Terms and Conditions of using FICS services

Terms and Conditions

Terms and Conditions of using The Food Industry Certification Scheme (FICS) services


Introduction

The Food Industry Certification Scheme (FICS) organisation is NOT a Charity, nor is it to be used for charitable activity.

The Food Industry Certification Scheme (FICS). Registered Company number 15150606 is a registered trademark of the FOOD INDUSTRY CERTIFICATION SCHEME (FICS) LTD. The use of the FICS trademark and copyrighted works without permission from the owner, is an infringement on the copyright.

 

For the purpose of these terms and conditions the following words will have the following meanings: “We”, “us” “our” meaning The Food Industry Certification Scheme (FICS). Registered address: Stowe House 1688 High Street, Knowle, Solihull, B93 0LY United Kingdom. “You”, “your” meaning the person or entity registering to use our services including, general members, employers, charities, and training providers.



Registration

Only one registration per person, employer or training provider is allowed. You must keep all your information up to date. You must use an email address that you have frequent access to, as we need to be able to contact you via email.

You must ensure to keep your password confidential and not share with anyone else. Please be aware that you will be held responsible for any activity in your account whether it be on the website or on an application. If you believe that someone may have access to, or is using your account, you must inform us immediately on contactus@fics.uk.
You must not: 

  • Impersonate, or attempt to impersonate someone else;
  • Allow anyone else to use your account; or
  • Use anyone else’s account.



Provision of Information

You acknowledge that in order to use The Food Industry Certification Scheme (FICS) services you may be required to provide personal information to us.

By submitting an application form and purchasing a licence, you give consent to The Food Industry Certification Scheme (FICS) to obtain, keep, use and produce information relating to your membership in line with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018 is the UK’s implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Everyone responsible for using personal data has to follow strict rules called ‘data protection principles’.

Under the Data Protection Act 2018, you have the right to find out what information the government and other organisations store about you. These include the right to:

  • be informed about how your data is being used
  • access to personal data
  • have incorrect data updated
  • have data erased
  • stop or restrict the processing of your data
  • data portability (allowing you to get and reuse your data for different services)
  • object to how your data is processed in certain circumstances

You also have rights when an organisation is using your personal data for: 

  • automated decision-making processes (without human involvement)
  • profiling, for example to predict your behaviour or interests

You agree that you understand that you have registered, and this application form will become part of your profile.

You certify the information provided is correct to the best of your knowledge and all entries on the application form are correct and complete at the time of submission.

Please note that we will only use personal information you send to us for the purposes for which you provide it. We will only hold your information for as long as necessary for these purposes and will not pass it on to any other parties, except where required to carry out our duties and functions.

All employees and subsidiaries that may have access to your personal data are obliged to respect the confidentiality of your personal data. All your communications to us are protected against unauthorised access by third parties. We do not store credit card details, nor do we share customer details with any third party.



Your Personal Information

As stated above, we will only use your personal information in accordance with our Internet privacy policy, which forms part of these terms and conditions. Please click here to read the Privacy Policy.



Using Our Sites and Applications

You may view, listen to and interact with the website and applications for its intended purposes.

You must not, whether directly or indirectly, copy, download, store, make available, distribute, sell or offer to sell all or any part of the content, files or data on our websites and applications to make or populate a database or publication of any kind without our written consent.

You must not use all or any part of our site and applications for commercial purposes without our prior written consent.

Users, whether registered or not, must not abuse the websites or applications by uploading false or malicious information.



Acceptable Use

You agree to use The Food Industry Certification Scheme (FICS)services solely for lawful purposes. You acknowledge and agree that you will be held responsible for any communications and content shared or transmitted by you using The Food Industry Certification Scheme (FICS)services. You further acknowledge and agree that you hold all intellectual rights of the content and communications, transmitted, published or shared or that you have obtained permission from the third party that holds the intellectual property rights to share or transmit it using The Food Industry Certification Scheme (FICS)services.

You agree not to use The Food Industry Certification Scheme (FICS)services for any of the following: 

  • Send mass mailings or spam
  • Collect or store information about other users
  • Threaten or harass any fellow users
  • Infringe on another user’s or third party’s intellectual rights
  • Share or transmit any material or encourage to share or transmit any material that is obscene, unlawful, defamatory, hateful, racist, illegal or encourages criminal behaviour
  • Share or transmit any content which may include viruses or other harmful or destructive material
  • Hack or gain unauthorised access to any The Food Industry Certification Scheme (FICS)server, network or hardware
  • Use The Food Industry Certification Scheme (FICS)services in any way that could overload, damage, disrupt or harm the system
  • Adapt or modify any of our systems
  • Register user accounts using automated processes
  • Reformat, resell or redistribute The Food Industry Certification Scheme (FICS)services or systems without the prior written consent.

You acknowledge that The Food Industry Certification Scheme (FICS)reserves the right to suspend or terminate your account at any time in order to ensure fair use. 



Suspending or Terminating Your Account

The Food Industry Certification Scheme (FICS)reserves the right to suspend or terminate your account at any time. The main reason for suspending or terminating your account would be due to breaching these terms or conditions. If you would like to terminate your account, please contact us on email CONTACTUS@FICS.UK



Maintenance of the System

In order to make the use of the website and the applications as enjoyable as possible, we may need to make changes to the system which may cause slight disruption to the services from time to time. We always endeavour to make these changes and maintenance work at times which would be least disrupting for all, and we will ensure to inform all members of any major maintenance work which could cause the system to be offline for some time.

You acknowledge and agree that the maintenance is necessary and that we are not liable for any inconvenience caused due to the maintenance work.

 

The Food Industry Certification Scheme (FICS) Privacy Policy



1. Introduction and Policy Statement

The Food Industry Certification Scheme (FICS) (the “Company”) is committed to respecting, safeguarding and preserving the privacy of all visitors to the Company’s website at www.fics.uk. This Internet Privacy Policy (the “Policy”) explains what information is being collected from users of our website and how this information is being stored and used. Please read the Policy carefully to understand the Company’s practices regarding your personal information and how it is treated. The Policy is regularly evaluated and updated, and any changes are posted on this page. Therefore, the Company asks that all visitors to the website review the Policy frequently.

For the purposes of the Data Protection Act 2018, the data controller is the Company The Food Industry Certification Scheme (FICS) whose registered office is. Registered address: Stowe House 1688 High Street, Knowle, Solihull, B93 0LY United Kingdom. Any questions, comments or requests regarding the Policy are welcome and should be sent to the Company.



2. Data Collected

It is necessary for the Company to collect certain personal data about users of its website (“Personal Data”) in order to operate the website and fulfil its legitimate business purpose.

This may include information collected from ordinary Internet browsers and from current, past or prospective members of the The Food Industry Certification Scheme (FICS). The Personal Data that the Company collects, stores and uses typically falls into one of the following three (3) categories:

Information you give to the Company: you may give us information by filling in forms on the website, corresponding with us (by phone, e-mail or otherwise), when you register as a member of The Food Industry Certification Scheme (FICS) or subscribe to any of our services, by searching or placing an order on the website, when you participate in any competition, promotion or survey, or if you report any problem with the website. The Personal Data that you give the Company may include (without limitation) your name, address, e-mail address and phone number, financial and credit card information, personal description and photograph.

Information the Company collects about you: during your visits to the website, we may automatically collect technical information including (without limitation) the Internet protocol (IP) address used to connect your computer to the Internet, your login information, browser type and version, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform. The Company may also collect information about each visit, including the products you viewed or searched for, page response times, download errors, the length of visits to certain pages, page interaction information, methods used to browse away from the page and any phone number you use to call us.

Information the Company receives from other sources: we may receive or collect information about you if you use any other websites or services that the Company operates or provides. We may also work with third parties (e.g., business partners, sub-contractors in technical, payment and delivery services, advertising networks, analytics and search information providers or credit reference agencies) and receive information about you from them.



3. Use of Personal Data

The Company may use Personal Data, together with any other information, for administration, marketing, customer service, education and account-related activities.
We will also share member information (including Personal Data) with our partner companies and colleges upon any request to undertake further studies by the relevant member. An additional Data Protection Policy will be issued subsequently.
The main ways in which the Company is using Personal Data includes: 

  • Updating member records
  • Allowing members to participate in interactive features of our website and applications, when they choose to do so
  • Compiling information about how members are using the Company’s website to identify areas of interest to them
  • Compiling information about how individuals are using the website and applications, in order to improve the site, it’s functionality and its ability to meet individual’s needs (including ensuring that content is presented in the most effective way)
  • Handling membership queries, delivering products and services, processing payments, communicating with individuals about their orders, products and services and maintaining member accounts
  • Advising members of other products and services, which may be of interest to them or of changes to our products, services or the website itself
  • Inviting individuals to participate in market research
  • Providing members with information about member benefits such as vouchers
  • Measuring and understanding the effectiveness of any advertising on the website and applications from time to time (and delivering that advertising)
  • Administering the website and applications, for relevant internal operations (e.g., troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, statistical/research purposes) and as part of the Company’s efforts to keep our website safe and secure.



4. Disclosure of Personal Data

The Company does not routinely share any Personal Data with any third parties. The Company will only disclose Personal Data: 

  • When the relevant individual’s consent has been obtained
  • To other members of the Company’s corporate group
  • Where the Company is under a public duty to do so e.g., to protect the rights, property or safety of the Company, our scheme members or others
  • Where information is required to be disclosed by the law or in order to enforce or apply the terms of use of our website or our terms of supply; or
  • If the Company sells any business(es) or assets, or if the Company is itself acquired, in which case we may disclose your personal data to the prospective buyer (as one of the transferring assets).



5. Accuracy

The Company takes reasonable steps to ensure the accuracy of the Personal Data being collected and stored. However, it may not always be possible to ensure that all Personal Data collected and stored is accurate at all times. Members can update their Personal Data in the settings page of their account. Otherwise, Personal Data can be updated by emailing contactus@fics.uk. Please note that it may take up to 21 days for the relevant changes to take place after emailing or calling us.



6. Cookies

The Company may collect Personal Data, through the use of cookies on its website, in order to distinguish you from other website users/visitors and improve your user experience (and the website itself). Please see the Company’s Cookie Policy for more detailed information.



7. Security

All Personal Data provided to us is stored on our secure servers. Any payment transactions will also be encrypted. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password which enables you to access certain parts of the Company’s website, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share a password with anyone.
Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the Internet is not completely secure. Although the Company will do its best to protect your Personal Data, we cannot guarantee the security of any information that is transmitted to our website and applications; any such transmission is therefore at your own risk. Once we have received your Personal Data, we will use strict procedures and security features to try to prevent any unauthorised access.



8. Your Rights

You have the right to ask the Company not to process your Personal Data for marketing purposes. We will usually inform you (before collecting any information from you) if we intend to use your Personal Data for such purposes or if we intend to disclose your information to any third party for such purposes. You can exercise your right to prevent such processing by checking certain boxes on the forms we use to collect the relevant information. You can also exercise the right at any time by contacting us at contactus@fics.uk. The Company’s website and applications may, from time to time, contain links to and from the websites of our partner networks, advertisers and affiliates. If you follow a link to any of these websites, please note that these websites have their own privacy policies and that the Company does not accept any responsibility or liability for these policies. Please check these policies before you submit any personal data to these websites. The Data Protection Act 2018, you have the right to find out what information the government and other organisations store about you, which can be exercised in accordance with the Act. Any access request may be subject to a fee of £10.00 to meet the Company’s costs in providing you with details of the information that it holds about you.



9. Consent

By using the Company’s website and applications, all individuals and companies provide consent for their Personal Data to be collected, processed and stored by the Company, and (where relevant) its partners, in the manner and for the purposes outlined in this Policy.



The Food Industry Certification Scheme (FICS)Cookie Policy

This Cookie Policy (the “Policy”) applies to ordinary user and member usage of The Food Industry Certification Scheme (FICS)(the “Company”) website, which appears at www.FICS.UK. (the “Website”).



Cookie

A cookie is a text file that is stored on a user’s computer, tablet, telephone or any other device by the Website in order to remember whom the user is. Only the Website’s server has access to that cookie to read or retrieve information. The cookie only contains some anonymous information such as the site’s name, unique identification number and other digits. Each cookie is unique to the browser being used. Cookies allow the Website to remember user preferences, habits and other basic information. Cookies are used by most major websites.



Why are Cookies Used?

Cookies are used for many different purposes. The Website uses cookies to make the conversation between the Website and the user faster and to allow users to navigate between pages efficiently, storing preferences, and generally improving user experience. If the Website did not use cookies, it would think that a user is a new visitor every time they navigate to a new page, meaning that a member would have to log in to the system on every page.



Cookie Preferences

All users have the right and ability to edit their cookie preferences; this can be done by amending browser settings. As all browsers are different, users are advised to seek help from their browser support team if necessary, however, users must keep in mind that disabling cookies may restrict access to parts of the Website, decrease user experience and make the communications between the Website and the user slower.



Consent

By using the Website, all individuals agree to the use of cookies unless otherwise stated by amending of browser settings.

To find out more about cookies please visit www.cookiecentral.com.