Privacy notice for external complaints made about the FSA

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is known as the ‘Controller’ of the personal data provided to us.

Purpose and lawful basis for processing

We need to collect this information for the purposes of administering, processing and responding to complaints made about the FSA under its externally available complaints procedure.

Collecting this information is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the exercise of official authority vested in us or in the public interest. We will not collect any personal data from you which we do not need.

A failure to provide the information could result in being unable to progress a complaint about the FSA.

How and where we store your data and who we may share it with 

To progress a complaint investigation your identity may become known to those who the complaint is made about. This will only arise where it is otherwise impossible to prevent, or it is necessary in order to progress the case. Where applicable, we will explain this to you beforehand.

No other third parties will have access to your personal data unless the law allows them to do so. In line with this commitment your information may be passed to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to carry out these functions, and in line with our retention policy. This means that this information will be retained for six years after case closure.

For more general information, please see the How and where we store your data and who we may share it with section in our Personal Information Charter. 

International transfers 

For more information on international transfers, please see the International transfers section in our Personal Information Charter. 

EU citizens 

For more information on EU Citizens Privacy Notice, please see the EU citizens section in our Personal Information Charter. 

Your rights 

For more information on your rights, please see the Your rights section in our Personal Information Charter. 

Contact us 

If you have any queries concerning this Privacy Notice, your personal information or any questions on our use of the information, please email our Data Protection Officer in the FSA, who is the Information Management and Security Team Leader using the address below.