Privacy policy

Last updated 11 November 2026

MCD | Melissa Colborne Dietitian (“MC Dietitian”, “we”) is a registered dietitian practice in Cape Town, South Africa. This policy explains how we handle your personal information in the MC Dietitian app (app.mcdietitian.com) and during your coaching programme, in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) and, for clients in the UK and EU, the GDPR.

Who is responsible

Melissa Colborne is the responsible party and Information Officer. Contact: melissa@mcdietitian.com.

What we collect

• Contact details: name, email address, phone number and location.
• Health and nutrition information you share with us: goals, measurements, weight, dietary needs, allergies, intolerances, relevant medical information and optional progress photos.
• Your meal plans, check-ins and the habits you log in the app.
• Billing records: invoices and payment status (we do not store card or bank login details).
• Sign-in information: your email address, and if you choose “Continue with Google”, your name and email address from Google. We do not receive your Google password or access your Gmail, contacts or files.

Why we use it

To provide your dietetic coaching: preparing personalised meal plans, tracking your progress, running check-ins, invoicing, and contacting you about your programme. Health information is used only for your care, with your consent, and is never sold or used for advertising.

Applying for coaching on our website

When you apply for The Real Life Reset on app.mcdietitian.com/reset, we collect your first name, email address and, if you choose to give them, your WhatsApp number and where you are based, plus your answers about your challenges, goals and how you would like us to contact you. We use these only to review your application and contact you about it. The form does not ask for health details; those are discussed on your consultation call. If you do not go on to join a programme, we delete your application within 12 months, or sooner if you ask.

Quizzes and marketing emails

When you take one of our quizzes (for example at app.mcdietitian.com/quiz) and choose to unlock your full results, we collect your first name, email address, your quiz answers and result, where you found the quiz (for example Instagram), and the date you ticked the consent box. The quizzes do not ask for health details. With your consent, we email you your results and a short series of follow-up emails with tips, recipes and information about our coaching, and add you to our mailing list. Every email has an unsubscribe link, and you can unsubscribe at any time; we will not add you back unless you ask. We delete your quiz answers after 12 months. Your email address stays on our list, marked as unsubscribed if you leave, so we never email you by mistake. Emails are sent from melissa@mcdietitian.com through Google Workspace. If you were a client, we may also send you occasional emails about similar services (for example a check-in or an invitation back) a few months after your programme ends, as POPIA allows for existing clients; you can unsubscribe from these at any time too.

Our marketing emails measure whether they were opened and which links were clicked, using a tiny image and links that pass through app.mcdietitian.com. We use this only to see which emails are useful, and we keep these records for 12 months. We do not record your IP address or device. You can stop this by turning off images in your email app, or by unsubscribing.

Instagram enquiries and replies

When you send MC Dietitian an Instagram message or comment, we may receive your Instagram account identifier, available username, message or comment text and related timing information in our private engagement workspace. We use this to answer enquiries and manage follow-ups. Melissa reviews and sends replies herself; the workspace does not send replies automatically. We do not download Instagram attachments into the workspace. Messages, drafts and change history are stored in our secure database and are accessible only to authorised practice staff. Contact melissa@mcdietitian.com to request access, correction or deletion, subject to applicable record-keeping requirements. Sending an enquiry does not subscribe you to marketing.

Who can see it

Only Melissa and any staff member she authorises, using password and two-step verification. You can only ever see your own information. We use trusted service providers to run the app: Supabase (secure database and file storage, hosted in the United Kingdom), Vercel (app hosting) and Google Workspace (email). Your information is stored outside South Africa with providers that offer adequate protection, as POPIA requires, and you consent to this when you join the programme.

How we protect it

Information is encrypted in transit and at rest, access is restricted per person, progress photos are private and only shown through short-lived links, and changes are recorded in an audit log.

How long we keep it

For as long as you are a client and afterwards for as long as health-professional record-keeping rules require. When your programme ends, your access to the app ends; your records are kept securely and are not deleted unless the law allows it and you ask us to.

Your rights

You may ask to see, correct or receive a copy of your information, withdraw consent (for example for progress photos), or object to its use. Email melissa@mcdietitian.com. If you are unhappy with how we handle your information, you may complain to the Information Regulator of South Africa (inforegulator.org.za), or to your local data-protection authority if you live in the UK or EU.

Cookies

The app only uses the cookies needed to keep you signed in. There is no advertising tracking. Our website may remember in your own browser that you have already seen the quiz pop-up, so it is not shown again; this is not sent to us.