Privacy Policy

ABBOTT NUTRITION PRIVACY NOTICE

Effective date: 22 December 2021

Abbott Laboratories Ireland Ltd including its subsidiaries and affiliates (“Abbott”, “we”, “us”, “our”) recognises the importance of data protection and privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information.

This Privacy Notice explains how we handle the personal information that you provide to us on the Abbott Nutrition Similac specialist formula [https://www.similac.abbott/ie/] ("Abbott website" or “our website”) and when you contact us by one of our customer support channels, such as by telephone, SMS, email or other electronic means such as in response to a survey. If you provide us with your personal information and are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), Switzerland or the UK, we are the controller of that personal information under the GDPR, the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection 1992 and the UK Data Protection Act 2018.

This Privacy Notice does not apply to personal information collected from Abbott websites that do not link to this Privacy Notice or to third party websites to which the Abbott website may link.

Please read this Privacy Notice before using the Abbott website or providing personal information to us.

I. Types of Information Collected

What is "personal information"?

"Personal information" means information that identifies you or could reasonably be used to identify you such as your name, postal address or e-mail address and which you submit to us.

What types of personal information does Abbott collect?

Abbott collects personal information that you enter into data fields on the Abbott website or when contacting us for support such as your name, postal address, e-mail address, payment details, date of birth and/or other information needed to place your orders on our website, receive information you requested about our products and services (including software updates, special offers, product training, and other Abbott related information), register for Abbott programs or webinars, use our customer support channels, or respond to Abbott surveys. To protect your privacy, you should not provide Abbott with any information that is not specifically requested.

If you contact us through our customer support channels, for instance by phone, SMS/text message, email or through social media or online chat (if available where you reside) or other electronic means, to reply to your request we will need to collect personal information about you, that may include the following, depending on your request:

• your name, address, date of birth, country of residence, e-mail address, phone number;
• whether you are contacting us on behalf of a user of our website or someone that has used our products or services, including for a child for whom you are a parent or legal guardian or the carer of a vulnerable adult;
• if you use our products or services and have contacted customer support, details of your account information or other details of your use of our products or services, depending on the reason you contact customer support; and
• information about the issue for which you have contacted us, including records of our discussions and any follow-up where we contact you, and where required, whether you have provided us with consent.

See the section below related to cookies for other information that we collect.

Does Abbott collect “sensitive” personal information?

You may decide to provide us with your sensitive personal information, including health-related information on our website or through our customer support channels. This information may be designated as "special categories" under data protection or privacy laws. To process this information Abbott shall adopt additional measures as required by local law and may adopt measures to address local custom or social expectation about such information. Where you do provide us with sensitive personal information and where required by applicable law, we will seek your consent to Abbott’s processing of this personal information.

II. Collection of Personal Information

How does Abbott use personal information that I have provided?

Abbott will use the personal information you provide through the Abbott website to process your order, respond to your questions and to provide you with efficient customer service.

Where you have placed an order, Abbott will use the personal information you provide to process and fulfil any such orders you make on the website (including to send you information about the ordering process by email, SMS or post), to validate, facilitate and manage your customer account and to process and deal with your inquiries. We do this to fulfil any order you have place or fulfil our contract for products or services with you.

Abbott will use personal information when you contact us through our customer support channels to provide you with customer support services following an enquiry from your or in relation to a request you have submitted to us.

We may also use this personal information for other business purposes, such as to offer you the opportunity to receive communications regarding Abbott’s products or services, to invite you to participate in surveys about our products, or to notify you about special promotions (if you have given your consent under applicable laws and we will keep a record of such consent).

We will also process personal information where necessary for compliance with our legal obligations, such as those in relation to product safety. We may also process your personal information where we have a legitimate business interest to do so, such as to provide you with customer support, to evaluate and improve our existing products and services and our website, and to research and develop new products and services.

Our lawful basis for processing your personal information

When you provide us with your personal information on our website to order a product or service or when you contact us through our customer support channels to request support or information and have complied with our terms of use, the lawful bases on which we rely on for processing your personal information is to perform our contractual obligation to you.

When we ask you to consent to process your personal information such as your sensitive personal information, we rely on your consent as our legal basis for processing which you may revoke at any time by contacting us using the details below.

When you contact us for support and we learn from you of a complaint related to our product, we may rely on our legal obligation for processing your personal information.

When we contact you subsequent to your visit to our website or contact with our customer support channels to provide you with further information about Abbott products we may rely on your consent to receive that information or on our legitimate business interest that does not prevail over your privacy rights and interests.

Will Abbott combine personal information I provide to Abbott with other personal information about me?

Abbott may combine the personal information that you provide on our Abbott website with the personal information you provide on other Abbott websites, with our offline records and with records provided by third parties.

We use this consolidated information to help us better design Abbott websites and Abbott products, to communicate information to you, to enhance our marketing and research activities, and to facilitate other business functions.

We will not use any health-related information you provide us for these purposes unless you provide us with your explicit consent, where required by law.

What choices do I have about how Abbott collects and uses personal information about me?

You may always limit the amount and type of personal information that Abbott receives about you by choosing not to provide the information or enter any personal information into forms or data fields on the Abbott website. Some of our services can only be provided to you if you provide us with appropriate personal information. Other parts of the Abbott website may ask whether you wish to opt into or opt out of our contact lists for offers, promotions and additional services that may be of interest to you.

Does Abbott share personal information with third parties?

Abbott will not sell or license your personal information to third parties except in connection with the sale or transfer of a product line or division, or in connection with a joint marketing programme or if you have given your consent, if required under applicable laws.

Abbott may share your personal information with third parties with whom we have notified you that Abbott is jointly marketing a product or service or jointly conducting a programme or activity. Abbott will only share your personal information in these circumstances after obtaining your consent where legally required. In the event of a complaint regarding a product or device distributed by Abbott but where we are not the manufacturer, in order for the manufacturer to investigate and arrange collection of any available complaint sample(s) from you we will provide the manufacturer with your name, address and details of complaint. Your contact details will not be used by the manufacturer for any other purpose other than to process your complaint.

Abbott may also share your personal information with vendors/service providers with whom Abbott contracts to carry out business activities for Abbott (such as customer support services, delivery services, online payment services, fraud detection services, legal advisers and auditors). If Abbott provides your personal information to vendors/service providers to assist us with our business activities, we require those vendors/service providers to keep your personal information confidential and to strictly limit the use of your personal information to perform only necessary functions on Abbott’s behalf.

Abbott may share your personal information with a third party in connection with the sale or transfer of one of its product lines or divisions so that the buyer can continue to provide you with information and services.

Abbott reserves the right to disclose your personal information to respond to authorised information requests from government authorities or law enforcement agencies, to address national security situations, or when required by law.

Who within Abbott will have access to personal information about me?

Personal information can be accessed by only those Abbott employees who need to have access to fulfil their work responsibilities. We train our employees about the importance of privacy and how to handle and manage personal information appropriately and securely.

How does Abbott secure personal information?

We implement security measures appropriate to the risks of processing of your personal information and to secure each website that collects personal information. Despite these safeguards, confidentiality of personal information transmitted over the Internet cannot be guaranteed. We urge you to exercise caution when transmitting personal information over the Internet, especially personal information related to your health.

The Abbott website will display a warning whenever you link to a website that is not controlled by Abbott or subject to an Abbott Privacy Notice or policy; you should check the privacy policies of such third-party websites before submitting personal information.

Does Abbott transfer personal information to different countries?

We may share your personal information within the Abbott group of companies and with our external third parties so the processing of your personal information will involve a transfer of your personal information outside the EEA, Switzerland and the UK. The privacy and data protection laws in such countries may not be equivalent to the laws where you live. We will put in place adequate safeguards so that your personal data is protected in a substantially equivalent manner to that afforded under the laws of your country. Safeguards we may use are:

• transferring your personal information to countries that have been deemed to provide an adequate level of protection by the European Commission or by a national authority for data protection, for example, UK Information Commissioner’s Office.
• use contracts approved by the European Commission or by a national authority for data protection, as applicable, which give personal information equivalent protection.

Please contact our EU DPO (details below) if you want further information on the specific mechanism used by us when transferring your personal information out of the EEA, Switzerland or the UK.

For how long will Abbott store my personal information?

We will only retain your personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, regulatory, tax, accounting or reporting requirements. We may retain your personal information for a longer period in the event of a complaint or if we reasonably believe there is a prospect of litigation in respect to our relationship with you.

To determine the appropriate retention period for personal information, we consider the amount, nature and sensitivity of the personal information, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of your personal information, the purposes for which we process your personal information and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal, regulatory, tax, accounting or other requirements.

How does Abbott protect the privacy of children?

Abbott does not knowingly allow children to order our products, communicate with us, or use any of our online services. Abbott does not send marketing or electronic communications to children.

If you are a parent or legal guardian and become aware that your child has provided us with information, please contact us using one of the methods specified below, and we will work with you to address this issue.

Abbott will only process the personal information of children where it is provided to us by a parent or legal guardian and solely for the purpose of providing Abbott products or services to that parent or legal guardian on behalf of or for the benefit of that child.

III. Use of Cookies

Why does the Abbott website use “cookies” and other tracking technologies?

A “cookie” is a file that our webserver may send to your computer when you access the Abbott website. This file is then stored on your computer. After you have entered personal information into a form or data field on the Abbott website, Abbott may use cookies and certain other technologies to allow our website to "remember" your personal preferences, such as sections of our website that you visit frequently and, if you choose, your user ID.

Examples of the types of information collected from these technologies and your search browser settings include your browser type and language, your operating system, your Internet Protocol (IP) address, the URLs of sites you visited before and after visiting the Abbott website, the web search that landed you on the Abbott website, web pages and advertisements you view and links you click on within the Abbott website. Your Internet browser also automatically transmits to the Abbott website some of this information, such as the URL of the website you just visited and the browser version your computer is operating.

Collection of this information can make your use of the Abbott website easier by allowing Abbott to provide better service, customise sites based on consumer preferences, compile statistics, analyse trends, and otherwise administer and improve the Abbott website. Certain features of the Abbott website may not work without use of passive information collection technologies.

You can also learn more about cookies as well as information about whether your internet browser may be configured to send “Do Not Track” signals by visiting www.allaboutcookies.org (this website is available in English, German, Spanish and French) and by visiting www.allaboutdnt.com.

What types of cookies and related technologies does the Abbott website use?

Abbott websites use “session” cookies. Session cookies are temporary bits of information that are erased once you exit your web browser window or otherwise turn your computer off. Session cookies are used, for example, to improve navigation on our websites, block visitors from providing information where inappropriate (the site "remembers" previous entries of age or country of origin that were outside the specified parameters and blocks subsequent changes) and to collect aggregated statistical information. The list of cookies that are used on the Abbott Nutrition website is available here.

 

 

The Abbott website may use “persistent” cookies. Persistent cookies are more permanent bits of information that are placed on the hard drive of your computer and stay there unless you delete the cookie. Persistent cookies store information on your computer for a number of purposes, such as retrieving certain information you have previously provided (e.g., passwords), helping to determine what areas of the website visitors find most valuable, and customising the website based on your preferences on an ongoing basis. Persistent cookies placed by this site on your computer may hold personal information.

The Abbott website may use “web beacons” (also known as internet tags, single-pixel GIFs, clear GIFs, and invisible GIFs). A web beacon is a tiny graphic on a web page or in an e-mail message that is used to track pages viewed or messages opened. Web beacons tell the website server information such as the IP address and browser type related to the visitor's computer. Web beacons may be placed on online advertisements that bring people to our site and on different pages of our site. Web beacons provide us with information on how many times a page is opened and which information is consulted.

The Abbott website may also use cookies that allow you to share what you’ve been doing on the Abbott website with social media platforms. These cookies are not within our control, and are therefore subject to a third party’s rules and policies. Social media companies may have their own privacy policies, which we strongly suggest you review if you use those websites or apps.

What choices do I have about Abbott’s use of cookies and other tracking technologies?

You can choose to enable or disable the use of non-essential cookies and other tracking technologies on Abbott websites. Cookies that are essential to the operation of the website and to the provision of the services you have requested will continue to function regardless of your selection but the functionality of the website may be reduced.

IV. Your Rights

What rights do I have in relation to my personal information?

You have rights under applicable data protection law in relation to your personal information. These are:

• The right to rectify or erase any wrong or incomplete personal information that Abbott holds about you. If you have a customer account this can be deleted at any time by contacting abbott_nutrition_irl@abbott.com;
• The right to opt out at any time of any marketing material from us. Emails from us will include a link to unsubscribe from future marketing material;
• The right to access the personal information that Abbott holds about you;
• The right, in some cases, to object to our processing of your personal information> on legitimate grounds;
• The right not to be subjected to automated decision making intended to evaluate certain personal aspects relating to you, such as analytics based on conduct;
• Where you have provided your personal information to us with your consent or as part of a contract, the right to the portability of that personal information to another person or, if it is technically feasible, to another company;
• The right to lodge a complaint with your national data protection supervisory authority or to receive compensation for any damage you suffer; and
• The right to withdraw your consent to Abbott’s processing of your personal information, without detriment or negative consequences although this may mean that we will be unable to provide some products or services.

These rights may be restricted by the applicable data protection law or may depend on additional requirements.

V. Contact Information and Policy Updates

How can I contact Abbott?

If you have questions about the use, amendment, or deletion of personal information that you have provided to us, or if you would like to opt out of future communications from an Abbott business or a particular Abbott programme, please contact us by clicking on the "Contact Us" link on the Abbott website or by e-mailing us at abbott_nutrition_irl@abbott.com. Alternatively, you may send a letter to the following address:

Abbott Nutrition
Abbott Laboratories Ireland Ltd
Block B
Liffey Valley Office Campus
Quarryvale
Dublin 22
D22 X0Y3

Tel: 01 469 1500

Include the e–mail address used for registration (if applicable), the website address or the specific Abbott program to which you provided personal information (e.g. Abbott.com, etc.), and a detailed explanation of your request.

Data Protection Officer: If you have any queries in relation to the processing of your personal information please contact our EU DPO at www.eu-dpo.abbott.com.

If you would like to delete, amend or correct your personal information and are contacting us by e-mail, please put "Deletion Request" or "Amendment/Correction Request", as applicable, in the subject line of the e-mail. We will do our best to respond to all reasonable requests in a timely manner.

How will I know whether Abbott has updated this policy?

Without prejudice to your rights under applicable law, Abbott reserves the right to amend this Privacy Notice without prior notice to reflect technological advancements, legal and regulatory changes and good business practices. Registered users may be notified by email of any changes and relevant information will be posted on the Abbott website.

If Abbott changes its privacy practices, an updated version of this Privacy Notice will reflect those changes and we will notify you of such changes by updating the effective date at the top of this Privacy Notice.