Gerber Products Company Privacy Notice

Effective: May 15, 2012
Last Updated On: December 8, 2022

SCOPE OF THIS NOTICE

Please read this privacy notice (“Notice”) carefully to understand our policies and practices regarding your personal data and how we will treat it. This Notice applies to individuals who interact with Nestlé services as consumers (“you”). This Notice explains how your personal data (which some jurisdictions may refer to as “personal information”) is collected, used, and disclosed by Gerber Products Company/Nestle Infant Nutrition and third parties acting on our behalf (collectively  “Gerber”, “Nestlé”, “We”, Us”). It also tells you how you can access and update your personal data and make certain choices about how your personal data is used.

This Notice covers both our online and offline data collection activities, including personal data that We collect through our various channels such as websites, apps, third-party social networks, Parents Resource Center, points of sale and events where this policy is provided to you as well as information that Gerber may collect from or about Medical Professionals on any Medical Professional-directed websites or pages owned or controlled by Gerber. Please note that We might combine personal data from different sources (website, offline event), including by combining personal data that were originally collected by different Nestlé entities or Nestlé partners. We also may combine data from third parties with data We already have.

This Notice does NOT apply to information collected by Gerber’s international affiliated (e.g., Gerber Canada, Gerber Medico, Gerber Europe/Russia, Gerber Asia, and Gerber South America), sites operated by other subsidiaries of the Gerber Products Company; sites operated by third party licensees of Gerber, sites operated by independent retailers that sell Gerber products, or sites that do not reference this Notice.

In some instances, if you do not provide personal data to Us, We may not be able to provide you with certain goods and/or services. We will indicate to you when this is the case, for example, by stating so on our registration forms.

California Notice of Collection of Personal Information: We collect personal information listed below under “Personal Data that We Collect About You” for the purposes described below under “Uses for Your Personal Data.” To learn more about your California privacy rights, including your right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information, please scroll down to “Your Privacy Rights.”
 

1. PERSONAL DATA THAT WE COLLECT ABOUT YOU

When information identifies or is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with you or your household, we refer to it as “personal data” or “personal information.” We collect various types of data from you, including insensitive data, as described below.

- Identifiers, including certain data defined as “personal information” in the California Customer Records law or as a protected classification under California or federal law. This data includes:

• Personal Contact Data: Any data you provide to Us that would allow Us to contact you, such as your name, postal address, e-mail address, social network details, or phone number.
   
• Account Login Data: Any data that is required to give you access to your specific account profile. Examples include your login ID/email address, screen name, password in unrecoverable form, and/or security question and answer.
   
• Certain Data from Your Computer/Mobile Device: Data about the computer system or other technological device that you use to access one of our websites or apps, such as the Internet protocol (IP) address used to connect your computer or device to the Internet and other online identifiers. If you access a Nestlé website or app via a mobile device such as a smartphone, the collected data will also include, where permitted, your phone’s unique device ID, advertising ID, and other similar mobile device data.
   
• Payment and Financial Data: Any data that We need in order to fulfil an order, or that you use to make a purchase, such as your debit or credit card details (cardholder name, card number, expiration date, etc.) or other forms of payment (if such are made available). In any case, We or our payment processing provider(s) handle payment and financial data in a manner compliant with applicable laws, regulations and security standards such as PCI DSS.
   
• Demographic Data & Interests: Any data that describes your demographic or behavioral characteristics. Examples include your date of birth, age or age range, gender, geographic location (e.g., ZIP code), favorite products, hobbies and interests, work status or professional credentials, and household or lifestyle data. This may include data about your health, medical conditions, nutrition, and exercise habits and goals. It may include data about your children’s genders, feeding styles, birthdates, or expected due dates. It may also include data about work status or professional credentials. In some cases, this could include data that you give Us about someone else. For example, if you provide a friend’s email address for a tell-a-friend program. If you are a health care professional, We may collect data about your practice.
   
• Third-Party Social Network Data: Any data that you share publicly on a third-party social network or data that is part of your profile on a third-party social network (such as Facebook) and that you allow the third-party social network to share with Us. Examples include your basic account data (e.g., name, email address, gender, birthday, current city, profile picture, user ID, list of friends, etc.) and any other additional data or activities that you permit the third-party social network to share. We receive your third-party social network profile data (or parts of it) every time you download or interact with a Nestlé web application on a third-party social network such as Facebook, every time you use a social networking feature that is integrated within a Nestlé site (such as Facebook Connect) or every time you interact with Us through a third-party social network. To learn more about how your data from a third-party social network is obtained by Nestlé, or to opt out of sharing such social network data, please visit the website of the relevant third-party social network.

We use this data for a number of purposes, such as (1) consumer service purposes, including responding to your inquiries; (2) to provide you with information about goods or services; (3) personalization, such as to analyse your preferences habits, anticipate your needs, improve and personalise your experience on our websites and apps, provide you with targeted advertising and content, and allow you to participate in interactive features; (4) order fulfilment; and (5) other general business purposes, such as internal or market research, analytics, and security. To learn more about these uses, visit Section 4, below.

We disclose this data within the Nestlé S.A. family of companies, as well as with our service providers and third parties, as described in Section 5, below.

- Internet or Other Similar Network Activity. This data includes websites and communication usage data. As you navigate through and interact with our websites/apps or emails, We use automatic data collection technologies to collect and record certain data about your device(s) and your actions. This includes data such as which links you click on, which pages or content you view and for how long, and other similar data and statistics about your interactions, such as content response times, download errors, and length of visits to certain pages, keystrokes, mouse movements, form field entries, as well as operating system type and web browser type and version. This data is captured using automated technologies such as cookies and web beacons and is also collected through the use of third-party tracking for analytics and advertising purposes.

We use this data for a number of purposes, such as personalization and other general business purposes, such as internal or market research, analytics, and security. To learn more about these uses, visit Section 4, below. We disclose this data within the Nestlé S.A. family of companies, as well as with our service providers and third parties, as described in Section 5, below.

- Commercial Information. This data includes data described in the “Demographic Data & Interests” section above, data relating to your purchasing or consuming histories or tendencies, and the following:

• Market Research & Consumer Feedback: Any information that you share with Us about your experience of using our products and services.
   
• Consumer-Generated Content. Any content that you create and then share with Us on third party social networks or one of our websites or apps. Examples include photos, videos, personal stories, or other similar media or content. Where permitted, We collect and publish consumer-generated content in connection with a variety of activities, including contests and other promotions, website community features, consumer engagement, and third-party social networking.

We use this data for a number of purposes, such as (1) consumer service purposes, including responding to your inquiries; (2) personalisation, such as to analyse your preferences habits, anticipate your needs, improve and personalise your experience on our websites and apps, provide you with targeted advertising and content, and allow you to participate in interactive features; (3) other general business purposes, such as internal or market research, analytics, and security. To learn more about these uses, visit Section 4, below.

We disclose this data within the Nestlé S.A. family of companies, as well as with our service providers and third parties, as described in Section 5, below.

- Geolocation Data. This data is used and shared in the same way as the “Identifiers” and “Commercial Information” described above.

- Audio, Electronic, Visual, or Similar Information. This data may include photos and videos that you share with us as consumer-generated content or via third-party social networks, as described above, as well as recordings of your conversations with our Parents Resource Center. This data is used and shared in the same way as the “Commercial Information” described above.

- Inferences. We may draw inferences from the data We collect from and about you to create a profile reflecting your preferences, characteristics, and behaviour. We use this data for personalization and other general business purposes, such as internal or market research, analytics, and security. To learn more about these uses, visit Section 4, below. We disclose this data within the Nestlé S.A. family of companies, as well as with our service providers and third parties, as described in Section 5, below.

For our Sites directed to Medical Professionals, in addition to some of the information listed above, We may also collect the following information:

-Healthcare Related Information. In addition to basic demographic information (listed above), We may also collect, in some cases through specific website tools, information about a medical professional’s interest in certain Gerber products. This information is used for the purposes identified at the time of collection. Some tools may allow you to enter and display certain health information on the site itself.

To the extent that personal information regarding a patient’s medical conditions is stored, We may be required to disclose it in certain circumstances, including but not limited to, the following: the Food and Drug Administration pursuant to adverse events, public health authorities relative to preventing or controlling disease, as required by federal state or local law or as required pursuant to subpoena. Please note that Gerber Products Company may never have a reason to make these types of disclosures.

-Medical Professional Feedback. This includes information that you voluntarily share with Us about your experience in using our products and services, including our Sites. Examples may include unsolicited comments and suggestions, testimonials, or other questions or feedback related to our products. We typically collect this information in the form of medical professional surveys, medical professional panels, contact forms, and email correspondence.

-Medical Professional-generated Content. This refers to content that you create and then share with Us (and perhaps others) by uploading it to one of our Sites, including one of our Facebook sites. Examples may include photos, videos, personal stories, or other similar media or content. We may collect and publish medical professional-generated content in connection with a variety of activities, including contests and other promotions, website community features, and third party social networking.

2. HOW WE COLLECT PERSONAL DATA ABOUT YOU

We collect personal data directly from you, when you choose to provide it to Us. For example, We collect data when you place an order with Us. We collect data when you register on one of our websites or apps. We collect data when you become a member of a loyalty program. We collect data when you sign up for our emails. We collect data from printed or digital registrations and similar forms that We collect via, for example, postal mail, in-store demos, contests, and other promotions or events. We collect data if you fill out a survey or use other tools on your websites or apps. We also collect data if you contact Us through our websites or apps, via email or through social media.

We collect data from you passively. For example, We use tracking tools like browser cookies and web beacons. We do this on our websites and in emails that We send to you. We collect data about users over time when you use this website. This includes usage and browser data. We may have third parties collect data this way. We also collect data from our mobile apps.

We get data about you from other sources. For example, our affiliates and business partners may give Us data about you. We may receive data from analytics or similar companies who compile information about shoppers and their preferences. Social media platforms may also give Us data about you. We may get data about your interactions with our ads on third-party sites via our ad partners.

3. PERSONAL DATA OF CHILDREN

We do not knowingly solicit or collect personal data from children below the age of 13. If you are a parent or legal guardian and think that your child under 13 has given Us data, you can contact Us in writing or by email as provided below under the section titled CONTACT. Please mark your inquiries “COPPA Information Request.” We do not knowingly sell the personal data of minors under the age of 16 without affirmative authorization.

4. USES FOR YOUR PERSONAL DATA

The following paragraphs describe the various purposes for which We collect and use your personal data, and the different types of personal data that are collected for each purpose. Please note that not all of the uses below will be relevant to every individual.

Consumer service. We use your personal data for consumer service purposes, including responding to your inquiries. This typically requires the use of certain personal contact data and information regarding the reason for your inquiry (e.g., order status, technical issue, account maintenance, product question/complaint, general question, etc.).

Contests, marketing, and other promotions. We may use your personal data to provide you with information about goods or services (e.g., marketing communications or campaigns or promotions). This can be done via email, ads, SMS, phone calls and postal mailings to the extent permitted by applicable laws. On occasion, these communications may also introduce you to other affiliated brands and partners and inform you about products, services, offers, and promotions from other companies and organizations. Some of our campaigns and promotions are run on third-party websites and/or social networks. For more information about our contests and other promotions, please see the official rules or details posted with each contest/promotion. We may use your friend’s email address to send them information you request through a “tell-a-friend” feature.

Third party social networks. We use your personal data when you interact with third-party social networking features, such as “Like” functions, to serve you with advertisements and engage with you on third party social networks. You can learn more about how these features work and the profile data that We obtain about you, and find out how to opt out by reviewing the privacy notices of the relevant third-party social networks.

Personalization. With your consent (where required), We may use your personal data (i) to analyse your preferences and habits, (ii) to anticipate your needs based on our analysis of your profile, (iii) to improve and personalise your experience on our websites and apps; (iv) to ensure that content from our websites/apps is optimised for you and for your computer or device; (v) to provide you with targeted advertising and content, and (vi) to allow you to participate in interactive features, when you choose to do so. For example, We remember your login ID/email address or screen name so that you can quickly login the next time you visit our site or so that you can easily retrieve the items you previously placed in your shopping cart. Based on this type of information, and with your consent (where required), We also show you specific Nestlé content or promotions that are tailored to your interests.

Order fulfilment. We use your personal data to process and ship your orders, inform you about the status of your orders, correct addresses and conduct identity verification and other fraud detection activities. This involves the use of certain personal data and payment information.

Other general purposes (e.g. internal or market research, analytics, security). In accordance with applicable laws, We use your personal data for other general business purposes, such as maintaining your account, conducting internal or market research and measuring the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. We reserve the right, if you have Nestlé accounts, to reconcile those accounts into one single account. We also use your Personal Data for management and operation of our communications, IT, and security systems.

-Contact Forms. For our Sites directed to Medical Professionals, We may collect information through specific contact forms. If you contact us through one of our online contact forms (e.g., Contact Us), your information is used to respond to your specific questions or requests, and in some instances, to post the answers to your questions in anonymous form on our Sites for reference by other medical professionals. The information you provide through one of our contact forms will not be used for any other purpose, unless you specifically authorize Us to do so.

-Community Features. For our Sites directed to Medical Professionals, We may collect and use your information to give you access to community features of the Sites including features that may allow you to upload and share recipes, pictures, videos, artwork, or other messages or content. This typically involves the collection, use, and (in some instances) public display of certain personal contact information, account login information, demographic information, and/or medical professional-generated content. Because these features are “communal” in nature, information or content that you post in these areas may be visible to others. Although We may take certain precautions to protect those who use these areas of our Sites, We encourage you to be wary of giving out any personal information in public forums. The information you post can be collected and used by people you don't know. We cannot guarantee the privacy and safety of these areas, and are therefore not responsible for any information you choose to post. Your use of these features is fully at your own risk.

5. DISCLOSURE OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA

The following paragraphs describe how We disclose your data.

The Nestlé S.A. family of companies. We share data within the Nestlé S.A. family of companies, which includes all direct and indirect subsidiaries of parent company Nestlé S.A.

Service providers. We share data with our service providers. These are external companies that We use to help Us run our business (e.g., order fulfilment, payment processing, fraud detection and identity verification, website operation, market research companies, support services, promotions, website development, data analysis, CRC, etc.).

Credit reporting agencies/debt collectors. To the extent permitted by applicable law, credit reporting agencies and debt collectors are external companies that We use to help Us to verify your creditworthiness (in particular for orders with invoice) or to collect outstanding invoices.

Third party companies using personal data for their own purposes. We may share data with third parties, which they may use for their own purposes. This may include their own marketing purposes. They may send or provide you with offers for products or services that may interest you. We may also permit third parties to collect data about you on our websites or apps for their own purposes.

Sharing personal data for legal reasons or due to merger/acquisition. In the event that Nestlé or its assets are acquired by, or merged with, another company including through bankruptcy, We will share your personal data with any of our legal successors. We will also disclose your personal data to third parties (i) when required by applicable law; (ii) in response to legal proceedings; (iii) in response to a request from a competent law enforcement agency; (iv) to protect our rights, privacy, safety or property, or the public; or (v) to enforce the terms of any agreement or the terms of our website.

We do not disclose or share sensitive data with third parties for purposes other than those listed above.

6. DATA PROTECTION AND RETENTION

We use reasonable and appropriate security measures as required by applicable law. The transmission of information via the Internet is, unfortunately, not completely secure and despite our efforts to protect your personal data, We cannot guarantee the security of the data during transmission through our websites/apps. It is important that you also play a role in keeping your personal data safe and secure. When signing up for an online account, please be sure to choose an account password that would be difficult for others to guess and never reveal your password to anyone else. You are responsible for keeping this password confidential and for any use of your account. If you use a shared or public computer, never choose to have your login ID/email address or password remembered and make sure to log out of your account every time you leave the computer. You should also make use of any privacy settings or controls We provide you in our websites/apps.

Retention of personal data. We keep personal data as long as it is necessary or relevant for the practices described in this Notice. We also keep personal data as otherwise required by law.

7. YOUR CHOICES ABOUT HOW WE USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR PERSONAL DATA

We strive to provide you with choices regarding the personal data that you provide to Us. The following mechanisms give you the following control over your personal data:

Advertising, marketing and promotions. You can opt out of marketing emails by following the instructions provided in each such communication. Please note that even if you opt out from receiving marketing communications, you will still receive administrative communications from Us, such as order or other transaction confirmations, notifications about your account activities (e.g., account confirmations, password changes, etc.), and other important non-marketing-related announcements.

Cookies, tracking tools, and targeted advertising. We and the service providers and third parties with whom We work use several common tracking tools, including cookies, web beacons, flash cookies, and similar technologies, for a variety of reasons. These reasons include (1) recognizing new or past customers; (2) storing passwords for registered users; (3) improving our websites and apps; (4) understanding the interests of our customers and website visitors; and (5) personalizing your experience, including by serving you with advertising content in which We think you will be interested (also known as interest-based advertising).

• You can control certain tracking tools. Your browser may give you the ability to control cookies. How you do so depends on the type of cookie. Certain browsers can be set to reject browser cookies. To control flash cookies, which We may use on certain websites from time to time, you can go to Macromedia’s Global Security Setting panel.
  
  Our Do Not Track Policy. Some browsers have “do not track” features that allow you to tell a website not to track you. These features are not all uniform. We do not currently respond to those signals. If you block cookies, certain features on our sites may not work. If you block or reject cookies, not all of the tracking described here will stop.
  
  Certain options you select are browser and device specific.
   
• You can opt out of behavioral advertising by participating companies. To opt out of having your online behavior recorded and used for advertising purposes by participating companies, please visit the Digital Advertising Alliance’s (“DAA”) Consumer Choice Tool for Web. The DAA also offers a tool for opting out of the collection of cross-app data on a mobile device for interest-based advertising. To exercise choice for companies participating in this tool, download the AppChoices app or visit http://www.aboutads.info/choices/. To opt out of the use of information about your online activities for interest-based advertising by Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) member companies, please visit their site: http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/.
  
  Certain choices you make are both browser and device-specific.

Even if you opt out, you still may receive advertising from Us that is not customized for you or from companies that do not participate in the DAA or NAI.

On your mobile device, you may also adjust your privacy and advertising settings to control whether you want to receive more relevant advertising.

8. THIRD PARTY WEBSITES AND SERVICES

We may link to third party websites or apps, including social media platforms. This Notice does not apply to, and We are not responsible for, the privacy practices of these third-party websites or apps. Please read their privacy policies carefully.

Our websites or apps may also include third party content that collects data. This includes data collected by cookies, pixels, or other tracking tools. We do not control these third parties or their tracking tools.

9. YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS

Explanation of Applicable Privacy Rights

If you're a California resident, you may take advantage of the following rights:

• Right to Know: You have the right to know what personal information We have collected about you, including the categories of personal information, the categories of sources from which the personal information is collected, the business or commercial purpose for collecting, selling, or sharing personal information, the categories of third parties to whom We disclose personal information, and the specific pieces of personal information We have collected about you.
   
• Right to Delete: You have the right to delete personal information that We have collected from you. Note that there are some reasons We will not be able to fully address your request, such as if We need to complete a transaction for you, to detect and protect against fraudulent and illegal activity, to exercise our rights, for our internal purposes, or to comply with a legal obligation.
   
• Right to Correct: You have the right to correct inaccurate personal information that We may maintain about you, subject to appropriate verification.
   
• Right Opt-Out of Sale or Sharing of Personal Information:You have the right to opt-out of the “sale” or “sharing” of your personal information, as such terms are defined in California privacy laws. This means that, if you opt out, going forward, We will not sell or share your personal information with such third parties to use for their purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, unless you later direct Us to do so.

• Explanation of "Sales" and "Sharing" under California Law: Our business model is not focused on selling data; however, in certain cases our marketing partners may receive information when they run digital advertising on our platform that enables them to access certain data about your use of our site. Under California law, our use of these services may constitute a “sale” or “share” of personal information.

  If you are a resident of Connecticut, Colorado, Utah, or Virginia, you may take advantage of certain privacy rights, such as to request access, correction, or deletion of your personal information. Because We may “sell” personal information or engage in “targeted advertising” as these terms are defined in Connecticut, Colorado, Utah, and Virginia laws, you may also exercise your right to opt-out of such sales or targeted advertising. You have the right to appeal a denial of your privacy rights.

  How to Submit a Request

  To take advantage of your right to know, delete, or correct under California, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, or Virginia law, or to submit an appeal of a denial of your privacy rights, please contact us at https://gerber.com/contact/, by phone at 1.800.443.7237, or by using the Contact section below. We may request certain information about your interactions with Gerber to verify your identity before we can respond to your access, deletion, or correction requests. Gerber will confirm receipt of your request within 10 business days and will respond to your request within 45 calendar days, after proper verification, unless we need additional time, in which case we will let you know.

  To take advantage of your right to opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information or to opt out of targeted advertising, please click on the Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information link which also is on our website footer or email us at parentsresource.gerber@us.nestle.com. We will work to comply with your opt-out request within 15 business days. We value your privacy and will not discriminate in response to your exercise of your privacy rights.

• Agent Requests: You may authorize someone to make a privacy rights request on your behalf (an authorized agent). Authorized agents will need to demonstrate that you’ve authorized them to act on your behalf or must demonstrate they have power of attorney pursuant to applicable probate law. Gerber retains the right to request confirmation directly from you confirming that the agent is authorized to make such a request, or to request additional information to confirm the agent’s identity. An authorized agent is prohibited from using a consumer’s personal information, or any information collected from or about the consumer, for any purpose other than to fulfill the consumer’s requests, for verification, or for fraud prevention.


• Data Protection Disclosures: In addition to the disclosures elsewhere in this Notice, this section describes the types of personal information that We collected, disclosed for business purposes, and sold or shared to third parties in the last 12 months.


• Categories of Personal Information Disclosed for Business Purposes:In the last 12 months, We have disclosed the following categories of personal information to service providers, contractors, and vendors for business purposes: identifiers, characteristics of protected classifications under California or federal law, commercial information, financial and payment number, medical/health information, internet or other electronic network activity information, geolocation information, education information, visual information, and inferences drawn from the above. For more information, please see “Disclosure of Your Personal Data” above.


• Use of Disclosure of Sensitive Personal Information.: To the extent that We collect, use, or share “sensitive personal information” as that term is defined in applicable California law, We limit our use or disclosure of the sensitive personal information for permitted business purposes.
• Categories of Personal Information Sold or Shared:.: In the last 12 months, We have “sold” or “shared” (as defined in the CCPA) the following categories of personal information: identifiers, commercial information, internet or other electronic network activity information, and inferences drawn from the above. Each category of personal information was sold or shared to advertising networks, data analytics providers, and social networks, for the purposes described above under “Uses for Your Personal Data.” We do not have actual knowledge that We sell or share personal information of consumers under 16 years of age. To learn more, please see “Personal Data of Children” above.



 

10. CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE

If We change the way We handle your personal data, We will update this Notice. We reserve the right to make changes to our practices and this Notice at any time; please check back frequently to see if there have been any updates or changes to our Notice.

 

11.  CONTACT

To contact us about this Notice and/or our privacy practices, please contact Us using this form:  https://gerber.com/contact/, or  call our Parents Resource Center at 1.800.443.7237 or write us at:

Gerber^® Parents Resource Center 

445 State St.

Fremont, MI 49413-0001