- Welcome to Viable Food Community.
Build stores. Strengthen stores. Build the people and systems that help them last.
Welcome to Viable Food Community.
This is a practical, professional community for independent grocery operators, food-system professionals, communities working on grocery access, Viable Food specialists, IFSIC partners, and other people who care about durable local food access.
By registering or participating, you agree to the following terms.
Contribute with purpose. Ask clear questions, share relevant experience, use descriptive titles, and place content in the most appropriate board. Do not deliberately disrupt discussions or misuse forum features.
Treat people with respect. Discuss ideas, evidence, decisions, and practices without attacking people. Harassment, threats, intimidation, abuse, deception, impersonation, hateful or discriminatory content, and deliberately harmful behavior are not permitted.
Protect privacy and confidentiality. Do not post private store, employee, customer, client, vendor, financial, pricing, personnel, account, or project information without authorization. Remove unnecessary identifying details from examples and screenshots. Public posts and public profile details may be visible to other people and search engines. Access-controlled boards and private messages should still be treated with care.
Do not spam or mislead. Repetitive promotion, unrelated solicitation, link dumping, fraudulent offers, and content intended mainly to manipulate traffic or attention are prohibited. Helpful recommendations and relevant commercial resources are welcome when they add real value. Disclose any employment, ownership, referral, sponsorship, or other financial interest that could affect a recommendation.
Respect copyright and other rights. Link to original sources, identify creators or publishers when practical, and quote only what is reasonably needed for discussion. Do not repost complete articles, paid resources, private documents, personal data, or files you do not have permission to share. You are responsible for the material you submit.
Use appropriate professional caution. Community discussion may contain errors and is not a substitute for qualified legal, tax, medical, food-safety, employment, financial, engineering, or regulatory advice. Verify important information before acting on it.
Keep your account secure. Use a unique password, maintain a working email address, do not share accounts, and do not attempt to bypass security or enter private areas without authorization. Tell an administrator promptly if you believe your account has been compromised.
Follow moderator direction. Use Report to moderator for spam, unsafe material, privacy concerns, copyright concerns, or conduct problems. Moderators may move, merge, edit, lock, or remove content to protect people, enforce these terms, and keep information organized. Accounts may be warned, restricted, suspended, or removed for serious or repeated violations.
The forum records standard technical information, including IP addresses, for operation, security, abuse prevention, and moderation. Do not place sensitive information in your username, public profile, posts, attachments, calendar entries, or private messages.
By selecting I Agree, you confirm that you have read, understood, and accepted these terms and the Community Guidelines.
This is a practical, professional community for independent grocery operators, food-system professionals, communities working on grocery access, Viable Food specialists, IFSIC partners, and other people who care about durable local food access.
By registering or participating, you agree to the following terms.
Contribute with purpose. Ask clear questions, share relevant experience, use descriptive titles, and place content in the most appropriate board. Do not deliberately disrupt discussions or misuse forum features.
Treat people with respect. Discuss ideas, evidence, decisions, and practices without attacking people. Harassment, threats, intimidation, abuse, deception, impersonation, hateful or discriminatory content, and deliberately harmful behavior are not permitted.
Protect privacy and confidentiality. Do not post private store, employee, customer, client, vendor, financial, pricing, personnel, account, or project information without authorization. Remove unnecessary identifying details from examples and screenshots. Public posts and public profile details may be visible to other people and search engines. Access-controlled boards and private messages should still be treated with care.
Do not spam or mislead. Repetitive promotion, unrelated solicitation, link dumping, fraudulent offers, and content intended mainly to manipulate traffic or attention are prohibited. Helpful recommendations and relevant commercial resources are welcome when they add real value. Disclose any employment, ownership, referral, sponsorship, or other financial interest that could affect a recommendation.
Respect copyright and other rights. Link to original sources, identify creators or publishers when practical, and quote only what is reasonably needed for discussion. Do not repost complete articles, paid resources, private documents, personal data, or files you do not have permission to share. You are responsible for the material you submit.
Use appropriate professional caution. Community discussion may contain errors and is not a substitute for qualified legal, tax, medical, food-safety, employment, financial, engineering, or regulatory advice. Verify important information before acting on it.
Keep your account secure. Use a unique password, maintain a working email address, do not share accounts, and do not attempt to bypass security or enter private areas without authorization. Tell an administrator promptly if you believe your account has been compromised.
Follow moderator direction. Use Report to moderator for spam, unsafe material, privacy concerns, copyright concerns, or conduct problems. Moderators may move, merge, edit, lock, or remove content to protect people, enforce these terms, and keep information organized. Accounts may be warned, restricted, suspended, or removed for serious or repeated violations.
The forum records standard technical information, including IP addresses, for operation, security, abuse prevention, and moderation. Do not place sensitive information in your username, public profile, posts, attachments, calendar entries, or private messages.
By selecting I Agree, you confirm that you have read, understood, and accepted these terms and the Community Guidelines.
# Viable Food Community Privacy Policy
**Effective Date: August 15, 2026**
**Last Updated: August 15, 2026**
Viable Food Systems ("Viable Food," "we," "us," or "our") respects the privacy of the people who use the Viable Food Community.
This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect through **community.viablefood.org**, how we use and protect that information, when we may share it, and the choices available to Community members and visitors.
The Viable Food Community is a professional space for grocery operators, managers, co-op leaders, food-access professionals, community partners, researchers, consultants, trainers, and others interested in grocery operations and food access.
By using the Community, you acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy.
## 1. Information We Collect
The information we collect depends on how you use the Community.
### Information You Provide When Creating an Account
If you create an account using email and password, we may collect:
* your display name or username;
* your email address;
* your password in securely processed form;
* your acceptance of the Community Terms and Guidelines;
* your newsletter preference; and
* information you choose to add to your profile.
We do not store your password in readable form. Passwords should be stored using appropriate secure hashing methods.
### Google Sign-In
You may choose to create or access your Community account using Google.
If you use Google sign-in, Google authenticates your identity and provides Viable Food with information necessary to create or identify your Community account, which may include information such as your name, email address, profile image, and Google account identifier.
Using Google sign-in is optional. You may instead use the Community's email and password registration process.
Your use of Google's services is also subject to Google's own privacy practices and terms.
### Profile Information
You may choose to provide professional information such as:
* organization;
* state or region;
* professional role;
* grocery or food-access experience;
* areas of expertise or interest;
* profile photograph;
* biography; and
* other information made available through your Community profile.
Unless specifically identified otherwise, these fields are optional.
Please do not place sensitive personal information in your public profile.
### Posts and Other Community Content
We collect content you submit to the Community, including:
* topics;
* questions;
* replies;
* comments;
* reactions;
* attachments;
* images;
* reports to moderators;
* resource submissions;
* event information;
* and other content you choose to contribute.
Most forum posts and public profile information are intended to be visible to other users and, depending on the board, may be publicly accessible on the internet.
Please do not post confidential, proprietary, financial, employee, customer, medical, account, or other sensitive information that you do not want others to see.
### Private Messages
If private messaging is enabled, messages sent through that feature are not intended to be publicly visible.
Private messages are nevertheless stored through the Community system. Viable Food may access or preserve them when reasonably necessary to:
* maintain or secure the service;
* investigate reported abuse, threats, fraud, or violations of Community rules;
* respond to a user's request for assistance;
* comply with legal obligations; or
* protect the rights or safety of Viable Food or others.
We do not routinely review private messages.
### Saved Content and Preferences
If available, we may store information about:
* topics you save;
* discussions or boards you follow;
* events you save;
* notification preferences;
* newsletter preferences;
* and other personalized Community settings.
### Newsletter Information
If you choose to receive the Viable Food Community Digest or another optional newsletter, we may store:
* your email address;
* whether you are subscribed;
* when you subscribed;
* how you subscribed, such as during registration or through your account settings;
* preference changes;
* and when you unsubscribe.
Newsletter subscription is optional and is not required to maintain a Community account.
### Technical and Usage Information
Like most online services, our systems may automatically collect limited technical information when you use the Community, including:
* IP address;
* browser type;
* device or operating-system information;
* date and time of access;
* pages or Community features requested;
* referring page where available;
* login and session information;
* security and anti-spam events;
* and server or application logs.
We use this information primarily to operate, secure, troubleshoot, and improve the Community.
## 2. Cookies and Similar Technologies
The Community uses cookies and similar technologies that are necessary for functions such as:
* signing users in;
* maintaining sessions;
* remembering preferences;
* protecting account security;
* preventing abuse;
* and operating Community features.
We may also use limited analytics to understand general Community usage and improve the service.
We do not use Community member information for third-party behavioral advertising.
If Viable Food later introduces non-essential tracking or advertising technologies, this Privacy Policy and any required user controls will be updated before those technologies are used.
## 3. How We Use Information
We may use information collected through the Community to:
* create and maintain user accounts;
* authenticate users;
* operate the discussion forum;
* display profiles and Community contributions;
* allow members to ask and answer questions;
* provide notifications;
* provide saved-content and personalization features;
* operate the Community calendar;
* provide news, funding, resources, and Community features;
* send newsletters to users who choose to receive them;
* provide account verification and password recovery;
* respond to support requests;
* enforce Community rules;
* prevent spam, fraud, security threats, and abuse;
* moderate reported content;
* diagnose technical problems;
* improve Community usability and features;
* comply with legal requirements; and
* protect Viable Food, Community members, and others.
We may also use aggregated or de-identified information for planning, analytics, and improving Viable Food programs and services when that information does not reasonably identify an individual.
## 4. Public Information
The Viable Food Community is designed in part to create a persistent professional knowledge base.
Content posted in public Community areas may:
* be viewed by anyone;
* appear in search-engine results;
* be quoted or linked by other members;
* remain accessible after the original conversation ends; and
* be included in Community features such as Recent Discussions, Related Discussions, or the weekly Community Digest.
Your display name and public profile information may appear with your contributions.
Before posting, consider whether the information is appropriate for a public professional forum.
## 5. Information We Share
We do not sell or rent Community members' personal information.
We do not sell personal information for third-party targeted advertising.
We may share information in the following limited circumstances.
### Service Providers
We may use companies or service providers that help us operate the Community, including providers of:
* web hosting;
* email delivery;
* authentication;
* data storage;
* backups;
* security;
* spam prevention;
* and technical infrastructure.
These providers may process information only as necessary to perform services for Viable Food or as otherwise permitted by their agreements and applicable law.
Where Illinois law requires it, contracts involving disclosure of protected personal information will require appropriate security protections.
### Google Authentication
If you voluntarily use Google sign-in, information necessary for authentication is exchanged between Viable Food and Google.
### Legal Requirements and Safety
We may disclose information when we reasonably believe disclosure is necessary to:
* comply with applicable law, regulation, subpoena, court order, or legal process;
* investigate fraud or unlawful activity;
* enforce our Terms or Community Guidelines;
* protect the security of the Community;
* protect the rights, property, or safety of Viable Food, our users, or others; or
* respond to an emergency involving a credible threat of harm.
### Organizational Changes
If Viable Food's operations are transferred to another organization through a merger, restructuring, fiscal-sponsorship change, asset transfer, or similar organizational event, information necessary to continue operating the Community may be transferred as part of that process.
Any successor would be expected to handle the information consistently with applicable law and this Privacy Policy or provide appropriate notice of materially different practices.
## 6. We Do Not Collect Biometric Information
Viable Food Community does not collect, capture, purchase, receive, store, or use biometric identifiers or biometric information for identification purposes.
This includes fingerprints, retina or iris scans, voiceprints, and scans of hand or face geometry as those terms are addressed by the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act.
Uploading an ordinary photograph or profile image does not mean that Viable Food uses that image for biometric identification.
If Viable Food ever proposes to introduce technology that collects or uses biometric identifiers or biometric information, we will establish the notices, written consent procedures, retention policy, and other safeguards required by applicable law before doing so.
## 7. Information Security
Viable Food uses reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures intended to protect personal information from unauthorized:
* access;
* acquisition;
* destruction;
* use;
* modification;
* or disclosure.
Measures may include access controls, password hashing, encrypted connections, backups, logging, rate limiting, spam protections, software updates, and restrictions on administrative access.
No internet service or storage system can guarantee absolute security.
Users are responsible for protecting their own login credentials and should not reuse their Community password on unrelated services.
## 8. Data Breaches
If Viable Food discovers a security breach involving personal information, we will investigate the incident and provide notifications required by applicable law.
For Illinois residents, Viable Food will follow applicable requirements of the Illinois Personal Information Protection Act, including required notification to affected residents and, when applicable, the Illinois Attorney General.
## 9. Data Retention
We retain information for as long as reasonably necessary to:
* operate the Community;
* provide requested services;
* preserve useful discussion history;
* maintain security;
* prevent fraud or abuse;
* comply with legal obligations;
* resolve disputes; and
* enforce our agreements.
Account information generally remains while an account is active and for a reasonable period afterward when necessary for operational, security, or legal purposes.
Technical and security logs may be retained for a limited period appropriate to their purpose.
Newsletter preference and suppression information may be retained after unsubscribe so that we can honor the user's request not to receive future newsletter messages.
### Forum Posts After Account Closure
Because Community discussions are intended to remain useful to other members, deleting an account does not necessarily delete every post or reply previously contributed.
When appropriate and reasonably practical, Viable Food may remove or anonymize identifying account information while preserving discussion content.
Users may contact us about particular posts that contain personal information or present a legitimate privacy or safety concern.
## 10. Your Choices and Privacy Requests
Members can manage many types of information directly through their Community account.
Depending on the feature involved, you may be able to:
* update your profile;
* change optional professional information;
* change notification preferences;
* subscribe to or unsubscribe from the Community Digest;
* stop following topics or boards;
* remove saved items; or
* request account closure.
You may also contact Viable Food to request that we:
* provide information about personal information associated with your account;
* correct inaccurate account information;
* delete or anonymize personal information where reasonably possible;
* close your account; or
* answer a question about our privacy practices.
These voluntary request options do not create rights beyond those provided by applicable law, but Viable Food will make reasonable efforts to honor appropriate requests.
We may need to verify your identity before acting on a privacy or account request.
Some information may be retained when necessary for legal, security, anti-fraud, recordkeeping, or legitimate Community-continuity purposes.
## 11. Newsletter and Email Choices
The Viable Food Community Digest is optional.
If you subscribe, every recurring newsletter will include a way to unsubscribe.
You may also change your newsletter preference through your Community account when that feature is available.
Unsubscribing from the Community Digest does not disable essential account communications such as:
* account verification;
* password reset;
* security notices;
* or other service-related messages necessary to operate your account.
We do not silently resubscribe members who have unsubscribed.
## 12. Children
The Viable Food Community is intended for a professional and general audience and is not directed to children under 13.
Children under 13 should not create an account or submit personal information through the Community.
If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without legally required parental consent, we will take reasonable steps to delete that information and close or restrict the account as appropriate.
A parent or legal guardian who believes a child under 13 has provided personal information may contact us at the address listed below.
## 13. Third-Party Links
Community members and Viable Food may post links to websites or services operated by third parties.
Those third parties have their own privacy practices.
Viable Food is not responsible for the privacy, security, content, or practices of third-party websites merely because they are linked from the Community.
## 14. Do Not Track and Targeted Advertising
Viable Food Community does not currently use personal information to serve third-party behavioral or targeted advertising and does not sell Community member information for targeted advertising.
Because we do not currently engage in that activity, browser "Do Not Track" signals do not change how Community content is presented.
If our practices materially change, we will update this Policy and implement legally required controls before introducing those practices.
## 15. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy when:
* Community features change;
* our service providers change;
* our information practices change;
* or applicable laws or regulations change.
When we make changes, we will update the **Last Updated** date at the top of the Policy.
If a change materially affects how we collect, use, or disclose personal information, we will provide additional notice when appropriate.
If a change requires new consent under applicable law, we will obtain that consent before applying the new practice where required.
## 16. Contact Us
Questions, privacy requests, or concerns about this Privacy Policy may be sent to:
**Viable Food Systems**
Cairo, Illinois
**Email:** [redwards@viablefood.org](mailto:redwards@viablefood.org)
**Website:** viablefood.org
**Community:** community.viablefood.org
Please include **Privacy Request** in the subject line when contacting us about personal information or account privacy.
## 17. Illinois Residents
Viable Food is based in Illinois and handles personal information in accordance with applicable Illinois law.
Among other requirements, Illinois law requires covered data collectors to maintain reasonable security measures for protected personal information and establishes notification requirements following certain security breaches.
Viable Food does not collect or use biometric identifiers or biometric information through the Community.
Illinois residents may contact us using the information above with questions or requests concerning personal information associated with their Community accounts.
**Effective Date: August 15, 2026**
**Last Updated: August 15, 2026**
Viable Food Systems ("Viable Food," "we," "us," or "our") respects the privacy of the people who use the Viable Food Community.
This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect through **community.viablefood.org**, how we use and protect that information, when we may share it, and the choices available to Community members and visitors.
The Viable Food Community is a professional space for grocery operators, managers, co-op leaders, food-access professionals, community partners, researchers, consultants, trainers, and others interested in grocery operations and food access.
By using the Community, you acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy.
## 1. Information We Collect
The information we collect depends on how you use the Community.
### Information You Provide When Creating an Account
If you create an account using email and password, we may collect:
* your display name or username;
* your email address;
* your password in securely processed form;
* your acceptance of the Community Terms and Guidelines;
* your newsletter preference; and
* information you choose to add to your profile.
We do not store your password in readable form. Passwords should be stored using appropriate secure hashing methods.
### Google Sign-In
You may choose to create or access your Community account using Google.
If you use Google sign-in, Google authenticates your identity and provides Viable Food with information necessary to create or identify your Community account, which may include information such as your name, email address, profile image, and Google account identifier.
Using Google sign-in is optional. You may instead use the Community's email and password registration process.
Your use of Google's services is also subject to Google's own privacy practices and terms.
### Profile Information
You may choose to provide professional information such as:
* organization;
* state or region;
* professional role;
* grocery or food-access experience;
* areas of expertise or interest;
* profile photograph;
* biography; and
* other information made available through your Community profile.
Unless specifically identified otherwise, these fields are optional.
Please do not place sensitive personal information in your public profile.
### Posts and Other Community Content
We collect content you submit to the Community, including:
* topics;
* questions;
* replies;
* comments;
* reactions;
* attachments;
* images;
* reports to moderators;
* resource submissions;
* event information;
* and other content you choose to contribute.
Most forum posts and public profile information are intended to be visible to other users and, depending on the board, may be publicly accessible on the internet.
Please do not post confidential, proprietary, financial, employee, customer, medical, account, or other sensitive information that you do not want others to see.
### Private Messages
If private messaging is enabled, messages sent through that feature are not intended to be publicly visible.
Private messages are nevertheless stored through the Community system. Viable Food may access or preserve them when reasonably necessary to:
* maintain or secure the service;
* investigate reported abuse, threats, fraud, or violations of Community rules;
* respond to a user's request for assistance;
* comply with legal obligations; or
* protect the rights or safety of Viable Food or others.
We do not routinely review private messages.
### Saved Content and Preferences
If available, we may store information about:
* topics you save;
* discussions or boards you follow;
* events you save;
* notification preferences;
* newsletter preferences;
* and other personalized Community settings.
### Newsletter Information
If you choose to receive the Viable Food Community Digest or another optional newsletter, we may store:
* your email address;
* whether you are subscribed;
* when you subscribed;
* how you subscribed, such as during registration or through your account settings;
* preference changes;
* and when you unsubscribe.
Newsletter subscription is optional and is not required to maintain a Community account.
### Technical and Usage Information
Like most online services, our systems may automatically collect limited technical information when you use the Community, including:
* IP address;
* browser type;
* device or operating-system information;
* date and time of access;
* pages or Community features requested;
* referring page where available;
* login and session information;
* security and anti-spam events;
* and server or application logs.
We use this information primarily to operate, secure, troubleshoot, and improve the Community.
## 2. Cookies and Similar Technologies
The Community uses cookies and similar technologies that are necessary for functions such as:
* signing users in;
* maintaining sessions;
* remembering preferences;
* protecting account security;
* preventing abuse;
* and operating Community features.
We may also use limited analytics to understand general Community usage and improve the service.
We do not use Community member information for third-party behavioral advertising.
If Viable Food later introduces non-essential tracking or advertising technologies, this Privacy Policy and any required user controls will be updated before those technologies are used.
## 3. How We Use Information
We may use information collected through the Community to:
* create and maintain user accounts;
* authenticate users;
* operate the discussion forum;
* display profiles and Community contributions;
* allow members to ask and answer questions;
* provide notifications;
* provide saved-content and personalization features;
* operate the Community calendar;
* provide news, funding, resources, and Community features;
* send newsletters to users who choose to receive them;
* provide account verification and password recovery;
* respond to support requests;
* enforce Community rules;
* prevent spam, fraud, security threats, and abuse;
* moderate reported content;
* diagnose technical problems;
* improve Community usability and features;
* comply with legal requirements; and
* protect Viable Food, Community members, and others.
We may also use aggregated or de-identified information for planning, analytics, and improving Viable Food programs and services when that information does not reasonably identify an individual.
## 4. Public Information
The Viable Food Community is designed in part to create a persistent professional knowledge base.
Content posted in public Community areas may:
* be viewed by anyone;
* appear in search-engine results;
* be quoted or linked by other members;
* remain accessible after the original conversation ends; and
* be included in Community features such as Recent Discussions, Related Discussions, or the weekly Community Digest.
Your display name and public profile information may appear with your contributions.
Before posting, consider whether the information is appropriate for a public professional forum.
## 5. Information We Share
We do not sell or rent Community members' personal information.
We do not sell personal information for third-party targeted advertising.
We may share information in the following limited circumstances.
### Service Providers
We may use companies or service providers that help us operate the Community, including providers of:
* web hosting;
* email delivery;
* authentication;
* data storage;
* backups;
* security;
* spam prevention;
* and technical infrastructure.
These providers may process information only as necessary to perform services for Viable Food or as otherwise permitted by their agreements and applicable law.
Where Illinois law requires it, contracts involving disclosure of protected personal information will require appropriate security protections.
### Google Authentication
If you voluntarily use Google sign-in, information necessary for authentication is exchanged between Viable Food and Google.
### Legal Requirements and Safety
We may disclose information when we reasonably believe disclosure is necessary to:
* comply with applicable law, regulation, subpoena, court order, or legal process;
* investigate fraud or unlawful activity;
* enforce our Terms or Community Guidelines;
* protect the security of the Community;
* protect the rights, property, or safety of Viable Food, our users, or others; or
* respond to an emergency involving a credible threat of harm.
### Organizational Changes
If Viable Food's operations are transferred to another organization through a merger, restructuring, fiscal-sponsorship change, asset transfer, or similar organizational event, information necessary to continue operating the Community may be transferred as part of that process.
Any successor would be expected to handle the information consistently with applicable law and this Privacy Policy or provide appropriate notice of materially different practices.
## 6. We Do Not Collect Biometric Information
Viable Food Community does not collect, capture, purchase, receive, store, or use biometric identifiers or biometric information for identification purposes.
This includes fingerprints, retina or iris scans, voiceprints, and scans of hand or face geometry as those terms are addressed by the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act.
Uploading an ordinary photograph or profile image does not mean that Viable Food uses that image for biometric identification.
If Viable Food ever proposes to introduce technology that collects or uses biometric identifiers or biometric information, we will establish the notices, written consent procedures, retention policy, and other safeguards required by applicable law before doing so.
## 7. Information Security
Viable Food uses reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational measures intended to protect personal information from unauthorized:
* access;
* acquisition;
* destruction;
* use;
* modification;
* or disclosure.
Measures may include access controls, password hashing, encrypted connections, backups, logging, rate limiting, spam protections, software updates, and restrictions on administrative access.
No internet service or storage system can guarantee absolute security.
Users are responsible for protecting their own login credentials and should not reuse their Community password on unrelated services.
## 8. Data Breaches
If Viable Food discovers a security breach involving personal information, we will investigate the incident and provide notifications required by applicable law.
For Illinois residents, Viable Food will follow applicable requirements of the Illinois Personal Information Protection Act, including required notification to affected residents and, when applicable, the Illinois Attorney General.
## 9. Data Retention
We retain information for as long as reasonably necessary to:
* operate the Community;
* provide requested services;
* preserve useful discussion history;
* maintain security;
* prevent fraud or abuse;
* comply with legal obligations;
* resolve disputes; and
* enforce our agreements.
Account information generally remains while an account is active and for a reasonable period afterward when necessary for operational, security, or legal purposes.
Technical and security logs may be retained for a limited period appropriate to their purpose.
Newsletter preference and suppression information may be retained after unsubscribe so that we can honor the user's request not to receive future newsletter messages.
### Forum Posts After Account Closure
Because Community discussions are intended to remain useful to other members, deleting an account does not necessarily delete every post or reply previously contributed.
When appropriate and reasonably practical, Viable Food may remove or anonymize identifying account information while preserving discussion content.
Users may contact us about particular posts that contain personal information or present a legitimate privacy or safety concern.
## 10. Your Choices and Privacy Requests
Members can manage many types of information directly through their Community account.
Depending on the feature involved, you may be able to:
* update your profile;
* change optional professional information;
* change notification preferences;
* subscribe to or unsubscribe from the Community Digest;
* stop following topics or boards;
* remove saved items; or
* request account closure.
You may also contact Viable Food to request that we:
* provide information about personal information associated with your account;
* correct inaccurate account information;
* delete or anonymize personal information where reasonably possible;
* close your account; or
* answer a question about our privacy practices.
These voluntary request options do not create rights beyond those provided by applicable law, but Viable Food will make reasonable efforts to honor appropriate requests.
We may need to verify your identity before acting on a privacy or account request.
Some information may be retained when necessary for legal, security, anti-fraud, recordkeeping, or legitimate Community-continuity purposes.
## 11. Newsletter and Email Choices
The Viable Food Community Digest is optional.
If you subscribe, every recurring newsletter will include a way to unsubscribe.
You may also change your newsletter preference through your Community account when that feature is available.
Unsubscribing from the Community Digest does not disable essential account communications such as:
* account verification;
* password reset;
* security notices;
* or other service-related messages necessary to operate your account.
We do not silently resubscribe members who have unsubscribed.
## 12. Children
The Viable Food Community is intended for a professional and general audience and is not directed to children under 13.
Children under 13 should not create an account or submit personal information through the Community.
If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without legally required parental consent, we will take reasonable steps to delete that information and close or restrict the account as appropriate.
A parent or legal guardian who believes a child under 13 has provided personal information may contact us at the address listed below.
## 13. Third-Party Links
Community members and Viable Food may post links to websites or services operated by third parties.
Those third parties have their own privacy practices.
Viable Food is not responsible for the privacy, security, content, or practices of third-party websites merely because they are linked from the Community.
## 14. Do Not Track and Targeted Advertising
Viable Food Community does not currently use personal information to serve third-party behavioral or targeted advertising and does not sell Community member information for targeted advertising.
Because we do not currently engage in that activity, browser "Do Not Track" signals do not change how Community content is presented.
If our practices materially change, we will update this Policy and implement legally required controls before introducing those practices.
## 15. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy when:
* Community features change;
* our service providers change;
* our information practices change;
* or applicable laws or regulations change.
When we make changes, we will update the **Last Updated** date at the top of the Policy.
If a change materially affects how we collect, use, or disclose personal information, we will provide additional notice when appropriate.
If a change requires new consent under applicable law, we will obtain that consent before applying the new practice where required.
## 16. Contact Us
Questions, privacy requests, or concerns about this Privacy Policy may be sent to:
**Viable Food Systems**
Cairo, Illinois
**Email:** [redwards@viablefood.org](mailto:redwards@viablefood.org)
**Website:** viablefood.org
**Community:** community.viablefood.org
Please include **Privacy Request** in the subject line when contacting us about personal information or account privacy.
## 17. Illinois Residents
Viable Food is based in Illinois and handles personal information in accordance with applicable Illinois law.
Among other requirements, Illinois law requires covered data collectors to maintain reasonable security measures for protected personal information and establishes notification requirements following certain security breaches.
Viable Food does not collect or use biometric identifiers or biometric information through the Community.
Illinois residents may contact us using the information above with questions or requests concerning personal information associated with their Community accounts.