Terms and Conditions

1. Introduction

These Terms and Conditions govern your access to and use of Aussie Lunchbox Planner. By continuing to browse or use the site, you accept these terms in full. If any term is unacceptable to you, please discontinue use immediately. These terms are governed by the laws of the State of New South Wales, Australia, and the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) as set out in Schedule 2 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth).

2. Use of Service

Aussie Lunchbox Planner is a free online tool that generates automated school-lunch meal plans and grocery lists for Australian families.

• Use of the service is permitted for lawful, personal, non-commercial purposes only.
• Any attempt to interfere with, reverse-engineer, or scrape the service may result in permanent access revocation.

3. Intellectual Property

All original content on this site — including text, recipes, graphics, layout, and software code — is the property of Aussie Lunchbox Planner and is protected under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) and applicable international treaties. Third-party images and data are used under licence and attributed where required.

4. User Accounts

Certain features (saving plans, favourites) require a Google sign-in. You are solely responsible for keeping your credentials secure and for any activity that occurs under your account. Notify us immediately if you suspect unauthorised access.

5. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted under Australian law, including the ACL, Aussie Lunchbox Planner excludes liability for indirect, incidental, special, or consequential loss arising from your use of or inability to use the service.

• Service availability is provided on an 'as-is' basis without warranty of uninterrupted or error-free operation.
• Nutritional information and supermarket pricing are estimates only and should not be relied upon as exact figures.

6. Disclaimer regarding Food and Health

• Verifying every ingredient against your family's allergy requirements is entirely your responsibility.
• No recipe can be guaranteed 100% allergen-free. Cross-contamination may occur during manufacturing, packaging, or home preparation.

7. Changes to Terms

We may update these terms from time to time. Material changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. Continued use after a change constitutes acceptance.

8. Contact

Questions or concerns about these Terms can be directed to aussielunchbox@gmail.com.

Use of the AI Meal Planner

The Aussie Lunchbox planner generates weekly meal plans by combining a curated library of Australian-friendly recipes with rules drawn from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Australian Dietary Guidelines and the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, plus state health department healthy-canteen frameworks (NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy, Queensland Smart Choices, Victorian Healthy Choices). The planner does not generate novel recipes or use a large language model to write content. However, you should treat its output as a starting point, not a finished medical or dietary plan:

• The planner does not know your child individually. It applies general age-band serving guidance and the allergy filters you tick — it does not account for medical conditions, growth concerns, sensory issues, or cultural and religious requirements unless you exclude relevant ingredients manually.
• Generated plans may include ingredients that conflict with a school's specific food policy (e.g., a school that restricts seeds in addition to nuts, or a school with a sugar-free Friday). Always cross-check the plan against your school's current letter.
• Allergy filters operate on the recipe ingredient list, not on the live FSANZ Plain English Allergen Labelling (PEAL) statement of any commercial product you may buy to make the recipe. If you are managing an anaphylactic allergy, always read the actual product packaging before purchase.
• Prices shown alongside the plan are estimates drawn from periodic in-store checks at Australian supermarkets and may not reflect the current price at your local store, particularly in regional or remote areas.

Allergy, Nutrition, and Food Safety Disclaimer

Aussie Lunchbox content covers allergy management, food safety, and child nutrition — topics that fall within the Your Money or Your Life (YMYL) category where errors can have real consequences. Articles are written and reviewed against publicly available Australian Government, NHMRC, and Heart Foundation guidance, but they are general educational content, not personalised advice.

• For diagnosed allergies, particularly with anaphylaxis risk: follow your child's ASCIA Action Plan (developed by your GP, paediatrician, or clinical immunology/allergy specialist). Do not rely on a planner-generated label as your only safety check.
• For nutrient adequacy concerns (iron, calcium, protein, vitamin D, growth tracking): consult an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) via the Dietitians Australia directory, or your GP. Site articles can illustrate the general framework but cannot diagnose deficiency.
• For food safety in extreme conditions (long bus rides in summer, unrefrigerated school trips, camp food): the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) consumer guidance and your state health department (NSW Food Authority, Queensland Health, Vic Health, etc.) override anything written on this site if the two differ.
• Reactions or adverse events: always stop the food in question, manage the immediate reaction per your child's ASCIA Action Plan, and contact Healthdirect Australia (1800 022 222) or call 000 for emergency services as appropriate. Do not contact this site as a first response.

Parent / Guardian Responsibility

Aussie Lunchbox is built for use by adults responsible for school-age children in Australia (parents, caregivers, grandparents, guardians). By using the planner or relying on site content for a child's lunch, you confirm:

• You are the parent or legal guardian of the child the plan is for, or you have been given clear instructions by that parent or guardian (allergy list, cultural restrictions, school policy).
• You have read the current school food and allergy policy and will cross-check the generated plan against it before sending food in. Policies vary by state — NSW, Victoria, Queensland, WA, SA, Tasmania, ACT, and NT each have distinct healthy-canteen frameworks.
• You will physically prepare and check each lunchbox item before it leaves your home — the planner does not handle packaging, food safety on the day, or temperature control on the route to school. Australian summer temperatures (often 35–40°C in QLD, NSW, VIC) make this particularly important.
• You accept that supermarket prices, allergen labels, and school policies change over time — the planner cannot be more current than the data it was last updated with.

Account and Data Provisions

The Aussie Lunchbox planner offers an optional free account (via Supabase Auth) for saving favourite meals and previously generated plans. The following apply when you create an account:

• Account data is limited to what you provide at sign-up (email address, password hash) and what you choose to save (favourite meal names, plan history, allergy preferences).
• No child name, age, school name, or precise location is collected or stored — the planner operates on year-level and allergy filters, not personally identifying information about the child.
• You can request export or deletion of your account data at any time by contacting aussielunchbox@gmail.com. The data export covers all favourite meals and saved plans; deletion is irreversible and processed within 30 days as required under the Australian Privacy Act 1988.
• Account data is stored on Supabase infrastructure in the Australia-Sydney region. By creating an account you consent to this data location.
• If you believe your privacy has been mishandled, you can complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au.

Advertising and Third-Party Services

Aussie Lunchbox is monetised through Google AdSense. Google (including third-party vendors that Google may use) may use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this site or other sites. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads based on your visits to this site and/or other sites on the Internet. You may opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings. More about third-party advertising opt-out is available at aboutads.info. Australian users may also wish to consult the Australian Association of National Advertisers' opt-out resources. See the Privacy Policy for the full data-handling overview, including the cookie consent banner.