Privacy Policy

Updated on: 1/25/24

Welcome to the Privacy Policy for our website operated by Gordon Food Service Canada, Ltd. and its relatedĀ entitiesĀ (collectively, ā€œGFSā€, ā€œourā€, ā€œweā€ or ā€œusā€). GFS is committed to respecting and protecting the privacy of our website users, customers, and other individuals who interact with us (ā€œUserā€, ā€œyouā€, or ā€œyourā€). The purpose of this Privacy Policy is to inform you how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information in connection with your use of https://www.gfs.ca and its related domains, platforms, social media channels, software application, mobile application, services, information, web postings, products and tools (collectively, ā€œWebsiteā€ or ā€œService(s)ā€), including any of the websites where this Privacy Policy appears (each a ā€œPlatformā€). When we use the term ā€œpersonal informationā€, it means any information about an identifiable individual.

This Privacy Policy governs your use of the Website and Services. This Privacy Policy also governs how GFS and its relatedĀ entitiesĀ collect, use, and disclose personal information. By accessing or using any of our Platforms, or otherwise providing us personal information, you agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy as it may be modified from time to time and consent to the collection, use and disclosure of personal information in accordance with the terms of this Privacy Policy.

You also agree to the WebsiteĀ Terms of Use AgreementĀ governing the Website and Service. If you do not agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, you are not authorized to use the Website and Services. As our business evolves, this Privacy Policy may change, so check back to this page periodically to make sure you understand how your personal information will be treated.

If you have a question or concern about how GFS processes your personal information, please submit an inquiry toĀ privacy@gfs.comĀ orĀ submit a data subject access or rights request here.

Important Information About Us and Our Platforms

For 125 years, weā€™ve delivered the excellence, expertise, and quality products our customers need to design successful food operations and experiences. Weā€™ve grown to become the largest family-operated broad-line food distribution company in North America by upholding the same business approach since 1897ā€”being passionately committed to the people we serve.

We know that having access to tools that can do everything you need in one place can make a huge impact. That is why we have developed various tools and platforms for you. GFS consists of the following related entities and platforms in Canada, including Gordon Food Service Canada, Ltd., Fresh Ex Inc., J.G. Rive-Sud, Fruits & Legumes Inc., Trimen Food Service Equipment Ltd., Montcalm Meats Inc., Intercity Packers Ltd., United Restaurant Supplies Inc., Liberio Seafood Inc., Fresh Start Foods Canada Ltd., Neptune Fresh Produce Inc. and Macgregors Meat & Seafood Ltd., and any future subsidiaries or affiliates of Gordon Food Service Canada Ltd. (collectively, ā€œGFS Canadaā€, ā€œourā€, ā€œweā€ or ā€œusā€).

We also have various platforms that are available includingĀ Relish Works, Inc.,Ā Back of House, LLC, andĀ Halpernsā€™. By using our various Platforms, including without limitation Supplier Central, Inventory Manager (website, mobile),Ā Gordon Cycle Menu Management,Ā Gordon Go Rewards,Ā Gordon NOW (website, mobile app, chat, voice assistant),Ā Gordon Ordering,Ā Measurā€™d.biz,Ā Gordon Culinary Pro, Gordon Restaurant Pro, and other websites and services GFS may add from time to time. You may opt-out of these communications by following the unsubscribe link contained in the communications from these services. These Platforms and websites may also have their own Privacy Policies and Terms of Use that govern your use of those Platforms and websites.

If you are attempting to access the United States website for Gordon Food Service, clickĀ here.

The Personal Information We Collect and How We Use It

The personal information we collect from you is comprised of the information you provide to us and information provided to us through our service providers, cookies, tracking, and other technologies.

To website visitors under the age of 18, our Platforms are intended to be used by customers and potential customers of GFS. The Platforms are available for anyone to view, but please do not submit any personal information if you are not 18 years of age or older.

We may collect and use personal information from you as follows:

How & What We Collect How We Use It
Registering an Account: When you register an account on one of our Platforms, we will collect your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address and the password you create.
We use this information to allow you to log-in to the Platform, which provides you access to certain features and functionalities, such as placing orders, viewing your order history and making payments. Once you register for a Platform we will provide your contact information to someone in our customer relations department who will log it in our client-relationship management (ā€œCRMā€) systems and will follow up with you about our products and services. We may use this information to send you information about our products and services unless you unsubscribe from such communications. In addition, we may also use this information to enhance and personalize your experience on our Platforms, for example, by storing your email so you can log in easily, keeping you logged onto the Platform after you have provided your password.
Online Purchases: When you make a purchase on or through a Platform we will collect your name, shipping address, telephone number, email address and payment card information, including credit card number, expiration date, and security code.
We use this information to process your order, ship the product you purchased to you and communicate with you about your purchase. In addition, we may use this information to send you information about our products and services unless you unsubscribe from such communications. Please note that when you provide payment information to us, we may or may not collect that information directly. When we collect your payment information directly, we only use such information to process your payment and otherwise in compliance with all PCI-DSS requirements. Where we have engaged a third- party payment processor to process payments on our behalf, which includes all purchases made through a Platform, your payment information is sent directly to our third-party payment processor who will only use such information for the purpose of processing your payment.
Credit Applications: GFS offers direct financing to businesses. If you elect to apply for financing for your business we will collect certain information from you about your business which may include personal information, particularly if your business is a sole proprietorship. Such information may include your name, address, telephone number, email, banking details and driverā€™s license number. As part of the credit application you will be required to expressly consent to us conducting a credit check which may result in our collection of additional personal information about your creditworthiness. Please note that this may result in a hard inquiry on your credit report which may have a temporary negative impact to your credit score. You have the option of providing us your Social Security Number (SSN) as part of your credit application. The provision of your SSN is completely optional and will be used for identity verification.
We use this information to confirm your identity, assess your credit application and, if your application is approved, administer your credit arrangement, which may include communicating with you about your credit arrangement and withdrawing payments from the designated account.
Support and Customer Service: If you call us, email us, or chat with us, we may collect your name, email address, and any other personal information you provide us to assist you.
We will use this information to assist you and respond to your inquiries, requests, and other customer service related activities.
Newsletters, text messages, chatbots, and marketing: If you subscribe to our newsletters or marketing communications, subscribe to our text messaging service, or interact with our chatbots, we will collect your email address or other contact information. If you receive marketing materials directly from us, such as brochures, with your permission we will collect your name, email address, location, IP address, and track details related to your access and viewing of the materials, including the date and time you accessed the materials and the time spent viewing such materials.
We will use this information for the purpose of sending you our newsletter or marketing in accordance with the consent you provided and updating your customer profile. We track your time spent accessing the marketing materials we send to you to better understand your interests and preferences with respect to our products and services. Please note you may control this tracking and your privacy settings by clicking ā€œMy Privacy Settingsā€ and you may unsubscribe from receiving marketing communications at any time.
Applicants for Employment: If you are applying for employment with us we will collect certain personal information from you as part of the application process including your name, address, email address, and any information provided on your cover letter, resume or through the assessment and interview process.
We use this information only for the purpose of assessing suitability for employment at GFS. If you are hired by GFS, any personal information collected as part of your employment will be subject to GFSā€™s Employee Privacy Policy.

How & What We Collect

Registering an Account: When you register an account on one of our Platforms, we will collect your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address and the password you create.

How We Use It

We use this information to allow you to log-in to the Platform, which provides you access to certain features and functionalities, such as placing orders, viewing your order history and making payments. Once you register for a Platform we will provide your contact information to someone in our customer relations department who will log it in our client-relationship management (ā€œCRMā€) systems and will follow up with you about our products and services. We may use this information to send you information about our products and services unless you unsubscribe from such communications. In addition, we may also use this information to enhance and personalize your experience on our Platforms, for example, by storing your email so you can log in easily, keeping you logged onto the Platform after you have provided your password.

How & What We Collect

Online Purchases: When you make a purchase on or through a Platform we will collect your name, shipping address, telephone number, email address and payment card information, including credit card number, expiration date, and security code.

How We Use It

We use this information to process your order, ship the product you purchased to you and communicate with you about your purchase. In addition, we may use this information to send you information about our products and services unless you unsubscribe from such communications. Please note that when you provide payment information to us, we may or may not collect that information directly. When we collect your payment information directly, we only use such information to process your payment and otherwise in compliance with all PCI-DSS requirements. Where we have engaged a third- party payment processor to process payments on our behalf, which includes all purchases made through a Platform, your payment information is sent directly to our third-party payment processor who will only use such information for the purpose of processing your payment.

How & What We Collect

Credit Applications: GFS offers direct financing to businesses. If you elect to apply for financing for your business we will collect certain information from you about your business which may include personal information, particularly if your business is a sole proprietorship. Such information may include your name, address, telephone number, email, banking details and driverā€™s license number. As part of the credit application you will be required to expressly consent to us conducting a credit check which may result in our collection of additional personal information about your creditworthiness. Please note that this may result in a hard inquiry on your credit report which may have a temporary negative impact to your credit score. You have the option of providing us your Social Security Number (SSN) as part of your credit application. The provision of your SSN is completely optional and will be used for identity verification.

How We Use It

We use this information to confirm your identity, assess your credit application and, if your application is approved, administer your credit arrangement, which may include communicating with you about your credit arrangement and withdrawing payments from the designated account.

How & What We Collect

Support and Customer Service: If you call us, email us, or chat with us, we may collect your name, email address, and any other personal information you provide us to assist you.

How We Use It

We will use this information to assist you and respond to your inquiries, requests, and other customer service related activities.

How & What We Collect

Newsletters, text messages, chatbots, and marketing: If you subscribe to our newsletters or marketing communications, subscribe to our text messaging service, or interact with our chatbots, we will collect your email address or other contact information. If you receive marketing materials directly from us, such as brochures, with your permission we will collect your name, email address, location, IP address, and track details related to your access and viewing of the materials, including the date and time you accessed the materials and the time spent viewing such materials.

How We Use It

We will use this information for the purpose of sending you our newsletter or marketing in accordance with the consent you provided and updating your customer profile. We track your time spent accessing the marketing materials we send to you to better understand your interests and preferences with respect to our products and services. Please note you may control this tracking and your privacy settings by clicking ā€œMy Privacy Settingsā€ and you may unsubscribe from receiving marketing communications at any time.

How & What We Collect

Applicants for Employment: If you are applying for employment with us we will collect certain personal information from you as part of the application process including your name, address, email address, and any information provided on your cover letter, resume or through the assessment and interview process.

How We Use It

We use this information only for the purpose of assessing suitability for employment at GFS. If you are hired by GFS, any personal information collected as part of your employment will be subject to GFSā€™s Employee Privacy Policy.

How We Disclose Your Personal Information

We will not disclose any personal information we collect from you to any third parties except as follows:

  1. Our Affiliates. We may disclose your personal information to any of our affiliates within the Gordon Food Services corporate group to the extent that these affiliates require such personal information and only employees or service providers of these affiliates which require such personal information to perform their duties will have access to it.
  2. Service Providers. We may disclose your personal information to our service providers who perform certain services necessary to run our business (for example, data hosting, CRM providers and payment processors) to the extent that they require such personal information to perform their duties.
  3. When Reasonably Required. We may disclose your personal information when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights or property, protect your safety or the safety of others, investigate fraud or respond to a government, judicial or other legal request, or to comply with the law.
  4. Corporate Circumstances. We may disclose your personal information in connection with a corporate change or dissolution, including for example a merger, acquisition, reorganization, consolidation, bankruptcy, liquidation, sale of assets or wind down of business.
Use of Cookies and Tracking Technologies

As is commonly done on websites, we may use cookies and similar technology to keep track of our customers and the services they have elected. A ā€œcookieā€ is a small text file containing alphanumeric characters that is stored on your computer and uniquely identifies your browser. If you are simply browsing on one of our Platforms, the cookies that we use last only about as long as your session on that Platform; but if you have created a user name and account, we will also use cookies that remain on your computer between visits so that when you return to the Platform we can remember who you are and your preferences. We may also use cookies in connection with web beacons to help us track how visitors navigate through the Platform. If we allow a third party to place banner ads on a Platform, when you click on the ad, the third party may use a cookie to help it track the effectiveness of its advertising.

If you are a registered user of one of our Platforms, we may also use persistent cookies to help us remember information about you and your previous visits, including who you are. If you use a Platform to purchase goods, we may also use cookies to keep track of the items in your shopping cart. Alternatively, you may use the ā€œhelpā€ selection on your browserā€™s toolbar will likely tell you how to prevent your browser from accepting cookies, how to have the browser alert you when you receive a new cookie, or how to disable cookies altogether. If you disable cookies, however, you may not be able to take advantage of all of the features on the Platform.

DoubleClick: Google Analytics data is examined in concert with data about ads that have been shown using the Google Display Network or DoubleClick to help understand how anonymous users interact with an advertiserā€™s site after seeing corresponding ads. This data may be used to inform and optimize ad campaigns. You may opt out of DoubleClick cookies by visiting Google Advertising opt-out page or you may opt out of analytics by visiting theĀ Google Analytics opt-out page. To understand how Google Analytics collects and processes data, please visitĀ www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners/.

Google Remarketing: Third-party vendors, including Google, show GFSā€™s ads on sites on the web. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a userā€™s prior visits to our website. Analytic data is used to serve ads based on your prior visits to our website. You may opt out of Googleā€™s use of cookies by visiting the Google Advertising opt-out page. You may opt out of third-party vendorā€™s use of cookies by visiting theĀ Network Advertising Initiative opt out page.

We may also use other cookies and tracking technologies in connection with certain features or tools you may access through a Platform. Such other cookies and tracking technologies will be disclosed to you prior to you accessing such features and/or tools.

Google reCAPTCHA v3: (hereinafter ā€œreCAPTCHAā€), provided by Google, Inc. (ā€œGoogleā€), on our Website.Ā  The purpose of reCAPTCHA is to keep our website as secure as possible by checking whether data that enters our system ā€“ for example, through a web form ā€“ is provided by a human individual as opposed to spamming software or other robot.Ā  To make this determination for this purpose, reCAPTCHA collects and reviews various aspects of the Website userā€™s activity.Ā  This assessment automatically begins when our user enters the Website.Ā  For the purpose of confirming human activity, reCAPTCHA assesses various information that it collects ā€“ including, without limitation, IP address, browser information cursor activity, and time spent on the Website.Ā  reCAPTCHA will also place an additional cookie in your browser upon its assessment of your activity and take a snapshot of your browser window.Ā  Data collected during the analysis is forwarded to Google.

Please note that the reCAPTCHA collection, assessment, and other processing runs completely in the background.Ā  While reCAPTCHA processing is noted for our users both here and, more generally, in our Privacy Policy , Website visitors are not informed that an analysis is taking place when it occurs.Ā  As opposed to former CAPTCHA versions, which required website visitors to identify images, solve puzzles, or check a box, reCAPTCHA assesses and scores user input for human origin without any such affirmative behavior from the user.Ā 

Our goal in using the reCAPTCHA tool on the Website is to protect the Services, and users of the Services, from bots, spam, and other such unapproved and potentially malicious activity.Ā  If you want to prevent any data about you and your behavior to be transmitted to Google, you must log out of Google and delete all Google cookies before visiting our Website or using the reCAPTCHA software.Ā  Please visit the following page to obtain more information about reCAPTCHA: https://developers.google.com/recaptcha/.Ā  Additional information on Google reCAPTCHA be found here, https://www.google.com/recaptcha/intro/android.html, and Googleā€™s privacy policy can be found here: https://www.google.com/intl/de/policies/privacy/.

Transfers of Your Personal information Outside of Your Jurisdiction

We are headquartered in the United States. Please be aware that information you provide to us or that we obtain as a result of your use of our Platforms may be collected in your country and subsequentlyĀ transferred to, maintained and processed in the United States by us or our service providers for theĀ purposes mentioned above in accordance with applicable law. The privacy laws of the United States mayĀ not always offer the same level of protection as in your country. While such information is outside of your jurisdiction of residence, it is subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which it is held, and may be subject to disclosure to the governments, courts or law enforcement or regulatory agencies of such other jurisdictions, pursuant to local laws. By using our Platforms, you consent toĀ the collection, international transfer, storage, and processing of your information. If you would like moreĀ information about such transfer, maintenance, or processing of your data, please contact our PrivacyĀ Officer atĀ privacy@gfs.com.

Withdrawing Your Consent to Our Processing

Except for personal information which is required to be retained by law or which is needed to process a purchase, exchange or return, individuals may withdraw consent to all or part of the collection, use and disclosure of their personal information at any time by giving us reasonable notice. If you would prefer that we not collect, use, or disclose your personal information, or that we not use your personal information to contact you to promote our products or services, please contact us. We will act on your instructions as quickly as possible subject to contractual and legal restrictions, but there may be certain uses of your information that we may not be able to stop immediately. Please be advised that withdrawal of consent may make it impossible for us to provide certain services to you.

How We Protect Your Data

At GFS we take the protection of your personal information seriously. We make every reasonable effort to prevent unauthorized use, disclosure, loss or theft of your personal information. Employees who have access to your personal information are made aware of the importance of keeping it confidential.

Where we use service providers who might have access to your personal information, we select them carefully and require them to have privacy and security standards that are comparable to ours. We use contracts and other measures with our service providers to ensure that they maintain the confidentiality and security of your personal information and to prevent such information from being used for any other purpose.

Please be aware that no data security measures can guarantee complete security. You should also take steps to protect against unauthorized access to your password, phone, and computer by, among other things, signing off after using a shared computer, choosing a robust password that nobody else knows or can easily guess and keeping your log-in and password private. If you do not want GFS to know any particular information about you, you should not include that information in anything you submit or post to the Platforms.

Retention of Your Data

We will only retain your personal information as long as is necessary for the fulfillment of the purposes for which it was collected or as required by law. Your personal information is securely stored until such time as it is no longer required, after which it is destroyed or rendered such that it is unable to identify you.

Web Accessibility Statement

We are committed to making the Websiteā€™s content accessible and user friendly to everyone. If you are having difficulty viewing or navigating the content on this website, or notice any content, feature, or functionality that you believe is not fully accessible to people with disabilities, please call us at (800) 268-0159 or email us at privacy@gfs.com with ā€œAssist with Accessā€ in the subject line and provide a description of the specific feature you feel is not fully accessible or a suggestion for improvement.

Links to Third-Party Websites

This Platform may contain links to other websites not affiliated with GFS. Also, you may have come to this Platform from a website that is not operated by GFS. We are not responsible for the operation of these other sites or the information that they collect from their visitors. If you’d like to know how another site collects and uses your information, please review its privacy policy.

Text and Short Messaging Service (SMS Service)

To sign up for our SMS or text and short messaging service and related marketing (ā€œSMS Serviceā€), you must provide us with your personal and other information, including your First Name, Restaurant Name, Mobile Phone Number, and Email Address. We use a third-party service provider to provide the SMS Service and your information involved in your use of the SMS Service will be shared with that provider, but not with other third parties. Through the use of the SMS Service, we will also receive the following information from our third-party service provider: the text of the messages you send, any user or screen name that you select in connection with the SMS Service, as well as any comments or feedback regarding the SMS Service that you send to us. By clicking ā€œI agree to receive texts with the latest restaurant industry news and trends,ā€ you are consenting to Gordon Food Serviceā€™s website Terms of Service and this Privacy Policy with respect to your information and data, and you consent to receive recurring text notifications, automated and manual text messages in response to your text messages, text marketing offers, and transactional texts, even if your mobile number is registered on any state or federal do-not-call list. Your consent to the SMS Service is not a condition of purchase of any goods or services.

For marketing SMS Services:

  • If you wish to sign up to receive our text message marketing campaigns, text ā€œSIGNUPā€ or ā€œINSCRIPTIONā€ to 29376.
  • If you wish to opt-out or unsubscribe from the SMS Service, reply with ā€œSTOPā€ or ā€œARRETā€ to any mobile message sent from us or use the unsubscribe link we provided you within any of our messages. You understand and agree that alternative methods of opting out, such as using alternative words or requests, will not be an effective means of opting out.
  • For any questions, please text ā€œHELPā€ or ā€œAIDEā€ to 29376 or the number you received the messages from.

For ā€œGordon NOWā€ ETA SMS Services:

  • If you wish to sign up to receive our text message marketing campaigns, text ā€œOPTINā€ to 29375.
  • If you wish to opt-out or unsubscribe from the SMS Service, reply with ā€œSTOPā€ or ā€œAIDEā€ to any mobile message sent from us or use the unsubscribe link we provided you within any of our messages. You understand and agree that alternative methods of opting out, such as using alternative words or requests, will not be an effective means of opting out.
  • For any questions, please text ā€œHELPā€ or ā€œINFOā€ to 29375 or the number you received the messages from.

We do not charge for the SMS Service, but you are responsible for all charges and fees associated with text messaging imposed by your wireless provider. The SMS Service may not be available on certain wireless providers. Message frequency varies. Message and data rates may apply. You can also contact us at privacy@gfs.com for more information.

Blogs and other Social Networking Mediums

If you use the blog feature on a Platform or if you communicate with us through any other social networking forum (for example, Twitter or Facebook), you should be aware that any personal information you submit through comments or posts to the blog or other social networking forum can be read, collected, or otherwise used by anyone with access to the forum or who visits the URL of the web page on which the post or comment is posted. We are not responsible for non-GFS use of this information.

Exercising Your Privacy Rights

Under certain circumstances, you have rights under data protection laws in relation to your personal information. Your employees, contractors, and/or agents may have similar rights. There may be situations where GFS cannot grant a request, for example, to complete a transaction to you or comply with law.

GFS does not sell or share the personal information of consumers, as those terms are defined under privacy laws, and does not discriminate in response to privacy rights requests. GFS also does not use or disclose sensitive personal information for any purposes that would require a user to exercise a right to limit under privacy laws.

  • You have the right to request access to your personal information that GFS collects, uses, shares or discloses to third parties.
  • You have the right to request the deletion of your personal information that GFS collects about you.
  • You have the right to correct inaccurate personal information that GFS has collected about you.
  • You have the right to opt out of the selling or sharing of your personal information to third parties.
  • You have the right to opt out of automated decision-making including profiling against any information GFS has collected about you.
  • You have the right to appeal (i.e., ask us to reconsider) our initial response to your request should GFS be unable to act on your Privacy Request.
  • Right to withdraw consent to us processing your personal information.

As required or permitted by law, you may be entitled to additional rights, including: (i) the right to control the dissemination of your personal information; (ii) the right to receive computerized personal information collected from you in a structured, commonly used and technological format and to have this information transferred directly to another organization; (iii) the right to be informed of and submit observations regarding automated decision-making; and (iv) the right to request information about data processing.

If you wish to exercise any of the rights set out above, or if you have a complaint please contact us at privacy@gfs.com orĀ submit a data subject access or rights request here.

To protect consumersā€™ personal information and to comply with privacy laws, GFS may use a verification process to confirm your identity before we act on your request. You or your authorized agent may make a verifiable consumer request related to your personal information. If you use an authorized agent to submit a request on your behalf, we may require that you (1) provide the authorized agent written permission to do so and (2) provide us a copy of the authorization or a copy of a power of attorney.

Contacting Us

If you have any questions or complaints about our practices with respect to personal information, have questions about the practices of our third-party service providers located outside of the United States or wish to access their policies and practices, would like to request having your information removed from our database, want to withdraw your consent regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information, would like to access or correct your personal information or would like to opt out of receiving any future communications, please let us know by contacting our Privacy Officer either by email atĀ privacy@gfs.com, or by phone at (800) 268-0159 or post mail at 2999 James Snow Pkwy N, Milton, ON L9T 5G4.

Divisional Customer Care Contacts:

British Columbia: (800) 663-1695Ā 

Calgary: (800) 332-1118Ā 

Edmonton: (800) 232-7285Ā 

Winnipeg: (866) 509-5912

Ontario: (800) 268-0159Ā 

Montreal: (800) 361-4372Ā 

Quebec: (800) 363-0087Ā 

Atlantic: (888) 510-3663

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