Privacy & cookies

In short

HygieneCheck is a public information website. You can browse it without giving us any personal information. We do not run user accounts, we do not ask you to register, and we do not sell personal data. Non-essential cookies — including analytics and advertising — load only after you consent.

Cookies and consent

When you first visit, a consent banner lets you accept or reject non-essential cookies. We use Google’s consent mode, so analytics and advertising stay switched off until you allow them. Until then, only essential cookies needed for the site to function and to remember your consent choice are set.

• Essential — remember your consent preferences and keep the site working. Always on; no consent required under PECR.
• Analytics — help us understand which pages are useful (aggregated, not used to identify you). Set only with consent.
• Advertising — Google AdSense may set cookies to show and measure ads. Set only with consent; on consent-denied no advertising cookies are used.

You can change your mind at any time by reopening the consent banner from the cookie/consent control and updating your choices.

What data we process

Beyond your consent preferences, the only personal data we routinely process is what every web server records automatically: standard server logs (your IP address, the page requested, timestamp and browser user-agent), kept for security, abuse-prevention and basic diagnostics. We do not use server logs to build profiles of individuals.

The food hygiene data shown on the site is public sector information from the Food Standards Agency; it is not personal data we have collected about you.

Analytics and advertising

If you consent, we may use a privacy-respecting analytics tool and Google AdSense. These are consent-gated: they do not load and set no non-essential cookies unless and until you allow them. Google acts as an independent controller for the advertising data it processes; its use of data is governed by Google’s own policies.

Lawful basis

• Essential operation and security (server logs): our legitimate interests in running a secure, working website.
• Analytics and advertising cookies: your consent, which you can withdraw at any time.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR you have rights including access, rectification, erasure and objection in relation to personal data we hold about you. Because we hold very little personal data about visitors, most requests are straightforward. To exercise a right, or if you are a home-based trader with a personal-data concern about a listing, see correct a listing or email us. You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Contact

Privacy questions can be sent to [email protected]. See also our terms of use and data & licensing.