Terms and Conditions

1. About the Plant-Based Study

The Plant-Based Study is a 14-day research study involving plant-based diet-related survey questions and text message communications.

Participants may receive study-related SMS messages, including survey questions, reminders, follow-up questions, completion prompts, and other messages related to participation in the study.

The study is for research and informational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, nutritional counseling, or professional healthcare services.

2. Eligibility

The Plant-Based Study is intended for individuals who are 18 years of age or older.

By using the website or participating in the study, you represent that you are at least 18 years old and that you have the legal capacity to agree to these Terms.

We do not knowingly allow individuals under 18 to participate. If we learn that an individual under 18 has participated without appropriate authorization, we may remove that individual from the study and delete or de-identify their information, unless retention is required or appropriate for legal, safety, security, or compliance reasons.

3. Voluntary participation

Participation in the Plant-Based Study is voluntary.

You may withdraw from the study at any time by contacting us at support@plantbasedstudy.org or by opting out of SMS messages as described below.

If you withdraw, we will stop sending you study-related SMS messages unless a final confirmation or administrative message is necessary. We may retain information already collected as described in our Privacy Policy, including where needed for research integrity, legal compliance, recordkeeping, security, or de-identified analysis.

4. No medical advice

The Plant-Based Study does not provide medical advice.

The website, SMS messages, study questions, reminders, and other study materials are provided for research and informational purposes only. They are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, nutritional counseling, or consultation with a qualified healthcare provider.

You should consult a physician, registered dietitian, or other qualified healthcare professional before making significant dietary, lifestyle, or health-related changes, especially if you have a medical condition, take medication, are pregnant or nursing, have a history of eating disorders, or have specific nutritional needs.

If you experience a medical emergency, call your local emergency number immediately.

5. Participant responsibilities

By participating in the Plant-Based Study, you agree to:

• Provide accurate and truthful information to the best of your knowledge.
• Participate only on your own behalf.
• Not submit false, misleading, fraudulent, abusive, or unlawful information.
• Not interfere with the operation, security, or integrity of the website, SMS system, database, or study.
• Not attempt to access accounts, systems, data, or information that you are not authorized to access.
• Notify us if you wish to withdraw from the study or stop receiving SMS messages.

You are responsible for any charges, fees, or costs imposed by your mobile carrier, internet provider, or other service provider.

6. SMS / text messaging terms

By providing your mobile phone number and opting in to receive SMS messages from the Plant-Based Study, you consent to receive study-related text messages from Alliance Foundation.

These messages may include survey questions, reminders, follow-up questions, completion prompts, and other communications related to your participation in the Plant-Based Study.

The study lasts approximately 14 days. Message frequency may vary based on your participation and responses. During the study period, you may receive multiple messages per day, including survey questions and follow-up questions. We may also send reminders, including weekly reminders and reminders if you do not complete study activities.

Message and data rates may apply.

You may opt out of SMS messages at any time by replying STOP. After you reply STOP, we may send one final message confirming that you have been unsubscribed.

You may request help by replying HELP or by contacting us at support@plantbasedstudy.org.

Opting out of SMS messages may affect your ability to participate in parts of the study that rely on SMS.

Consent to receive SMS messages is not a condition of purchasing any goods or services.

7. SMS opt-in and mobile information

We use your mobile phone number to send study-related SMS messages and administer the Plant-Based Study.

We do not sell, rent, share, or disclose your mobile phone number, SMS opt-in information, or SMS consent status to third parties or affiliates for their own marketing or promotional purposes.

For more information about how we collect, use, disclose, and retain information, please review our Privacy Policy.

8. Website accounts and authentication

Some parts of the website may require account creation, authentication, or verification.

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of any login credentials, authentication links, or account access methods. You agree not to share access to your account or impersonate another person.

We may suspend or terminate access to the website or study systems if we believe there has been unauthorized access, misuse, fraud, security risk, or violation of these Terms.

9. Data collection and research use

By participating in the Plant-Based Study, you understand that we may collect and use information you provide, including survey responses, SMS responses, demographic information, participation information, and related study data.

We may use this information to conduct research, analyze results, create aggregated or de-identified findings, publish or present research, improve the study, and maintain study records.

Our collection and use of information is described in our Privacy Policy.

10. International participants

The Plant-Based Study may be available to participants in multiple countries.

By using the website or participating in the study, you understand that your information may be processed and stored in countries other than the country where you live, including countries that may have different privacy and data protection laws.

You are responsible for determining whether participation in the study is permitted under the laws and rules that apply to you.

11. Intellectual property

The website, study materials, text, graphics, logos, software, design, survey content, and other materials made available by Alliance Foundation are owned by Alliance Foundation or its licensors and are protected by intellectual property and other laws.

You may use the website and study materials only for your personal participation in the Plant-Based Study.

You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, modify, publicly display, publicly perform, create derivative works from, or exploit any part of the website or study materials without our prior written permission, except as permitted by law.

12. Prohibited uses

You agree not to:

• Use the website, SMS system, or study for any unlawful, harmful, fraudulent, abusive, or deceptive purpose.
• Submit false, misleading, or impersonated information.
• Attempt to disrupt, damage, overload, or interfere with the website, SMS system, database, infrastructure, or security.
• Attempt to reverse engineer, scrape, crawl, or extract data from the website or study systems without authorization.
• Upload, transmit, or introduce viruses, malware, spam, or other harmful code.
• Violate the rights, privacy, or safety of any person.
• Use the study or website in a way that violates applicable law or these Terms.

13. Third-party services

We may use third-party services to operate the website and study, including services for SMS messaging, hosting, authentication, databases, analytics, security, and technical support.

These third-party services may have their own terms and privacy policies. We are not responsible for third-party services except as required by applicable law.

14. Availability and changes to the study

We may modify, suspend, limit, or discontinue the website, study, SMS communications, or any part of the Plant-Based Study at any time.

We do not guarantee that the website, SMS system, or study will be uninterrupted, error-free, secure, or available at all times.

We may update study procedures, questions, messaging flows, eligibility criteria, or other aspects of the study as needed.

15. Disclaimer of warranties

The website, study, SMS messages, study materials, and related services are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Alliance Foundation disclaims all warranties, whether express, implied, statutory, or otherwise, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, non-infringement, accuracy, availability, and security.

We do not warrant that participation in the study will produce any specific health, dietary, scientific, personal, or other outcome.

16. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Alliance Foundation and its officers, directors, employees, contractors, advisors, service providers, and agents will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, data, goodwill, health outcomes, or other intangible losses arising out of or related to your use of the website, participation in the study, receipt of SMS messages, or reliance on study materials.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Alliance Foundation’s total liability for any claim arising out of or related to these Terms, the website, the study, or SMS communications will not exceed $100.

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations of liability, so some of the above limitations may not apply to you.

17. Indemnification

To the fullest extent permitted by law, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless Alliance Foundation and its officers, directors, employees, contractors, advisors, service providers, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, arising out of or related to your violation of these Terms, misuse of the website or study systems, or violation of applicable law or third-party rights.

18. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the website, study, SMS communications, or related services if we believe you have violated these Terms, created a security or safety risk, provided false or misleading information, or used the website or study in an improper way.

You may stop participating at any time by contacting us at support@plantbasedstudy.org or by replying STOP to SMS messages.

19. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict of law principles.

You agree that any dispute arising out of or related to these Terms, the website, the study, or SMS communications will be resolved in the state or federal courts located in California, unless applicable law requires otherwise.

20. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make changes, we will post the updated Terms on this page and update the effective date.

Your continued use of the website or participation in the study after updated Terms are posted means you accept the updated Terms.

21. Contact us

For questions about these Terms, the Plant-Based Study, SMS messages, or participation, contact us at: