• Home
  • Privacy Statement

Privacy Statement

Your privacy is important to us, so we've developed this Privacy Policy that sets out how we collect, disclose, transfer and use ("process") the personal data that you share with us, and which rights you have. Please take a moment to read through this policy.

This Privacy Policy is solely intended to provide you with information in relation to the processing of personal data through your use of the website. For our privacy practices in relation to our services, we refer you to the agreement as may be concluded between us.

Your privacy is important to us, so we’ve developed this Privacy Policy that sets out how we collect, disclose, transfer and use (“process”) the personal data that you share with us, and which rights you have. Please take a moment to read through this policy. 

Last updated: 17/05/2024.

If you have any questions, concerns or complaints regarding this Privacy Policy or our processing of your personal data or you wish to submit a request to exercise your rights as set out in article 5, you can contact us:

Via email: newsletter@foodunfolded.com or privacy@eitfood.eu 
By post: EIT Food iVZW Ubicenter A Philipssite 5 bus 34, Belgium

1. Who we are

FoodUnfolded is owned by EIT FOOD (www.eitfood.eu), with its registered office at EIT Food iVZW Ubicenter A Philipssite 5 bus 34, in Belgium and with company number 0672423992. EIT Food is a non-profit, pan-European partnership, with a consumer-centred approach, to empower innovators, entrepreneurs, and students to develop world-class solutions to societal challenges, accelerate innovation, create jobs and increase Europe’s competitiveness. EIT Food maintains this website to enhance public access to information about how our food is made.

Your privacy is important to us, so we’ve developed this Privacy Policy that sets out how we collect, disclose, transfer and use (“process”) the personal data that you share with us, and which rights you have. Please take a moment to read through this policy.

FoodUnfolded (and EIT Food) act as controller for the personal data we gather through your use of our website, our social media channels, customer/users’ surveys, feedback forms, and participation in competitions promoted by us.

This website provides links to several sites and external content. FoodUnfolded (or EIT Food) does not necessarily endorse the sites and content listed, nor assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information within those sites. In addition, FoodUnfolded does not endorse any products or services on other websites linked to or from our site.

2. How we use and collect your personal data

Personal data is defined as any information relating to an identified o identifiable natural person. Identifiable refers to identifiers (such as name, identification number, location data, etc.), that can be used to directly or indirectly identify a natural person.

The personal data we collect, is collected and used for the purposes as listed hereunder:

  • In the event you use a contact form on our website, we will use your personal data in order to reply to your query or provide administrative assistance via e-mail or telephone.
  • In the event you register for our newsletter, your e-mail address will be used in order to send you our newsletters.
  • We process your personal data for the purpose of supporting the website, social media channels and enhancing your user experience, which includes ensuring the security, availability, performance, capacity and health of the website or social media channels.
  • We process your personal data to help us develop our services, create new features, enhance our content creation, campaign planning, provide a personalized experience and understand our services portfolio. When you voluntarily complete customer/user surveys, provide feedback, and participate in competitions.
  • We process your personal data to comply with the terms and conditions stated in any competitions you participate in, including delivering any prize, reward, you are entitled to.
  • We process your personal data to enforce or exercise any rights that are available to us based on the applicable law, such as use for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.
  • We may also use your personal data to fulfil our obligations as set out by the applicable law.

The following categories of personal data can be distinguished:

  • Contact data: in the event you make use of a contact form on our website, you will be asked to provide the following information: name, address, e-mail address, phone number, and any personal data that you choose to put in the designated blank field (please do not provide us with any sensitive information, such as health information, information pertaining to criminal convictions, or credit card/account numbers). This is information that is provided directly by you.
  • Newsletter: if you register for our newsletter, you will be asked to provide your e-mail address. This is information provided directly by you.
  • Usage data: we collect and/or obtain from our website, Newsletter and third parties data regarding your activities on our services (website usage, Newsletter, etc): IP address, device ID and type, referral source, language settings, browser type, operating system, geographical location, length of visit, page views, or information about the timing, frequency, and pattern of your service use. This information may be aggregated and used to help us provide more useful information regarding the use of our services. In the event the usage data is completely anonymised (and can therefore not be traced back to you as an individual), this will not be considered personal data for the purpose of this Privacy Policy. This is data that is automatically collected through your use of the website, Newsletter, Social Media interaction.
  • Transaction data: we may collect personal data relating to transactions that you make through the website, including your “contact data”, payment information and the goods and/or services purchased. This is personal data provided directly by you.
  • Demographic Data: If you participate in our surveys, complete feedback forms, or participate in our competitions. We collect and/or may obtain from third parties, certain data: location, gender, age group, level of education, household situation, lifestyle, preferred language, occupation, and other similar information. We will only collect the necessary data required for the purpose described above adhering to GDPR’s principle of data minimization and anonymization. This personal data is provided directly by you, and it will be collected based on explicit consent, consent will be given by you if you opt-in on an optional marketing consent box prior the completion of the form, survey or competition.

The legal basis for the processing of your personal data is based on consent. At all times, you have the right to withdraw your consent. This will, however, not affect the lawfulness of any processing done prior to the withdrawal of consent.

Your personal data will solely be used for the purposes as set out in this article. You will receive newsletters periodically from our Newsletter partner, EIT Food. If you wish to stop receiving these newsletters, please unsubscribe through the newsletter itself or contact newsletter@foodunfolded.com

3. Retention of your data and deletion

Your personal data will be retained for a period of 3 years.

In the event you withdraw your consent or you object to our use of your personal data, and such objection is successful, we will remove your personal data from our databases. Please note that we will retain the personal data necessary to ensure your preferences are respected in the future.

The foregoing will, however, not prevent us from retaining any personal data if this is necessary to comply with our legal obligations, in order to file a legal claim or defend ourselves against a legal claim, or for evidential purposes.

4. Automated individual decision-making and Profiling

The data subject’s rights under data protection laws, specifically in relation to automated decision-making and profiling states the following:

  1. Right to not be subject to automated decisions: Data subjects have the right not to be subject to decisions based solely on automated processing, including profiling, that have legal or similarly significant effects on them.
  2. Exceptions: This right does not apply if the decision:
    • Is necessary for entering into, or the performance of, a contract between the data subject and a data controller.
    • Is authorised by Union or Member State law to which the controller is subject and which also lays down suitable measures to safeguard the data subject’s rights, freedoms, and legitimate interests.
    • Is based on the data subject’s explicit consent.
  3. Safeguards: If the decision falls under the exceptions, the data controller (We) will implement suitable measures to safeguard the data subject’s rights, freedoms, and legitimate interests. This includes at least the right to obtain human intervention on the part of the controller, to express his or her point of view, and to contest the decision.

We want to be transparent with our users about how we handle their personal data. While we do not engage in automated individual decision-making or profiling, we believe it’s essential to provide clear information. Here’s what you need to know:

Automated Individual Decision-Making: This refers to making decisions solely by automated means without any human involvement. We do not use such processes.

Profiling: Profiling involves automated processing of personal data to evaluate certain aspects about an individual. Again, we do not perform profiling.

While we don’t currently perform automated decision-making or profiling, we commit to conducting a DPIA (Data Protection Impact Assessment) if we ever introduce such practices. A DPIA helps assess and mitigate risks associated with data processing.

5. Your rights

This article lists your principal rights under data protection law. We have tried to summarise them for you in a clear and legible way.

To exercise any of your rights, please send us a written request in accordance with article 1 of this Privacy Policy. We will respond to your request without undue delay, but in any event within one month of the receipt of the request. In the event of an extension of the term to respond or in the event we do not take action on your request, we will notify you.

The right to access

You have the right to confirmation as to whether or not we process your personal data and, in the event we do so, you have the right to access such personal data, together with certain additional information that you also find listed in this Privacy Policy.

You have the right to receive from us a copy of your personal data we have in our possession, provided that this does not adversely affect the rights and freedoms of others. The first copy will be provided free of charge, but we reserve the right to charge a reasonable fee if you request further copies.

The right to rectification

If the personal data we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete, you have the right to have this information rectified or, taking into account the purposes of the processing, completed.

The right to erasure (right to be forgotten)

In some circumstances, you have the right to the erasure of your personal data without undue delay. Those circumstances include:

  • The personal data are no longer needed in relation to the purposes for which they were collected or otherwise processed;
  • You withdraw your consent, and no other lawful ground exists;
  • The processing is for direct marketing purposes;
  • The personal data have been unlawfully processed; or,
  • Erasure is necessary for compliance with EU law or Belgian law.

There are certain exclusions to the right to erasure. Those exclusions include where processing is necessary,

  • For exercising the right of freedom of expression and information;
  • For compliance with a legal obligation; or,
  • For the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.


The right to restrict processing

    You have the right to restrict the processing of your personal data (meaning that the personal data may only be stored by us and may only be used for limited purposes), if:

    • You contest the accuracy of the personal data (and only for as long as it takes to verify that accuracy);
    • The processing is unlawful and you request restriction (as opposed to exercising the right to erasure);
    • We no longer need the personal data for the purposes of our processing, but you require personal data for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims; or,
    • You have objected to processing, pending the verification of that objection.

    In addition to our right to store your personal data, we may still otherwise process it but only:

    • with your consent;
    • for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims;
    • for the protection of the rights of another natural or legal person; or,
    • for reasons of important public interest.

    We will inform you before we lift the restriction of processing.

    The right to data portability

    To the extent that the legal basis for our processing of your personal data is consent, and such processing is carried out by automated means, you have the right to receive your personal data from us in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format. However, this right does not apply where it would adversely affect the rights and freedoms of others.

    You also have the right to have your personal data transferred directly to another company, if this is technically possible, and/or to store your personal data for further personal use on a private device.

    The right to object to processing

    You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data on grounds relating to your particular situation, but only to the extent that the legal basis for the processing is that the processing is necessary for:

    • The performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of any official authority vested in us;
    • The purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by us or by a third party.

    If you make such an objection, we will cease to process the personal information unless we can demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing which override your interests, rights and freedoms, or the processing is for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

    You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data for direct marketing purposes (including profiling for direct marketing purposes). If you make such an objection, we will cease to process your personal data for this purpose.

    The right to complain to a supervisory authority

    If you consider that our processing of your personal information infringes data protection laws, you have a legal right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority responsible for data protection. You may do so in the EU member state of your habitual residence, your place of work or the place of the alleged infringement. In Belgium, you can submit a complaint to the Authority for the protection of personal data (Privacy Commission), Drukpersstraat 35, 1000 Brussel (Contact@apd-gba.be), **https://www.dataprotectionauthority.be/contact-us**.

    5. Providing your personal data to others (third parties)

    To the extent necessary or appropriate, we (data controller) may disclose your Personal Information to external 3rd Parties (data processor), such as IT consultants carrying out testing and development work on our IT systems, we use other service providers for different purposes such as; CRM, survey services (including survey platforms) or marketing services (Analytics, remarketing (ads) services, newsletter delivery) who may have access to your personal data. These third-party vendors collect, store, use, process, and transfer information about Your activity on Our Service or while delivering the service in accordance with their Privacy Policies.

    Among these external third parties with access to your personal data we have:

    • Google Analytics is a web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. Google uses the data collected to track and monitor the use of our Service (Collects statistics on the visitor's visits to the website, such as the number of visits, average time spent on the website, what pages have been read and demographic information). This data is shared with other Google services. Google may use the collected data to contextualize and personalize the ads of its own advertising network. You can opt-out of having made your activity on the Service available to Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. The add-on prevents the Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js, analytics.js and dc.js) from sharing information with Google Analytics about visits activity. For more information on the privacy practices of Google, please visit the Google Privacy & Terms web page: https://policies.google.com/privacy.

    • Google Ads and Google tag: Our website uses Google Ads, an online remarketing service (advertising) service provided by Google. Third-party remarketing vendors, including Google, use cookies and/or device identifiers to perform ads, based on other user past visits to our website, these cookies also help the website and us to analyze how users use the site, effectiveness of website and ads efficiency. Collection of data may include website statistics, demographics, behaviour, device type, operating system.You can opt-out of Google Analytics for Display Advertising and customize the Google Display Network ads by visiting the Google Ads Settings page: http://www.google.com/settings/ads. Google also recommends installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on -https://tools.google.com/dlpag... for your web browser. Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on provides visitors with the ability to prevent their data from being collected and used by Google Analytics. For more information on the Ads practices of Google, please visit the Google ads Policies web page: Google Ads policies - Advertising Policies Help. The information generated by the cookies about your use of the website will be transmitted to and stored by Google.

    • We use Mailchimp to manage our newsletter and distribute emails on our behalf. Therefore, we share the following data: name, your email address, interests with Mailchimp, some of the mentioned data is directly collected by Mailchimp. You can read about how Mailchimp handles your personal data in their Global Privacy Statement Global Privacy Statement | Intuit.

    • When you participate in our surveys, we collect your responses to our survey questions from third-party survey providers such as SurveyMonkey. This may include personal data if such data is requested in our survey questions. We use your responses to analyze and improve our services. We do not use your personal data for marketing purposes unless we have explicitly obtained your consent. We use SurveyMonkey to manage our surveys. Therefore, we share your responses, including any personal data contained in those responses, with SurveyMonkey. You can read about how SurveyMonkey handles your personal data in their Global Privacy Statement Privacy Notice | SurveyMonkey.


    We use third-party services for social media management such as:

    • Sprout Social to manage our social media interactions with the users and collect user behaviour information. Therefore, we collect and share your interactions, including any personal data contained in those interactions, with Sprout Social. You can read about how Sprout Social handles your personal data in their Global Privacy Statement Privacy Policy | Sprout Social.
      • Later – Linkin.bio – tool that allows to create a mini web page built into our Instagram and TikTok profiles. This makes our content clickable and easier to find – it tracks clicks to website articles from our Instagram profile. You can read about their data processing in their website. Later | Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy (EU)

      • We collect data via Meta Business Manager while we request their services to manage our marketing and advertising activities on Facebook and Instagram. This includes the use of various data sources such as catalogues, pixels, custom conversions, properties, shared audiences, page structures, and business creative folders.The data collected through Meta Business Manager is used to provide you with personalized experiences and targeted advertising. We adhere to Meta's Business Tools Terms, Data Processing Terms, and Data Security Terms in our use of Meta Business Manager. This data is shared with other Meta services. Meta may use the collected data to contextualize and personalize the ads of its own advertising network. For more information on the advertising practices of Meta, please visit the Meta privacy policies web page Meta Privacy Policy – How Meta collects and uses user data | Privacy Centre | Manage your privacy on Facebook, Instagram and Messenger | Facebook Privacy



      Where applicable, we will impose appropriate contractual, security, confidentiality, and other obligations on to 3rd party providers and processors we have appointed, based on the nature of the services they provide to us. We will only permit them to process your Personal Information in accordance with the law and our instructions. We do not allow them to use your Personal Information for their own purposes and when our relationship ends we will ensure your Personal Information is securely returned or destroyed.

      The above mentioned third parties may be located both within and outside the EEA. In the latter case, we will take the necessary measures to ensure that your Personal Information is adequately protected, secure, kept confidential and that we have a lawful basis for the transfer.

      We may disclose your personal data to external third parties in the event such disclosure is required or necessary in order to fulfil a legal obligation. We may also disclose personal data in order to protect your vital interests or the vital interest of another natural person.

      As such, we do not disclose your personal data to our social media partners, search engines. We do, however, make use of social media plugins, search engines to direct you to our social media channels and to allow you to interact with our content. These social media channels are Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram in the event you click such link, such social media service provider may collect personal data about you and may link this information to your existing profile on such social media.

      We are not responsible for the use of your personal data by such social media service provider. In such case, the social media service provider will act as controller. For your information only, we have included the relevant links (these may be changed from time to time by the relevant service provider):

      7. Security

      We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your Personal Information from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorized way, altered or disclosed. In addition, we limit access to your Personal Information to those employees, agents, contractors and other third parties who have a business need to do so.

      We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected Personal Information breaches and we will notify you and the applicable supervisory authority of a breach where we are legally required to do so.

      8. International Transfers

      We will ensure that any transfer of personal data to countries outside of the European Economic Area will take place pursuant to the appropriate safeguards.

      If there is a transfer of your personal data and/or anonymised and/or aggregated data, the following legal protection mechanism will be implemented:

      Which

      Country outside EEA

      Legal transmission mechanism

      Google

      United States

      Model clauses

      LinkedIn

      United States

      Model clauses

      Meta

      United States

      Model clauses

      Twitter (X)

      United States

      Model clauses


      9. Cookies

      Our website makes use of cookies. For further information relating to our use of cookies, we refer you to our Cookie Policy:

      10. Amendments to the Privacy Policy

      From time to time, we have the right to modify this Privacy Policy. You will always be able to consult the most recent version of the Privacy Policy on the website.

      Keep updated with the latest news about your food with our newsletter

      Follow Us