Privacy & Cookie Policy

Last updated: April 2026  ·  The Food Phoenix (thefoodphoenix.com)  ·  Operated by Dr Catriona Walsh

1. Who We Are

This website is operated by Dr Catriona Walsh, trading as The Food Phoenix, a nutrition and lifestyle coaching service.

Contact:
Email: admin@thefoodphoenix.co.uk
Website: www.thefoodphoenix.com

For the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR), Dr Catriona Walsh is the data controller for personal data collected through this website.

2. What Data We Collect and Why

2a. Analytics Data (Google Analytics)

We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to understand how visitors find and use this website — which pages are most helpful, where people come from, and whether the site is working properly. This helps us improve the content and experience we offer.

We only activate Google Analytics after you give explicit consent via the cookie banner. If you decline, GA does not load and no cookies are set.

What Google Analytics collects:

• Pages visited and time spent on each page
• How you arrived at the site (e.g. search engine, social media, direct)
• General geographic location (country/city level — not precise location)
• Browser type and device type
• Anonymised IP address (we have configured GA4 to anonymise IP addresses — your full IP is never stored)

What Google Analytics does not collect: your name, email address, or any information that directly identifies you as an individual.

Data is processed by Google LLC. For more information, see Google's Privacy Policy.

Legal basis: Consent (Article 6(1)(a) UK GDPR / EU GDPR).
You may withdraw consent at any time using the Cookie Settings link.

2b. Contact Form / Enquiry Data

If you fill in a contact or enquiry form on this website, we collect the information you submit — typically your name, email address, and the details of your enquiry. We use this solely to respond to you.

Legal basis: Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f) UK GDPR) — responding to enquiries you have initiated.

We do not add you to any mailing list without your explicit agreement.

2c. Email Newsletter / Substack

If you subscribe to our newsletter (hosted on Substack at thefoodphoenix.substack.com), Substack processes your email address and subscription data. See Substack's Privacy Policy for details of how they handle that data.

Legal basis: Consent — you actively choose to subscribe.

2d. Coaching Programme Data

If you become a coaching client, we collect and process additional personal information as necessary to deliver the programme — including health history, dietary records, and relevant lifestyle information you share with us. This information is handled with the utmost care and confidentiality.

Legal basis: Contract (Article 6(1)(b) UK GDPR) — necessary to provide the service you have engaged us for, and where relevant, explicit consent for any processing of health-related data (Article 9(2)(a) UK GDPR).

Client data is never shared with third parties except where strictly necessary to deliver the service (e.g., a dietary analysis app), and never sold or used for marketing.

3. Cookies

What is a cookie?

A cookie is a small text file stored on your device by a website you visit. They're widely used to make websites work, remember your preferences, and gather usage information.

Cookies we use

Note on our consent storage: We use your browser's localStorage (not a cookie) to store your consent choice. This is a small piece of data stored locally on your device that is not transmitted to our servers.

YouTube videos

Some pages on this site embed YouTube videos. We use YouTube's privacy-enhanced mode (youtube-nocookie.com), which means YouTube does not set any cookies unless you actually press play. If you play a video, YouTube may set its own cookies — see Google's Privacy Policy for details.

Managing your cookie choices

You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clicking Cookie Settings. This will clear your existing choice and reload the cookie banner.

You can also delete cookies directly through your browser settings. Note that doing so won't automatically prevent Google Analytics from loading on future visits if you previously accepted — use Cookie Settings for that.

4. How Long We Keep Your Data

• Analytics data: Processed by Google according to your retention settings in GA4 (we have set this to 14 months in line with standard practice).
• Contact enquiries: Retained for as long as reasonably necessary to resolve your enquiry, typically no longer than 2 years.
• Newsletter subscriptions: Until you unsubscribe.
• Coaching client records: Retained for 7 years after the end of the coaching relationship (in line with standard record-keeping practice), unless you request earlier deletion and there is no legal obligation to retain the data.

5. Who We Share Your Data With

We do not sell your data. We do not share it with advertisers.

We may share data with third-party service providers solely to operate this website and deliver our services:

• Google LLC — Google Analytics (analytics, only if you consent) and Google Workspace (email). Google is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework.
• Substack — newsletter hosting (only if you subscribe).
• Grigora — our website hosting platform.

All third parties are contractually required to handle your data in accordance with applicable data protection law.

We may disclose your data if required to do so by law or in response to valid legal process.

6. International Data Transfers

Some of our service providers (including Google) are based in the United States. Where personal data is transferred outside the UK or EEA, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place — such as Standard Contractual Clauses or participation in recognised data transfer frameworks.

7. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR (and EU GDPR where applicable), you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

• Right of access — to request a copy of the data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification — to ask us to correct inaccurate data.
• Right to erasure — to ask us to delete your data (subject to any legal obligations to retain it).
• Right to restrict processing — to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to data portability — to receive your data in a structured, commonly used format.
• Right to object — to object to processing based on legitimate interests.
• Right to withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at admin@thefoodphoenix.co.uk. We will respond within 30 days.

If you are unhappy with how we handle your data, you have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):
ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint  ·  0303 123 1113

If you are in the EU, you may also contact your national data protection authority.

8. Medical Disclaimer

The content on this website is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Dr Catriona Walsh operates exclusively as a nutrition and lifestyle coach and does not practise medicine through this website or service.

Always consult a qualified medical professional before making changes to your diet, supplements, or lifestyle, particularly if you have a diagnosed medical condition.

9. Children's Privacy

Our services are directed at adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under the age of 18. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

10. Links to Other Websites

This website may contain links to external sites (such as research papers, partner organisations, or social media). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and encourage you to read their own policies.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. When we make significant changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review it periodically.

12. Contact Us

Questions, concerns, or data requests — we're always glad to hear from you:

This policy was last reviewed and updated in April 2026.