use only strictly necessary cookies, we do not display a cookie consent banner. If we add analytics or non-essential cookies in the future, we will update this Policy and provide any legally required consent mechanisms.

8. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. If you delete your account, we will delete or anonymize your personal information, except where we are required to retain it to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, or enforce our agreements.

Note that reviews or content associated with a deleted account may remain visible on the Service in an anonymized form (for example, attributed to a "deleted user") so as not to disrupt the integrity of the review record.

9. Children's Privacy

The Service is intended only for users 18 years of age and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If you believe a child under 18 has provided us with personal information, please contact us at hello@shelfgains.com and we will take steps to delete it.

Because we do not knowingly collect information from children under 13, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) does not apply to our Service.

10. Your Privacy Rights

All users

Regardless of where you live, you may:

  • Access and review your account information through your account settings;
  • Update or correct your username, avatar, and profile information;
  • Edit or delete reviews and content you have posted;
  • Delete your account at any time.

To exercise any right not available through your account settings, contact us at hello@shelfgains.com. We may need to verify your identity before responding.

For California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act, provides you with the following rights:

  • Right to know — you may request the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the sources of that information, the purpose for collecting it, and the categories of third parties with whom we share it.
  • Right to delete — you may request that we delete personal information we have collected from you, subject to certain exceptions.
  • Right to correct — you may request that we correct inaccurate personal information.
  • Right to opt out of sale or sharing — we do not sell or share your personal information as those terms are defined under the CCPA/CPRA, so there is nothing to opt out of.
  • Right to non-discrimination — we will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA rights.

The categories of personal information we collect are described in Section 2 (identifiers such as email and username, internet activity/usage data, and user-generated content). To exercise these rights, contact us at hello@shelfgains.com. We will respond within the timeframes required by law.

For EU/EEA/UK Residents (GDPR)

If you are located in the EU, EEA, or UK, you have the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you;
  • Rectify inaccurate or incomplete data;
  • Erase your data ("right to be forgotten"), subject to certain exceptions;
  • Restrict or object to our processing of your data;
  • Data portability — receive your data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format;
  • Withdraw consent at any time where we rely on consent;
  • Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

To exercise these rights, contact us at hello@shelfgains.com.

For Other U.S. State Residents

Residents of other U.S. states with applicable privacy laws may have similar rights to access, correct, delete, and obtain a copy of their personal information. Contact us at hello@shelfgains.com to exercise any such rights.

11. CalOPPA (California Online Privacy Protection Act)

Under the California Online Privacy Protection Act, we disclose the following:

  • Users can visit our Service anonymously without creating an account (though certain features, such as posting reviews, require an account).
  • This Privacy Policy is accessible via a link on our website.
  • We will notify users of material changes to this Privacy Policy by posting the updated Policy on this page with a revised "Last updated" date.
  • Do Not Track signals: Our Service does not currently respond to Do Not Track ("DNT") browser signals, as no common industry standard for DNT has been adopted.

12. Data Security

We take reasonable measures to protect your personal information, and we rely on our infrastructure providers' security practices, including encryption in transit (HTTPS) and access controls on our database. However, no method of transmission or storage over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

13. Third-Party Links

The Service may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party site you visit.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this Policy and post the updated version on this page. Your continued use of the Service after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy.

15. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us:

Email: hello@shelfgains.com