Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

FreshFind (“FreshFind,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) operates the website at freshfind.ca — a directory for discovering local food businesses across Canada and the United States, and a platform for helping those businesses grow. We are based in Ontario, Canada.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and your rights under applicable law — including Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable provincial privacy legislation.

Questions or requests? Contact us at hello@freshfind.ca.

2. What information we collect

2.1 Account information

When you sign in using Google OAuth or a magic-link email, we receive your email address and a unique user identifier from the authentication provider. We do not receive or store your Google password.

2.2 Listing information

If you submit a business listing, we collect the information you provide: business name, address, city, region, postal/zip code, business type, description, hours of operation, website URL, social media links, and contact information you choose to make public. This information is intentionally public — see Section 5.

2.3 Inquiry and contact information

When you submit a business inquiry through the “For Businesses” form or our contact form, we collect your name, email address, business name, business type, and the content of your message.

2.4 Usage data

We may collect anonymised analytics data (pages viewed, search queries, general geographic region based on IP address) to understand how the service is used and to improve it. If we use Plausible Analytics, it is a cookieless analytics tool that does not track individuals across sites and does not collect personal information as defined under PIPEDA.

2.5 Technical data

Our hosting infrastructure may log standard server access logs (IP address, browser type, referring URL, timestamp) for security and diagnostic purposes. These logs are retained for a short period and are not used for advertising.

3. How we use your information

We use your information to:

• Operate and improve the FreshFind directory and related services
• Create and manage your account and associated listings
• Send transactional emails: listing submission confirmation, account-related notifications, and responses to your inquiries
• Notify you about activity related to your listing (e.g., a claim or edit request)
• Detect and prevent spam, abuse, or fraudulent listings
• Respond to your support requests and inquiries about FreshFind’s services for businesses
• Comply with applicable law

We do not sell your personal information. We do not use your information for behavioural advertising. We do not share your information with third parties except as described in Section 4.

Our legal basis for processing is the legitimate interest of operating a free public directory, performing a contract (when you create a listing or account), and complying with legal obligations. Where required, we rely on your consent (e.g., subscribing to marketing communications).

4. Third-party service providers

We share information with the following service providers, who process it only as needed to provide services to us:

International data transfers: Because our service providers are based in the United States, your personal information is transferred to and processed in the United States. The US does not have a privacy law equivalent to PIPEDA, but we take steps to ensure your information is handled in a manner consistent with PIPEDA, including through contractual protections with our service providers.

5. Public listing data

Business listings you submit to FreshFind are designed to be publicly visible. Your business name, location, description, hours, website, social media links, and any contact details you include will be visible to anyone who visits the directory — including search engine crawlers.

Do not include information in a listing that you do not want to be publicly visible. Your personal email address (used to sign in) is never displayed on the public listing — only contact details you explicitly enter into the listing form are shown.

6. Email communications

We send transactional emails when you take actions on FreshFind (e.g., submitting a listing, receiving a claim notification). These are not marketing emails and are required for operation of the service.

If we send marketing or newsletter communications, we will obtain your express consent as required by Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). You can withdraw consent at any time using the unsubscribe link in any marketing email or by emailing us.

7. Cookies and session storage

FreshFind uses a session cookie to keep you signed in. This cookie is strictly necessary for the service to function and does not require your consent under Canadian privacy law.

We do not use third-party advertising cookies, cross-site tracking pixels, or retargeting cookies. If we add optional analytics (such as Plausible), those tools are configured to be cookieless and do not collect personal information.

8. Data retention

We retain your personal information for as long as your account is active and as necessary to provide the service and comply with our legal obligations.

• Account data: Retained until you request deletion of your account.
• Listing data: Retained as long as your listing is active. Deleted or anonymised on request.
• Inquiry and contact submissions: Retained for up to 2 years for business operations (following up on leads), then deleted.
• Server logs: Retained for up to 90 days for security purposes, then automatically purged.

9. Children’s privacy

FreshFind is not directed to individuals under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child under 13, please contact us at hello@freshfind.ca and we will delete it promptly.

10. Your rights

Under PIPEDA and applicable provincial law, you have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Correction: Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
• Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information and account (subject to retention requirements under law).
• Withdrawal of consent: Withdraw consent for any processing that is based on consent (e.g., marketing emails).
• Complaint: Lodge a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) at priv.gc.ca if you believe your rights have been violated.

To exercise any of these rights, email us at hello@freshfind.ca with the subject line “Privacy Request.” We will respond within 30 days.

11. Data breach notification

In the event of a breach of security safeguards involving your personal information that creates a real risk of significant harm, we will notify you and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada as required by PIPEDA.

12. Third-party links

The FreshFind directory displays links to business websites, social media profiles, and other external services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those third-party sites. We encourage you to read the privacy policy of any website you visit.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The date at the top reflects when it was last revised. For material changes, we will make reasonable efforts to notify users with active accounts. Continued use of FreshFind after any change constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.