Introduction

Thank you for visiting the McCormick Science Institute website. This site is owned and operated by McCormick & Company, Incorporated (“McCormick”). Please note that this privacy notice only applies to the McCormick Science Institute website. The privacy notice for other websites owned and operated by McCormick or its affiliates are available on those other websites.

The McCormick Science Institute is a research-driven organization whose mission is to support scientific research and disseminate information on the health benefits of culinary herbs and spices to all stakeholders including consumers and health professionals. This website serves as a place to advance the McCormick Science Institute mission and provide information about related activities.

We appreciate the trust you place in the McCormick Science Institute and, as part of our commitment to you, we will continue to work diligently to protect your personal information and keep you informed of our efforts.

This privacy notice is meant to help you understand:

• The types of personal information we collect
• Why we collect and use your personal information
• When, why, and with whom we will share your personal information
• The rights and choices you have when it comes to your personal information

We hope you will take the time to read this privacy notice carefully. California residents should also read the California Privacy Information section below. If you have any questions, please refer to the How to Contact Us section below.

Information We Collect

This section describes the categories of personal information we collect and the sources of such information. We may combine any of the information we collect.

Information You Provide

• Identifiers, such as your name, username, email address, social media handle, or telephone number you provide to us via the McCormick Science Institute website or when you contact us;

• Demographics, such as your age or gender;

• Transaction Information, such as the searches you conduct on our digital services;

• Location Information, when you provide your location in association with a request; and

• Information Included in Your Interactions with Us, such as your feedback, concerns, survey responses, and comments.

Information We Automatically Collect

• Identifiers, such as your IP address, device ID, mobile advertising identifiers, username, cookie identifiers, and other similar identifiers;

• Transactional Information, such as dates and times of the interactions you have with us;

• Location Information, such as your general location inferred from your IP address or other information; and

• Information About Web and Application Activities, such as content viewed, online interactions (including interactions with our emails and other electronic communications), search terms, and requests.

Information Collected From Other Sources

We collect information from other sources, such as web hosting providers, data and analytics providers, social media platforms, and advertising services. We collect the following categories of information from these sources:

• Identifiers, such as your name, contact information, social media handle, cookie identifiers, and information about the devices you use to access the McCormick Science Institute website or other related channels;

• Demographics, such as your age or gender; and

• Inferences Regarding Preferences or Other Characteristics.

Sensitive Personal Information

• Some of the information we collect may be deemed sensitive under applicable laws. We collect this information only as necessary and use it to provide products or services you request.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies, such as tags, beacons, and pixels (“Cookies”), to operate our site and to personalize and improve your experience as you use our site. Please see our Cookies Policy for more information about our use of these technologies and the choices you may have.

Why We Collect Personal Information

We collect personal information to maintain and operate our business, including our digital services that we make available to you. This includes the following purposes:

Communicate with You and Present You With Offers

We use your contact information and other personal information to respond to your requests and comments, provide you with important or legally required information, inform you about events or programs that may interest you, and deliver other communications to you.  We may also communicate with you about our products and services including via advertising tailored to your interests either on this site or other digital platforms, including third-party platforms.  And, we may invite you to take part in consumer surveys, questionnaires and other market research activities carried out by us.

Why do we do this?

We may send emails or alerts about our latest news, events, and/or investor information only when you have registered to do so. You can opt out of receiving such communications at any time. In some situations, such as a response to an inquiry you’ve made via our website, or where communications are necessary to fulfill legal requirements, consent is not required and we will communicate accordingly.

 Make Our Services Available to You and Process Transactions

We use the information we collect to manage and administer the accounts you may hold with us; allow you access to new services we develop in the future; process any transactions you place online with us; and maintain the security of the website.

Why do we do this?

We do this to meet our contractual obligations with you (as applicable) and to meet our business interests in providing quality and secure services to you and other consumers. 

 Manage and Improve Our Day-to-Day Operations

We use the information we collect to manage and improve our website content and performance; help develop and improve our products and services, brand growth, information technology systems, and the way we communicate with you; learn how visitors use our digital services; and conduct market research.

Why do we do this?

Such processing is necessary to achieve our interests in expanding our business and making our services more usable and appealing for consumers.

 Personalize Your Experiences

We analyze the information we collect, including your online activities, to better understand your interests.

Why do we do this?

We do this to improve the content and features we offer, which benefits you by making the site more usable and appealing. Learning about your interests helps us identify the communications and offers that you may be interested in, which helps us meet our interest in expanding our business by providing you with relevant information. See the Communicate with You and Present You With Offers section above for more information.  

 Comply with Legal Obligations and Protect Rights

We process the information we collect to comply with our legal obligations and to protect our rights, your rights, and the rights of others, as this is necessary to maintain our business practice standards.

Automated Processing

When we analyze the personal information we collect for advertising, marketing, security, and fraud prevention, we use automated processes to identify or predict potential risks or outcomes. 

For example, we may use the information you provide us and information about your online activities to infer your interests.  And we use those inferences to support automated decisions about the content, recommendations, and offers we present to you on our digital properties. We use automated tools to identify suspicious activities associated with the website.

These automated processing activities will not, without human intervention, have legal or similar effects for you.

Retaining Your Information

We will retain your information while we have a relationship with you, as necessary to accomplish the purpose for which it is processed, and for a period after our relationship with you has ended. When deciding how long to keep your personal information after our relationship with you has ended, we take into account how long we need to retain the information to fulfill the purposes described above and to detect security incidents, prevent fraud, debug our systems, comply with our legal and record keeping obligations, including for tax purposes, and for demonstrating compliance with applicable laws. We may also retain personal information to investigate or defend against potential legal claims in accordance with the limitation periods of countries where legal action may be brought, and for internal uses, as allowed by law.

Information Sharing

This section explains how and why we share personal information with third parties. California residents should read the California Privacy Information section below for additional information.

We share personal information:

• With affiliates, subsidiaries, and service providers who we work with closely, or who work on our behalf, and who have agreed to use the information solely in furtherance of our operations, which is to achieve our legitimate interest in managing, operating, expanding, and improving our business. This includes, but is not limited to, service providers who help us maintain and operate the website, deliver communications or mailings, store information, or manage events;
• With business partners, such as ad networks that may deliver marketing communications, promotional materials, or advertisements that may be tailored to your interests; which is necessary to respond to your requests for information for communications from third parties or is to achieve our legitimate interests in managing, operating, expanding, and improving our business.
• With third parties when you engage in or interact with co-branded or co-sponsored content or activities, which is necessary to satisfy our contractual obligations to you or to achieve our legitimate interests in developing future business;
• As required by law, such as to comply with a subpoena or other legal process, or to comply with government reporting obligations;
• When we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to achieve our interests in (a) protecting our rights, the integrity of the online services, or your safety or the safety of others, or (b) detecting, preventing, or responding to fraud, intellectual property infringement, violations of our Terms of Use, violations of law, or other misuse of the online services;
• With third parties to the extent reasonably necessary to proceed with the negotiation or completion of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets.

We may share with third parties information that does not identify you (and cannot be combined with other information accessible to us to identify you) for any purpose.

Links to Third-Party Websites

We may link to third-party websites and services that we do not operate and are outside of our control. We are not responsible for the security or privacy of any information collected by other websites or other services. Please exercise caution and review the privacy statements applicable to the third-party websites and services you use.

Where We Store Information

The personal information that we collect from you may be transferred to and stored at a destination outside of your home country. It may also be processed by or transferred to companies operating outside of your home country. Although the countries in which personal information is processed may not provide the same level of protection as your home country, we put in place safeguards to protect your personal information. For more information on the appropriate safeguards in place, please contact us using one of the methods described in the How to Contact Us section below.

Your Rights and Choices

You may have certain rights regarding your personal information, subject to local law. These may include:

• The right to access what information we have collected about you in a user-friendly or machine-readable format;
• The right to request the deletion of information we have collected;
• The right to data portability;
• The right to correct or update your information;
• The right to withdraw any consent you have given us regarding how we use your information;
• The right to opt out of the sale (any exchange for monetary or other valuable consideration) of your information;
• The right to opt out of targeted advertising;
• The right to opt out of profiling in furtherance of decisions and that produce legal or similarly significant effects (we do not engage in such profiling);
• The right to appeal decisions we make regarding a request you have submitted; and
• The right to lodge a complaint with a data protection authority or privacy regulator.

Depending on your particular country/location/state of residence, there may be additional rights afforded under your local laws.

We use reasonable efforts to process your requests or to notify you when your request is denied based on applicable laws, regulations, and other limitations. Should you wish to exercise these rights, to learn more about what rights you may have, or to appeal our decision regarding your privacy request, please contact us using one of the methods set forth in the How to Contact Us section below or visit our Your Privacy Choices webpage. Consistent with your rights under applicable laws, we do not discriminate against individuals for exercising their privacy rights, though we may provide a different level of service or charge a different rate if the difference is reasonably related to the value of your information.

Security

We have implemented commercially reasonable technical, administrative, and physical security measures to protect the information that we collect or receive. From time to time, we review and consider updates for our security procedures. Please be aware that, despite our ongoing efforts, no security measures are perfect or impenetrable.

Children’s Privacy

We do not knowingly collect any personal information from children under the age of 16 without parental consent, unless permitted by law. If we learn that a child under the age of 16 has provided us with personal information without parental consent, we will delete that information in accordance with applicable laws.

Changes to Our Privacy Notice

We may modify this privacy notice from time to time. We will notify you of changes by posting the changes here, or by other appropriate means. Any changes to the privacy notice will become effective when the updated privacy notice is posted on the website.

How to Contact Us

If you have any questions concerning our privacy practices or if you wish to exercise your rights described here, please contact using any of the following options:

Email:

privacy@mccormick.com

Online Submission:

Click here.

California Privacy Information

As described above, we collect the following categories of personal information:

• Identifiers, such as your name, username, email address, social media handle, or telephone number you provide to us via the McCormick Science Institute website or other related channgels; or your IP address, device ID, mobile advertising identifiers, username, cookie identifiers, and other similar identifiers;
• Demographics, such as your age or gender;
• Transactional Information, such as the searches you conduct on our digital services, and the dates and times of the interactions you have with us;
• Information that may be Deemed Sensitive Under Applicable Laws;
• Location Information, such as when you provide your location in association with a request or inferred from your IP address or other information;
• Information About Web and Application Activities, such as content viewed, online interactions (including interactions with our emails and other electronic communications), search terms, and requests;
• Information Included in Your Interactions with Us, such as your feedback, concerns, survey responses, and comments; and
• Inferences Regarding Preferences or Other Characteristics.

We collect such information for the following purposes:

• Communicating with you and presenting you with offers
• Marketing and advertising
• Making our services available to you and processing transactions
• Managing and improving our day-to-day operations
• Personalizing your experiences
• Complying with legal obligations and protecting rights

We will retain your information while we have a relationship with you, as necessary to accomplish the purpose for which it is processed, and for a period after our relationship with you has ended. When deciding how long to keep your personal information after our relationship with you has ended, we take into account how long we need to retain the information to fulfill the purposes described above and to detect security incidents, prevent fraud, debug our systems, comply with our legal and record keeping obligations, including for tax purposes, and for demonstrating compliance with applicable laws. We may also retain personal information to investigate or defend against potential legal claims in accordance with the limitation periods of countries where legal action may be brought, and for internal uses, as allowed by law.

We disclose certain personal information in exchange for services, insights, or other valuable consideration. The recipients include business partners (such as ad partners, sponsors, joint marketing partners, advertisers, social media companies, and analytics providers). California law treats such disclosures as “sales” even if no money is exchanged. And we disclose certain information to the same types of third parties for interest-based advertising, which California law treats as "sharing" personal information. We "sell" or "share" the following categories of personal information to such parties for marketing, advertising, and personalization (but we do not knowingly "sell" or "share" personal information regarding individuals under 16 years of age):

• Identifiers
• Demographics
• Location Information
• Information Included in Your Interactions with Us
• Commercial Information
• Information About Web and Application Activities
• Inferences Regarding Preferences and Other Characteristics

You can opt out of such "selling" or "sharing" by visiting our Your Privacy Choices webpage or contact us using the methods set forth in the How to Contact Us section above.

We honor the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal from your browser. You can learn more about the GPC here. If you choose to use the GPC signal, you will need to download and turn it on for each supported browser or browser extension you use.

We disclose personal information to our affiliates, subsidiaries and service providers (such as service providers who help us conduct statistical analyses, deliver communications or mailings, store information, operate our digital services, or help us manage events or contests) for our business purposes of maintaining and operating our digital services and conducting our business operations. We disclose the following categories of information to such parties:

• Identifiers
• Demographics
• Location Information
• Information that May be Deemed Sensitive Under Applicable Laws
• Information Included in Your Interactions with Us
• Transactional Information
• Information About Web and Application Activities
• Inferences Regarding Preferences or Other Characteristics

California law provides certain rights to California residents, including the:

• Right to Know about the personal information we collect, use, disclose, "sell" or "share";
• Right to Delete the personal inforamtion we collect, though we may be permitted to retain personal information for certain purposes;
• Right to Correct inaccurate personal information;
• Right to Opt Out of Sales of your personal information to third parties (you may exercise that right here: Your Privacy Choices)
• Right to Opt Out of Sharing for Cross-Context Behavioral Advertising (you may exercise that right here: Your Privacy Choices);
• Right to Limit the Use of Your Sensitive Personal Information (we use and disclose sensitive personal information only for those purposes expressly permitted under California law and therefore this right does not apply to our processing).

If you are a resident of California and would like to exercise these rights, please visit our Your Privacy Choices webpage or contact us using the methods set forth in the How to Contact Us section above. We ask that you provide your name and email address. For requests regarding the Right to Know, Delete, or Correct, we may ask for additional information to verify your identity by comparing the information requested with the information we maintain. Consistent with your rights under California law, we will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights, though we may provide a different level of service or charge a different rate if the difference is reasonably related to the value of your information. If you are submitting a request as an authorized agent on behalf of a California resident, please email us at the email address set forth in the How to Contact Us section above. Authorized agents must provide us with signed written permission stating that they are authorized to make the request. We may also request that any authorized agent verify their identity and may reach out to the individual directly to confirm that the individual has provided the agent with permission to submit the request.