Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 2026

FoodTan.com (“we”, “our”, “us”) respects your privacy. This policy explains what information we collect when you visit our website, how we use it, and the choices you have. We operate in line with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), and we also take the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) into account for visitors from the European Union.

1. Information We Collect

Information you give us directly

When you contact us (for example via our contact form or by email at hello@foodtan.com), we receive the details you include — typically your name, email address, and the content of your message. We use this only to respond to your enquiry.

Information collected automatically

When you browse FoodTan.com, we (and our service providers) automatically collect limited technical information, including:

Your IP address and approximate location (city/state level)
Browser type, device type, and operating system
Pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring website
Standard web server log data

We use this information to keep the site secure, understand which content readers find useful, and improve the website. We do not attempt to identify individual visitors from this data.

2. Cookies

FoodTan.com uses cookies and similar technologies. Cookies are small text files stored on your device. We use:

Strictly necessary cookies — required for the site to function (for example, remembering your cookie consent choice).
Analytics cookies — help us understand aggregate site usage (for example, which recipes are most popular). These collect anonymised or pseudonymised usage statistics.
Advertising cookies — set by our advertising partner, Google AdSense (see section 3).

You can control cookies through your browser settings: most browsers let you block or delete cookies. Note that blocking cookies may affect how the site displays. Where required by law, we will ask for your consent before setting non-essential cookies.

3. Advertising — Google AdSense

FoodTan.com displays advertising served by Google AdSense. Google and its partners use cookies (including the DoubleClick cookie) to serve ads based on your visits to this and other websites.

Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads based on your visit to our site and/or other sites on the internet.
You may opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google’s Ads Settings (google.com/settings/ads).
You can also opt out of some third-party vendors’ use of cookies for personalised advertising via aboutads.info/choices.

We do not control the cookies set by Google or other advertising partners. For more information, see Google’s Privacy & Terms at policies.google.com/privacy. Our advertising practices comply with Google’s publisher policies and the AdSense programme requirements.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the information described above to:

Operate, maintain, and secure the website
Respond to your messages and enquiries
Understand aggregate readership trends and improve our content
Serve relevant advertising through Google AdSense
Comply with legal obligations

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

5. Sharing of Information

We share limited data only with the service providers needed to run the site:

Web hosting provider — stores the website and server logs.
Analytics provider — processes anonymised usage statistics.
Google (AdSense) — serves advertising as described in section 3.

Some of these providers may process data outside Australia. Where this occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure overseas recipients handle personal information in line with the Australian Privacy Principles.

Analytics in more detail

We use a standard web analytics service to understand aggregate readership — for example, which recipes get the most visits and which search terms bring readers to the site. Analytics data is collected in aggregated or pseudonymised form; we do not build individual profiles of readers, and we do not combine analytics data with any information that identifies you personally. If you prefer not to be counted, you can enable your browser’s “Do Not Track” signal or use a reputable ad/tracker blocker — the site will still work.

Data breaches

In the unlikely event of a data breach involving personal information that is likely to cause serious harm, we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner as required under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). Because we collect very little personal information in the first place (see section 1), the risk profile here is low — but the obligation stands regardless.

6. Data Retention

We keep personal information only as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy — for example, correspondence is retained while needed to handle your enquiry, and server logs are rotated on a routine schedule. When information is no longer needed, we delete or de-identify it.

7. Your Rights

Under the Australian Privacy Principles (and the GDPR, where it applies to you), you may:

Request access to the personal information we hold about you
Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
Request deletion of your personal information where we have no lawful reason to keep it
Object to certain processing, or request that processing be restricted
Withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent (for example, non-essential cookies)
Lodge a complaint with us, and if unresolved, with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au

To exercise any of these rights, email us at hello@foodtan.com. We will respond within a reasonable timeframe and may need to verify your identity before actioning your request.

What “personal information” means here

It’s worth being concrete, because we collect so little of it. In practice, the only personal information we are likely to hold about you is what you send us yourself — your name and email address from a contact form message, plus the message itself. We don’t run user accounts, we don’t have a newsletter database that tracks you individually, and our analytics is aggregated. That means an access request from us will usually be a short email back with a copy of your correspondence — which is exactly as it should be.

How we handle complaints

If you believe we’ve mishandled your personal information, email hello@foodtan.com with “Privacy complaint” in the subject line. We’ll acknowledge your complaint promptly, investigate, and respond with our findings and any remedial action. If you’re not satisfied with our response, you can take your complaint to the OAIC — and for EU visitors, to your national data protection authority.

8. Children’s Privacy

FoodTan.com is a general-audience recipe and meal-prep resource. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

9. Third-Party Links

Our content may reference third-party websites (for example, supermarket websites). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites; we encourage you to read their privacy policies.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. The “Last updated” date at the top shows when it was most recently revised. Material changes will be highlighted on this page.

11. Contact Us About Privacy

For any privacy question, access request, or complaint, contact us at hello@foodtan.com. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may complain to the OAIC (oaic.gov.au) or, for EU residents, to your local data protection authority.