Acceptable Use Policy

1. Permitted Uses

ChowAPI is designed for developers building applications that use food and nutrition data. Permitted uses include but are not limited to:

• Food logging, calorie tracking, and nutrition analysis applications
• Meal planning and recipe management tools
• Fitness, health, and wellness applications
• AI assistants and chatbots that provide nutrition information
• Restaurant and food service menu systems
• Research and educational projects
• Barcode scanning and product lookup applications

2. Prohibited Uses

You may not use the Service to:

Abuse and Security

• Attempt to bypass, disable, or circumvent authentication, rate limits, or any other security measure
• Probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of the Service or any related system
• Access the Service using credentials that are not your own
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service, servers, or networks connected to the Service

Data Misuse

• Bulk-download, scrape, or systematically extract the database for the purpose of creating a competing product or dataset
• Resell raw API access or repackage ChowAPI data as your own API service
• Redistribute data in violation of Open Food Facts ODbL license requirements
• Use the API to build a database that substantially replicates the ChowAPI dataset

Harmful Applications

• Build applications that promote eating disorders or dangerous dietary practices
• Present nutrition data as medical advice without appropriate disclaimers
• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable laws or regulations

3. Rate Limits and Fair Use

The API enforces per-minute burst limits and monthly credit quotas. These limits exist to ensure fair access for all users. Automated retry logic that results in excessive requests may be treated as abuse. If you need higher limits, contact us for custom volume pricing.

4. Enforcement

We reserve the right to investigate and take action against any violation of this AUP. Enforcement actions may include, at our sole discretion:

• Issuing a warning
• Temporarily throttling or suspending API access
• Permanently revoking API keys and terminating your account
• Reporting violations to law enforcement if required

We may take enforcement action without prior notice if the violation poses an immediate risk to the Service or other users. No refunds will be issued for credits remaining on terminated accounts. See Section 6 of our Terms of Service for details.

5. Reporting Abuse

If you become aware of any violation of this AUP, please report it to hello@chowapi.dev.

6. Changes

We may update this AUP at any time. Material changes will be communicated via email or a notice on the website. Continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance.