Terms & Conditions

What Maag is

Maag is a South African gut-health service operated by Maag (Pty) Ltd. We offer three things, sold as one subscription:

• A microbiome test you sample at home. We send you a collection kit. You take a sample at home and post it back to us. Our own accredited laboratory in Cape Town sequences it, and your results are loaded securely into your Maag account.
• A tailored meal plan. Based on your results we recommend what to eat more of and less of, and build a weekly plan around the bacteria your gut needs. Meals come as cook-yourself ingredient kits with recipes, ready-made prepared meals, or a mix.
• Maag Flora. A subscription to a blend of 30 different plants you can add to your food to support a healthy gut. Maag Flora is suitable for everyone and does not require a test.

Maag is not a medical service

Maag is a wellness and food service, not a medical or diagnostic one. Your microbiome report and meal plans are for general information and nutrition support. They are not a medical diagnosis, prescription, or treatment, and do not replace advice from a doctor, dietitian, or other healthcare professional.

Our test sequences the bacteria in your gut. It does not screen for pathogens, parasites, cancer, infections, or any specific disease. If you have symptoms or a health concern, see a healthcare provider. Do not start, stop, or change any medication or medically prescribed diet based on a Maag report. If you have a diagnosed medical condition, are pregnant, or are immunocompromised, speak to your doctor before changing your diet or taking Maag Flora.

The kit and your sample

The kit contains everything you need to collect a sample at home and is for single use by the person whose account it is registered to. Follow the included instructions and use the prepaid return packaging — couriered to and from the lab by Aramex. Kits have an expiry date printed on the box; please return your sample before it expires so results stay accurate.

Once the lab has begun processing your sample, that part of the service has been performed and cannot be reversed or refunded (see Cooling-off below).

Subscriptions and billing

Your subscription covers the kit, your report, and your food. Maag Flora may be added on. We bill in advance for each delivery cycle at the price shown when you sign up. You can pause, skip, or cancel future food deliveries from your account before the cut-off shown for each cycle; charges already taken for a cycle in progress are not refundable once ingredients have been bought or meals prepared for you.

If our prices change we will give you notice before it affects your next cycle.

Food, freshness, and allergens

Meal kits and prepared meals are perishable food. Store and use them as directed and within the use-by dates. We can build vegetarian, pescatarian, or halaal plans, and we flag major allergens, but our kitchen and the lab handle gluten, dairy, nuts, and other allergens — we cannot guarantee a fully allergen-free meal. If you have a severe allergy, please do not rely on Maag for complete isolation of that allergen.

Maag Flora is a food product, not a medicine or registered supplement. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Cooling-off (ECT Act)

Under the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act you may cancel certain online purchases within 7 days of delivery without a reason. This right does not apply to perishable food (meal kits, prepared meals, and Maag Flora once delivered), to goods made or personalised for you, or to services already performed — including a microbiome test once the lab has started processing your sample. An unused, unopened collection kit may be returned within 7 days of receiving it.

Consumer Protection Act

Everything we sell is subject to the Consumer Protection Act. Goods must be safe, of good quality, and match their description. If something arrives damaged, spoiled, or not as described, contact us at hello@maag.co.za and we will put it right.

Payments

Card payments are processed by PayFast (Pty) Ltd, a PCI-DSS compliant South African payment provider. Maag does not see or store your card details.

Your data

Your microbiome results are health information and we treat them with extra care. We only store what we need to run your account and deliver the service. See our Privacy Policy for full details, including how to have your data deleted.

Research and improving Maag

By using Maag you agree that we may use your results in anonymised, de-identified form — with anything that could identify you removed — to improve our service and recommendations for all Maag members, and to advance gut-microbiome science, including in academic and published research. Anonymised data cannot be traced back to you and is never sold. You can opt out of this at any time by emailing privacy@maag.co.za; see the Privacy Policy for detail.

Questions or complaints

For anything about your kit, report, or food, email hello@maag.co.za — a real person replies, usually the same day. For questions about these terms, email legal@maag.co.za.