At Ask the Food Geek, we take your privacy seriously. This policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and what choices you have.
Ask the Food Geek (askthefoodgeek.com) is owned and operated by The Food Geek, LLC, based in Illinois, United States.
Our goal is to collect only the information needed to operate our website, share recipes and gardening information, communicate with readers, and support our work through advertising and affiliate partnerships.
If you have questions about this policy or how we handle your information, please contact us through our website.
1. What information do we collect and why?
The information we collect depends on how you interact with Ask the Food Geek.
Website activity
When you visit our website, certain information may be collected automatically, including:
- Your IP address and approximate geographic location.
- Your browser, device type, and operating system.
- Pages you visit and how long you spend on them.
- Links you click and how you interact with our content.
- The website or search engine that referred you to us.
- Cookies and other online identifiers.
We use this information to understand how people use our website, improve our content, maintain website security, and support advertising.
Some of this information is collected through third-party services described below.
Email newsletters
When you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your email address and any other information you voluntarily provide.
We use Kit (formerly ConvertKit) to manage our email subscribers and send newsletters.
Kit may collect information about how subscribers interact with our emails, including email opens and link clicks. We use this information to understand which topics interest our readers and improve future newsletters.
You can unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe link included in every newsletter.
You can also contact us to request deletion of your subscriber information, subject to any information we need to retain for legal or administrative purposes.
Learn more: Kit Privacy Policy
Comments
When you leave a comment on Ask the Food Geek, we collect the information you enter into the comment form, such as your name, email address, and comment.
WordPress also collects your IP address and browser information to help identify spam.
Approved comments may be displayed publicly, along with the name you provided.
We may use Akismet to help identify and prevent spam comments. Akismet may process information such as your IP address, browser information, and comment content.
If you use Gravatar, a profile image associated with your email address may appear alongside your comment.
Learn more: Automattic Privacy Notice for Website Visitors and Akismet privacy policy.
Recipe ratings
We use WP Recipe Maker to display recipes and collect reader ratings.
When you rate a recipe, the plugin stores your rating and may collect your IP address to help prevent duplicate or fraudulent ratings.
WP Recipe Maker also uses a cookie to remember your rating for a particular recipe. These cookies are stored for 30 days.
Ratings and associated information are stored in our WordPress database and may be retained indefinitely unless deleted. Learn more about WP Recipe Maker's privacy policy from Bootstrapped.
Contact forms and correspondence
When you contact us, we collect the information you provide, such as your name, email address, and message.
We use Gravity Forms to process contact form submissions.
Messages are delivered to us by email and stored in our WordPress database.
We keep correspondence so we can respond to inquiries, maintain relevant business records, and refer to previous conversations when necessary.
Gravity Forms stores form entries on our website's hosting infrastructure rather than independently hosting those submissions.
Learn more: Gravity Forms Privacy Policy
Purchases and orders
If you purchase a product from Ask the Food Geek, we collect information needed to process and fulfill your order. This may include your name, email address, billing address, shipping address, IP address, and information about the products you purchase.
We use WooCommerce to operate our online store and manage orders. We use WooPayments to process payments. WooPayments is provided by Automattic and uses Stripe's payment-processing services.
Payment information, such as your credit or debit card details, is processed by our payment providers. Ask the Food Geek does not directly receive or store your complete credit or debit card number.
We use order information to process purchases, provide digital products, package and ship physical products, provide customer service, prevent fraud, and maintain appropriate business, accounting, and tax records.
Order information may be retained as necessary for these purposes and to comply with legal obligations.
Learn more:
- Automattic Privacy Policy: Automattic Privacy Policy
- Stripe Privacy Policy: Stripe Privacy Policy
Website analytics
We use analytics services to understand how visitors find and interact with Ask the Food Geek.
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to measure website traffic and understand how readers use our content.
Google Analytics may collect information about pages visited, device and browser information, approximate location, and website interactions.
We use this information to identify popular content, understand traffic patterns, and improve the website.
Where required, analytics processing is subject to applicable consent choices.
Learn more: Google Privacy Policy
Microsoft Clarity
We may occasionally use Microsoft Clarity to understand how visitors interact with our website.
Clarity can collect information about clicks, scrolling, navigation, and other interactions. It may also create session recordings and heatmaps.
We use this information to identify usability problems and improve the experience for readers.
Learn more: Microsoft Privacy Statement
2. When do we share your information?
We share information with third parties when necessary to operate our website, provide requested services, measure website performance, and support advertising.
These third parties may process information on our behalf or for their own purposes, depending on the service.
Service providers
We use third-party services for activities such as:
- Sending newsletters.
- Hosting and maintaining our website.
- Processing contact form submissions.
- Detecting spam.
- Measuring website traffic.
- Displaying advertisements.
- Managing affiliate partnerships.
- Processing payments and managing orders.
We may also disclose information when required by law, to protect our legal rights, or in connection with a business transfer.
Advertising partners
Ask the Food Geek displays advertisements through Mediavine.
Mediavine and its advertising partners may collect information about visitors using cookies, pixels, and similar technologies.
This information may be used to display advertisements, measure advertising performance, prevent fraud, and personalize advertising where permitted.
Some advertising-related data sharing may be considered a sale or sharing of personal information under certain privacy laws.
We provide applicable privacy choices through our consent management system.
More information about Mediavine's advertising practices appears in Section 4.
Affiliate partners
Some articles contain affiliate links.
We participate in Amazon Associates, Sovrn, and other affiliate programs.
When you click an affiliate link, the affiliate partner may collect information about your referral or subsequent purchase to determine whether a commission is owed.
Affiliate partners may use cookies or similar tracking technologies for these purposes.
Learn more:
We may earn commissions from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
3. Cookies and tracking technologies
Cookies are small files that websites store on your device.
Ask the Food Geek and its service providers use cookies and similar technologies for several purposes.
Essential cookies: Help the website function properly, maintain security, and remember certain preferences.
Analytics cookies: Help us understand website traffic and visitor behavior.
Advertising cookies: Help advertising partners display and measure advertisements, including interest-based advertising where permitted.
Affiliate cookies: Help affiliate partners recognize referrals and attribute purchases.
Comment and recipe-rating cookies: Remember information associated with comments or ratings and help prevent spam.
Shopping and payment cookies: Help maintain your shopping cart, process checkout, prevent fraud, and complete purchases.
Some cookies are placed by Ask the Food Geek, while others are placed by third-party services.
Managing your cookie preferences
Depending on your location, you may see a consent banner or other privacy controls that allow you to manage certain tracking preferences.
Where required by law, we request consent for nonessential cookies and similar technologies.
You can also manage or delete cookies through your browser settings.
Disabling certain cookies may affect some website features.
4. Advertising and Mediavine
Advertising helps us provide free recipes, gardening guides, and other content.
We work with Mediavine to manage advertisements displayed on Ask the Food Geek.
Mediavine Programmatic Advertising
The Website works with Mediavine to manage third-party interest-based advertising appearing on the Website. Mediavine serves content and advertisements when you visit the Website, which may use first and third-party cookies. A cookie is a small text file which is sent to your computer or mobile device (referred to in this policy as a "device") by the web server so that a website can remember some information about your browsing activity on the Website.
First party cookies are created by the website that you are visiting. A third-party cookie is frequently used in behavioral advertising and analytics and is created by a domain other than the website you are visiting.
Third-party cookies, tags, pixels, beacons and other similar technologies (collectively, "Tags") may be placed on the Website to monitor interaction with advertising content and to target and optimize advertising.
Each internet browser has functionality so that you can block both first and third-party cookies and clear your browser's cache. The "help" feature of the menu bar on most browsers will tell you how to stop accepting new cookies, how to receive notification of new cookies, how to disable existing cookies and how to clear your browser's cache. For more information about cookies and how to disable them, you can consult the information at All About Cookies.
Without cookies you may not be able to take full advantage of the Website content and features. Please note that rejecting cookies does not mean that you will no longer see ads when you visit our Site. In the event you opt-out, you will still see non-personalized advertisements on the Website.
The Website collects the following data using a cookie when serving personalized ads:
- IP Address
- Operating System type
- Operating System version
- Device Type
- Language of the website
- Web browser type
- Email (in hashed form)
Mediavine Partners (companies listed below with whom Mediavine shares data) may also use this data to link to other end user information the partner has independently collected to deliver targeted advertisements.
Mediavine Partners may also separately collect data about end users from other sources, such as advertising IDs or pixels, and link that data to data collected from Mediavine publishers in order to provide interest-based advertising across your online experience, including devices, browsers and apps.
This data includes usage data, cookie information, device information, information about interactions between users and advertisements and websites, geolocation data, traffic data, and information about a visitor's referral source to a particular website. Mediavine Partners may also create unique IDs to create audience segments, which are used to provide targeted advertising.
If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices to opt-in or opt-out of this data collection, please visit National Advertising Initiative opt out page. You may also visit Digital Advertising Alliance website and Network Advertising Initiative website to learn more information about interest-based advertising. You may download the AppChoices app at Digital Advertising Alliance's AppChoices app to opt out in connection with mobile apps, or use the platform controls on your mobile device to opt out.
For specific information about Mediavine Partners, the data each collects and their data collection and privacy policies, please visit Mediavine Partners.
5. How long do we keep your information?
We keep personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to operate the website, provide requested services, maintain business records, comply with legal obligations, or resolve disputes.
Retention periods depend on the type of information.
Newsletter subscriptions: Subscriber information is generally retained while you remain subscribed. Limited information may be retained afterward for administrative, legal, or unsubscribe-management purposes.
Comments and recipe ratings: Published comments and ratings may remain on the website indefinitely unless removed.
Contact form submissions: Messages may remain in our WordPress database and email records while relevant to an inquiry or business purpose.
Analytics information: Analytics services retain information according to their configured settings and applicable retention policies.
You may contact us to request deletion of eligible personal information.
6. How do we protect your information?
We take reasonable measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or loss.
Access to information is limited to those who need it to operate the website and related services.
However, no method of transmitting or storing information online is completely secure.
We cannot guarantee absolute security.
7. What are your privacy rights?
Depending on where you live and which privacy laws apply, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information.
These may include:
Right to know or access: You may request information about the personal data we collect and how we use it.
Right to correction: You may request that inaccurate personal information be corrected.
Right to deletion: You may request deletion of certain personal information we maintain.
Right to withdraw consent: Where processing relies on your consent, you may withdraw that consent.
Right to opt out: You may have the right to opt out of certain targeted advertising or data-sharing activities.
Right to data portability: You may be entitled to receive certain personal information in a portable format.
Right to appeal: In some jurisdictions, you may appeal a decision concerning a privacy request.
These rights are subject to applicable laws and exceptions.
To make a privacy request, please contact us through our website.
We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling certain requests.
We will respond within the time required by applicable law.
We will not discriminate against you for exercising applicable privacy rights.
Email preferences
You can unsubscribe from our newsletters at any time using the link included in each email.
Advertising preferences
You can manage certain advertising preferences through the privacy controls made available on our website.
You can also learn more about interest-based advertising choices through the advertising industry resources linked in Mediavine's disclosure.
8. Additional information for certain regions
Privacy laws differ depending on where you live.
California and other US states
Residents of California and certain other states may have additional privacy rights when applicable state privacy laws cover our activities.
These may include rights to access, correct, or delete personal information and to opt out of certain targeted advertising or data sharing.
Some advertising technologies used on our website may involve disclosures of personal information that qualify as selling or sharing under applicable state laws.
Where required, we provide relevant opt-out mechanisms.
You may also contact us with questions about your privacy rights.
European Economic Area and United Kingdom
If you live in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom, you may have additional rights under applicable data protection laws.
Depending on the activity, our legal basis for processing personal information may include:
- Consent: For certain cookies, analytics, advertising activities, or newsletter subscriptions.
- Legitimate interests: For activities such as maintaining website security, responding to inquiries, and improving our services where legally permitted.
- Legal obligations: When we must process information to comply with applicable laws.
You may have the right to access, correct, erase, restrict, or object to certain processing of your personal information.
You may also have the right to withdraw consent and lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
9. International visitors
Ask the Food Geek is operated from the United States.
Information collected through our website may be processed or stored in the United States or other countries where our service providers operate.
Privacy protections in those countries may differ from those in your home country.
Where required, international transfers of personal information are subject to applicable legal safeguards.
10. Children's privacy
Ask the Food Geek is intended for a general audience and is not directed toward children under 13.
We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.
If you believe a child has provided personal information to us, please contact us so we can investigate and take appropriate action.
11. External websites
Our articles may link to websites operated by other companies or individuals.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites.
We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing personal information.
12. Changes to this privacy policy
We may update this privacy policy to reflect changes in our website, services, or legal requirements.
When we make changes, we will update the date at the top of this page.
We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
13. Contact us
If you have questions about this privacy policy or would like to exercise your privacy rights, please contact:
The Food Geek, LLC
Illinois, United States
Website: AskTheFoodGeek.com
Contact: Ask the Food Geek Contact Form