Why we need it
The Food Standards Agency will act as ‘Controller’ of the personal data provided to us. We collect this information to provide local authorities with your details so they can investigate the food problem you have reported.
What we do with it
When we collect information from you whether you are a Business or a Consumer, we will generally require your name and contact information and details of your query, request or any issue that you may be reporting. We need this information to understand why you are contacting us and respond in accordance with our Public Task.
If you are reporting a food problem, for example, if you suspect food poisoning, have issues with a food product or wish to report poor food safety and hygiene practices, we may ask you, when you report to us, where you encountered the problem, so we can direct your report to the Local Authority that is best placed to investigate it. Your information will usually be transferred to and dealt with directly by the Local Authority. Alternatively, we may just signpost you to other organisations who are better placed to address your query. For example, if you identify a problem with food labelling, we would advise that you contact Trading Standards.
For more information on how we process information through the forms in the 'Contact Us' section of the website please see our website Privacy Policy.
How and where we store your data and who we may share it with
We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to support Local Authorities or resolve your problem and in line with our retention policy. This means the information you provide may be shared with the Local Authority. Where information is transferred to a Local Authority your personal details will then be deleted from our records and retained by the Local Authority only for as long as they need it.
For more information, please see the How and where we store your data and who we may share it with section in our Personal Information Charter.
We only hold your information for as long as necessary to perform our functions.
International transfers
For more information on international transfers, please see the International transfers section in our Personal Information Charter.
EU citizens
For more information on EU Citizens Privacy Notice, please see the EU citizens section in our Personal Information Charter.
Your rights
For more information on your rights, please see the Your rights section in our Personal Information Charter.
If you have any queries concerning this Privacy Notice, your personal information or any questions on our use of the information, please email our Data Protection Officer in the FSA, who is the Information Management and Security Team Leader using the address below.