Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Last Updated 12/7/22

This Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy” or “Policy”) describes how the American Frozen Food Institute (“AFFI” “we,” “our”, or “us”) collects, uses, and discloses personal information about you that we receive in connection to your use of the Foundation’s website (affi.org), any mobile app we offer, or any other website or online service under our control that links to this Policy (collectively the “Sites”). Please read our Privacy Policy carefully because, by using our Sites, you are accepting the practices described below.

WHAT INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT?

We, or our service providers, may collect the following categories of information, either directly from you, automatically, or from other sources:

  • Contact information, such as name, username and password, address, phone number, email address;
  • Affiliations and professional information, such as employer, job title, committee memberships, professional associations;
  • Transaction-related information
  • Publicly-available information, such as your likeness and comments on social media pages;
  • Other information you provide through interactions with us or our affiliates, such as registering for and attending our events, applying for employment, donating, or asking questions to our experts;
  • Information automatically collected relating to your activity on our Sites, such as your IP address, pages visited, device identifier, operating system, browser type, referring pages, and information from “cookies” as explained below.

In certain circumstances we also may collect other information about you from third-party sources, including our business partners, and use it to supplement information we have about you.

ABOUT COOKIES

We or our service providers may use “cookies,” as well as similar or related technologies such as web pixels, on our Sites. These technologies help you access and navigate the Sites more efficiently and help us monitor traffic and how visitors use our Sites. A cookie is a small file or tool stored on visitors’ hard drives containing a small amount of information that allows us recognize return visitors and customize our Sites accordingly. You may decline cookies by setting your browsers to reject cookies.  Please note, however, certain features of the Site may not function properly or be available if your browser is configured to reject cookies.

Web pixels, also known as web beacons, “clear gifs,” “one-pixel gifs,” “web bugs,” “Internet tags,” or “pixel tags,” are small graphic images on a website or in an email that allow us and third parties to monitor the activity on the Sites or to make cookies more effective. Web beacons allow us, our service providers, and other third parties to gauge and enhance the effectiveness of our marketing on our Sites or on third-party websites or other channels by transmitting information about whether you follow links in our emails or Sites, or links in third-party websites, and by gathering information about the websites you visit before and after visiting our Sites. We may use log files to store the data that is collected through Web pixels.

We may use Google Analytics or a similar service to gather, store, and track certain information related to your visit to and activity on our Sites. To collect this information, Google Analytics may set cookies on your browser or mobile device or read cookies previously placed. Google Analytics may also receive information about you from apps you have downloaded. Google’s ability to use and share information collected by Google Analytics about your visits to the Sites with other websites which partner with Google is restricted by the Google Analytics Terms of Service and the Google Privacy Policy. Please review those for information about how Google uses the information collected through Google Analytics and how you can control the information collected .

We do not combine the information collected through the use of Google Analytics with other information we hold about you.

Online advertising networks and similar companies that collect information through cookies, web beacons, and similar tools over time and across different websites, including upon or following your visit to our Sites, may operate on our Sites and collect or receive information from our Sites and from third-party websites. These providers may use the information they collect to provide ad measurement services and to tailor ads to users’ interests either on our Sites or third-party websites. In other words, these providers may automatically collect certain technical information from your computer or mobile device over time and across different websites when you use our Sites. See the following link for more information about what choices you have relating to this information: https://www.aboutads.info/choices/.

We do not respond to web browser “do not track” signals or other mechanisms.

HOW DO WE USE THE INFORMATION WE COLLECT?

We, and those on our behalf, may use the information we collect for any purpose consistent with this Policy, including for:

  • delivering marketing communications, promotional materials, or advertisements that may be of interest to you;
  • providing you with products, services, events, or information you request;
  • allowing us to improve our Sites and the services we provide, such as by better tailoring our content to our users’ needs and preferences;
  • generating and analyzing statistics about your use of our Sites;
  • soliciting, processing, and acknowledging donations and other contributions;
  • human resources purposes;
  • conducting advertising and public relation campaigns;
  • detecting, preventing, and responding to fraud, intellectual property infringement, violations of our Terms of Use, violations of law, or other misuse of the Foundation Sites or other programming; and
  • complying with legal obligations.

We may use de-identified and aggregated information for any purpose.

WITH WHOM DO WE DISCLOSE THE INFORMATION WE COLLECT?

We may disclose or distribute your information:

  • to comply with any legal requirement or governmental request, including law enforcement;
  • to other users of our Sites through our directory on Member-only portals;
  • to facilitate the organization of our events and initiatives;
  • to another party or its agents in relation to its considering, negotiating, or entering into a corporate transaction with us, such as a merger, acquisition, partnership, sponsorship, consolidation, bankruptcy, or asset purchase;
  • to any party if we believe, in good faith, such disclosure is necessary to protect our interests, life, health, or property or those of any other person or entity;
  • to our service providers, partners, and affiliates;
  • consistent with this Policy, to third-party online ad networks;
  • as otherwise noted at the time of collection.

We may disclose de-identified and aggregate information to any third party.

SMS Terms & Conditions

AFFI is committed to building user trust and confidence by promoting and complying with the use of business practices that help protect the privacy of the user and his/her data. 

AFFI offers recurring text message services. By opting-in to any such service, you are confirming your entry into a recurring texting program and you give your consent to AFFI to use an automatic system to deliver text messages to the phone number to which you have directed it to transmit text messages. Message frequency varies.

AFFI does not charge for our texting service; however, message and data rates may apply from your mobile carrier. Subject to the terms and conditions of your mobile carrier, you may receive text messages sent to your mobile phone. By providing your consent to participate in our texting service, you approve any such charges from your mobile carrier. Charges for text messages may appear on your mobile phone bill or be deducted from your prepaid balance.

AFFI reserves the right to terminate the SMS service, in whole or in part, at any time without notice. The information in any message may be subject to certain time lags and/or delays.
To stop receiving text messages, text “STOP” or “QUIT”. By enrolling in the texting service, you consent that after having submitted a request to opt-out you will receive one (1) final message confirming that you have been removed from the system. Following the opt-out confirmation message, no additional text messages will be sent unless you rejoin the system from your mobile device.

THIRD PARTY LINKS

We may provide links to third-party sites. We do not control and are not responsible for the information collection practices of such sites, which may differ from ours. We encourage you to review and understand the privacy policies of these sites before providing any information to them.

DATA SECURITY

We maintain a variety of physical, electronic and procedural safeguards designed to safeguard the information we collect. However, no information system can be 100% secure, meaning we cannot guarantee the absolute security of the information we collect.

OUR SITE IS NOT FOR USE BY CHILDREN

The Site is a general audience site and we do not knowingly market to children under the age of 13. If a child under age 13 submits information about himself or herself to us through any part of our Site, and we become aware that the person submitting the information is a child, we will attempt to delete this information as soon as possible.

VISITING OUR SITES FROM OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES

Our Sites are hosted in the United States. Our Sites are governed by United States law. If you are visiting our Sites from outside the United States, please be aware that information may be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States where our servers are located and our central database is operated. The data and privacy protections afforded under United States law may not be as comprehensive as those in your country. By using our Sites, you acknowledge your information may be transferred to the United States and subject to United States law.

EU Data Subjects: This section applies to individuals located in the European Union.

Data Controller. AFFI is the data controller for the processing of your Personal Data.

Your Rights. Subject to applicable law, you have the following rights in relation to your Personal Data:

  • Right of access: If you ask us, we will confirm whether we are processing your Personal Data and, if so, provide you with a copy of that Personal Data (along with certain other details). If you require additional copies, we may need to charge a reasonable fee.
  • Right to rectification: If your Personal Data is inaccurate or incomplete, you are entitled to have it rectified or completed. If we have shared your Personal Data with others, we will tell them about the rectification where possible. If you ask us, where possible and lawful to do so, we will also tell you with whom we shared your Personal Data so that you can contact them directly.
  • Right to erasure: You may ask us to delete or remove your Personal Data and we will do so in some circumstances, such as where we no longer need it (we may not delete your data when other interests outweigh your right to deletion). If we have shared your data with others, we will tell them about the erasure where possible. If you ask us, where possible and lawful to do so, we will also tell you with whom we shared your Personal Data so that you can contact them directly.
  • Right to restrict processing: You may ask us to restrict or ‘block’ the processing of your Personal Data in certain circumstances, such as where you contest the accuracy of that Personal Data or object to us processing it. We will tell you before we lift any restriction on processing. If we have shared your Personal Data with others, we will tell them about the restriction where possible. If you ask us, where possible and lawful to do so, we will also tell you with whom we shared your Personal Data so that you can contact them directly.
  • Right to data portability: Effective 25 May 2018, you have the right to obtain your Personal Data from us that you consented to give us or that is necessary to perform a contract with you. We will give you your Personal Data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format. You may reuse it elsewhere.
  • Right to object: You may ask us at any time to stop processing your Personal Data, and we will do so:
    • If we are relying on a legitimate interest to process your Personal Data — unless we demonstrate compelling legitimate grounds for the processing; or
    • If we are processing your Personal Data for direct marketing.

Rights in relation to automated decision-making and profiling: You have the right to be free from decisions based solely on automated processing of your Personal Data, including profiling, that affect you, unless such processing is necessary for entering into, or the performance of, a contract between you and us or you provide your explicit consent to such processing.

Right to withdraw consent: If we rely on your consent to process your Personal Data, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on your prior consent.

Right to lodge a complaint with the data protection authority: If you have a concern about our privacy practices, including the way we have handled your Personal Data, you can report it to the data protection authority that is authorized to hear those concerns.

You may exercise your rights by contacting us as indicated under “CONTACT INFORMATION” section below.

CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We may occasionally update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices. When we post changes to this Privacy Policy, we will revise the Effective Date at the top of this Privacy Policy. We recommend that you check the Site from time to time to inform yourself of any change in this Privacy Policy or any of our other policies.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS PRIVACY POLICY

Please contact us if you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Alison Bodor
President & CEO
American Frozen Foods Institute
2345 Crystal Drive
Suite 803
Arlington, VA 22203
abodor@affi.com

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