Privacy policy

 

THE SWEET COMPANY PRIVACY POLICY

The Sweet Company(“Company”) respects your privacy, is seriously committed to protecting the privacy of its users and has published this Privacy Policy to explain how Company treats information you submit to Company. Please read this Privacy Policy carefully prior to your access to and/or use of www.thesweetcompany.com (the “Site”) or your registration for or use of the Services (as defined in Company’s Terms and Conditions of Use Agreement (the “Terms of Use” [link]). If you do not agree to abide by this Privacy Policy, please do not access or use the Site or register as a Member of the Site or Services. 

By submitting information to Company, either by visiting or using the Site or registering for or using the Services, you are accepting the practices described in this Privacy Policy and the Terms of Use. This Privacy Policy is governed by the Terms of Use, which includes all disclaimers of warranties and limitation of liabilities. All capitalized terms not defined in this Privacy Policy will have the meaning set forth in the Terms of Use. 

1. ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SITE AND THE SERVICES

You represent and warrant that you are either more than 18 years of age or possess legal parental or guardian consent, and are fully able and competent to enter into the terms, conditions, obligations, affirmations, representations, and warranties set forth in this Agreement. In any case, you affirm that you are over the age of 13, as the Site and Service is not intended for children under 13.  If you are under 13 years of age, then please do not use the Site or Service.  

2. COLLECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

You acknowledge that Company may collect and process “personal information” (i.e. information that could be used to contact you, such as full name, user name and password, phone number or e-mail address) or “demographic and usage information” (i.e. information that you submit, or that we collect, that is not personal information but necessary for the proper functioning of our Service, such as your personal interests and preferences), in connection with the Service. Demographic and usage information may also include transactional information based on your activities on the Site; such information collected by Company may be stored and processed in the United States or any other country in which Company or its agents maintain facilities. By using the Service, you consent to any such transfer of information outside of your country. Company makes no representation or warranty with respect to any duty to permanently store any personal information you may provide.

3. USE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

Company uses your personal information to identify you and, in some cases, to improve and customize the content you see on the Site. Your personal information may also be aggregated and used by Company for market research, project planning, troubleshooting problems, detecting and protecting against error, fraud or other criminal activity, to enforce the Terms of Use or any applicable Rules, for other internal purposes, and as otherwise described to you at the time of collection. Company will obtain your consent for any use of your personal information beyond those set forth in this Privacy Policy and the original uses for which you provided your consent. 

You agree that Company may use personal information about you to analyze website usage, improve or customize Company’s Services, customize the Site’s content, and as otherwise set forth in this Privacy Policy. You also agree that Company may use your personal information to contact you.   Unless you specifically opt out, you also agree that Company may use your personal information to contact you and deliver information to you that, in some cases, is targeted to your interests, such as targeted banner advertisements, administrative notices, product offerings, and communications relevant to your use of the Site or the Services. By accepting the Terms of Use and this Privacy Policy, you expressly agree to receive this information, unless you specifically opt out in applicable circumstances.

Any personal information or content that you voluntarily disclose online (on discussion boards, in messages and chat areas, within your public profile page, etc.) becomes publicly available and can be collected and used by others. Your name, including first name and last name, (not your email address) may be displayed to other Users when you upload content or send messages through the Site. Any content that you submit to the Site may be redistributed through the Internet and other media channels, and may be viewed by the general public. 

4. DISCLOSURE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

Except as expressly provided herein, absent your prior consent, Company does not share your personal information with any unrelated third parties. Additionally, Company does not permit unrelated third parties to perform “reverse searches” whereby they could identify users from email addresses. In addition, the following describes some of the ways that your personal information may be disclosed in the normal scope of business to provide you with the Services: 

  • Advertisers. Company may aggregate personal information and disclose such information in a non-personally identifiable manner to advertisers and other third parties for their marketing and promotional purposes. However, in these situations, Company does not disclose to these entities any information that could be used to identify you personally without your explicit consent. 

  • External Service Providers. There are a number of separate services offered by third parties that Company refers to as external service providers that may be complementary to your use of the Site or the Services. If you choose to use these separate services, disclose information to the external service providers, and/or grant them permission to collect information about you, then their use of your information is governed by their privacy policy. With your consent, and for your convenience, Company may provide some of your personal information to an external service provider offering such services. To prevent Company’s disclosure of your personally identifiable information to an external service provider, you can decline such consent or simply not use their services. Because Company does not control the privacy practices of these third parties, you should evaluate their practices before deciding to use their services.  

  • Internal Service Providers. Company may use third parties that Company refers to as internal service providers to facilitate or outsource one or more aspects of Company’s business, products and Services that Company provides to you and, therefore, Company may provide some of your personal information directly to these internal service providers (e.g. customer care). In some instances, the internal service provider may collect information directly from you. In these cases, you will be notified of the involvement of the internal service provider. If you provide additional information to an internal service provider directly, then their use of your personally identifiable information is governed by their applicable privacy policy.  

Notwithstanding the foregoing, Company reserves the right, and you authorize Company, to share or disclose your personal information, including, without limitation, any content, records or electronic communications of any kind, when Company determines, in its sole discretion, that the disclosure of your personally identifiable information is necessary to identify, contact, or bring legal action against you if: 

  • you are or may be violating the Terms of Use, this Privacy Policy or any applicable Rules; 

  • you are interfering with Company’s or a third party's rights or property; 

  • you are violating any applicable law, rule or regulation; 

  • necessary or required by any applicable law, rule or regulation; and/or 

  • requested by governmental authorities in the event of any investigation, act of terrorism or instance of local, regional or national emergency. 

In addition, Company cannot ensure that all of your private communications and other personal information will never be disclosed in ways not otherwise described in this Privacy Policy. By way of example, without limiting the foregoing, Company may be forced to disclose personal information to the government or third parties under certain circumstances or third parties may unlawfully intercept or access your transmissions or communications. Therefore, although Company uses industry standard practices to protect your privacy, Company does not promise, and you should not expect, that your personally identifiable information or private communications will always remain private. However, Company shall use reasonable commercial and legal efforts to protect its users’ information and to maintain the privacy and anonymity of Members and users.

In the event of a merger, acquisition, sale of substantially all of its assets or change of control of Company, personal information collected by Company about you will be considered a business asset and will be transferred to the applicable new entity. 

Company retains personal information only as long as necessary for the purposes described in this Policy or as required by law. When data is no longer needed, it is securely deleted or anonymized.  Company may collect information about your dietary preferences or health-related goals to provide personalized product recommendations. Company does not collect or process medical or biometric data. Company only uses such data with your explicit consent and for the limited purpose of improving your experience.

5. NEWSLETTERS, NOTICES, ETC.

Company maintains a strict “no-spam” policy. If you register for the Service, you may receive Company’s newsletter, notices and/or special offers via email, unless you have requested otherwise at the time of registration or as set forth below. 

You may unsubscribe from Company’s electronic newsletters, notices and/or special offers at any time by following the instructions contained at the end of every such email, or if a third-party vendor provides Company’s newsletter, in accordance with the instructions provided by such third party. While all efforts are made to insure this information is viewable in all email browsers, there may be cases where certain email browsers do not display the unsubscribe information correctly. If you are having problems unsubscribing please forward the entire newsletter here [email address] with the word “UNSUBSCRIBE” in the Subject line and you will be removed within seven (7) business days. Please note that direct replies to any newsletter are processed by computer and are not always viewed by a human. 

6. COOKIES

“Cookies” are alphanumeric identifiers in the form of text files that are inserted and stored by your web browser on your computer’s hard drive. Company and third party advertisers may set and access cookies on your computer to track and store preferential information about you. Company and third party advertisers gather anonymous information about their users through cookie technology on an aggregate level only. Such aggregated information is used within Company’s internal organization and is only shared with third party advertisers on an aggregated and non-personally identifiable basis. You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings or by visiting our [Cookie Preferences Page]. Company also uses analytics services such as Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our website. These providers use cookies and similar technologies; you can learn more and opt out via their respective privacy tools.


7. WEB BEACONS

Web Beacons, also known as pixel tags and clear GIFs, (“Web Beacons”), are electronic images that allow a website to access cookies and help track marketing campaigns and general usage patterns of visitors to those websites. Web Beacons can recognize certain types of information, such as cookie numbers, time and date of a page view, and a description of the page where the Web Beacons is placed. No personally identifiable information about you is shared with third parties through the use of Web Beacons on the Site. However, through Web Beacons, we may collect general information that will not personally identify you, such as: Internet browser, operating system, IP address, date of visit, time of visit and path taken through the Site. 

  • Internal use of Web Beacons. Company may use Web Beacons internally to count visitors and recognize visitors through cookies. Access to cookies helps Company personalize your experience when you visit the Site. 

  • Email. Company may include Web Beacons in HTML-formatted email messages that Company sends to you. Web Beacons in email messages helps Company determine your interest in and the effectiveness of such emails. 

  • External use of Web Beacons. Company may also use Web Beacons externally. For example, Company may report aggregate information about visitors, such as demographic and usage information, to its affiliates and other third parties. Company may also include other company’s Web Beacons within the Site. 

8. SECURITY


Personal information you submit to Company is password protected for your privacy and security. Company implements appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. While no system is completely secure, Company takes reasonable steps consistent with industry standards to safeguard your data.


9. LINKS TO OTHER WEBSITES

The Site may include links to third party websites. Such links are not an endorsement by Company of those websites and/or the products or services offered on those websites. Third party websites may have different privacy policies, and Company is not responsible for the privacy practices of those third party websites. If you click on a link to a third party website, Company encourages you to check the privacy policy of that website, as it may differ substantially from that of this Privacy Policy. Company makes no representations or warranties nor is Company responsible for the privacy policies of any websites other than the Site. If you decide to access any third party links appearing on the Site, you do so at your own risk. 

10. TRANSMISSIONS, SUBMISSIONS AND POSTINGS

Company welcomes the submission of comments, information and feedback regarding the Site and the Services. However, Company does not want to receive certain kinds of information from you, including any confidential or proprietary information, without prior written consent of Company. Although Company does not regularly review your transmissions, submissions or postings, Company reserves the right (but not the obligation), at its sole discretion and at any time, to edit, refuse to post or remove your transmissions, submissions or postings. You hereby acknowledge and agree that Company may review transmissions, submissions or postings made by you to determine, in its sole discretion, your compliance with the Terms of Use, this Privacy Policy and any applicable Rules, and that Company shall have the unrestricted right to use such information for any purpose and without compensation to you. 

11. USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)


Company may use artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to analyze data you provide (such as dietary preferences or product feedback) to generate personalized recommendations. These systems may use automated decision-making to tailor product suggestions or health-related advice.

Company does not use AI systems to make legal or significant decisions about you (e.g., eligibility for services). You may request information about how AI systems use your data or opt out of automated personalization by contacting Company at [email].

Company may use aggregated and anonymized data from customer interactions to improve Company’s AI systems and product recommendations. Aggregated data does not identify any individual user.  

12.  YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS

Depending on where you reside, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information under applicable data protection laws, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act) (“CCPA/CPRA”), the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), and other similar laws.

We are committed to honoring these rights and ensuring transparency in how we handle your data. Subject to verification and applicable legal limitations, you may have the following rights:

a. Right to Access and Data Portability

You may request that Company confirms whether Company processes personal information about you, and, if so, receive a copy of that information. You may also request details about the categories of personal information Company collects, the sources of that information, the purposes for which Company uses it, and the third parties to whom Company discloses it.  Where technically feasible, Company will provide this information in a portable, readily usable format that allows you to transmit it to another entity.

b. Right to Correction

You may request that Company correct or update any personal information about you that is inaccurate or incomplete.

c. Right to Deletion

You may request that Company delete personal information Company has collected from you, subject to certain exceptions (for example, where we are required to retain the information by law, to detect security incidents, or to complete a transaction you requested).

d. Right to Opt Out of Sale or Sharing

Company does not “sell” personal information for monetary value. However, under certain state privacy laws, sharing information for targeted advertising or cross-context behavioral advertising may be considered a “sale” or “sharing.”
You may opt out of such sharing or targeted advertising by emailing us at [privacy@thesweetcompany.com] or by adjusting your cookie preferences on our website.

e. Right to Restrict or Object to Processing (GDPR Users)

If you are located in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or another jurisdiction that grants similar rights, you may request that we restrict processing of your personal information or object to processing in certain cases, such as where the processing is based on legitimate interests. You may also withdraw your consent where our processing is based on consent.

f. Non-Discrimination

Company will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your privacy rights. This means that, subject to applicable law, we will not deny you goods or services, charge you different prices or rates, provide a different level or quality of service, or suggest that you may receive such a different price or rate based on your choices.

g. How to Exercise Your Rights

You may exercise any of these rights by contacting us at:
Email: [privacy@thesweetcompany.com]
Mail: The Sweet Company, [Insert mailing address]

Please include your name, contact information, and the nature of your request. For your security, we may take reasonable steps to verify your identity before fulfilling your request. Authorized agents may submit requests on your behalf where permitted by law, provided Company can verify the agent’s authorization and your identity.

h. Response Time

Company will confirm receipt of your request within ten (10) business days and respond within the timeframe required by applicable law (typically 30–45 days). If additional time is needed, we will inform you of the reason and expected extension period.



13.  OTHER TERMS


To review other applicable terms and conditions that apply to this Privacy Policy, including, without limitation, intellectual property rights, disclaimer of warranties, limitation of liability and resolving disputes, please review the Terms of Use [link]. 


14. CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

Company reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to update, amend and/or change this Privacy Policy without prior notice and at any time. Updates to this Privacy Policy will be posted here. You are encouraged to revisit this Privacy Policy from time to time in order to review any changes that have been made. Your continued use of the Site and any Services following the posting of any such changes shall automatically be deemed your acceptance of all changes. 

15. CHILDRENS' PRIVACY

Protecting the privacy of young children is especially important. For that reason, Company does not knowingly collect or maintain personally identifiable information or non-personally-identifiable information on the Site from persons under 13 years of age, and no part of our Site is directed to persons under 13. If you are under 13 years of age, then please do not use or access the Site at any time or in any manner. If Company learns that personally identifiable information of persons under 13 years of age has been collected on the Site without verified parental consent, then Company will take the appropriate steps to delete this information.  Company does not knowingly target or market products pr services to children under 13.

16. SPECIAL NOTE TO INTERNATIONAL USERS

If you are located outside the United States, your information may be transferred to and processed in the United States. Company uses approved safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) to ensure your data remains protected in compliance with applicable laws.17. IN THE EVENT OF MERGER, SALE, OR BANKRUPTCY

In the event that Company is acquired by or merged with a third party entity, or sells all or substantially all of its assets, we reserve the right, in any of these circumstances, to transfer or assign the information and content we have received and collected from our Users and Members as part of such merger, acquisition, sale, or other change of control. In the unlikely event of our bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, receivership, or assignment for the benefit of creditors, or the application of laws or equitable principles affecting creditors' rights generally, we may not be able to control how your personal information is treated, transferred, or used.

18. QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS

If you have questions, comments, concerns or feedback regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact us via email: [email address]