Privacy Policy.

Pakistani Food Awards is responsible for deciding why and how personal information covered by this Policy is handled. Our programme is administered from Pakistan and this Policy is interpreted in line with applicable laws of Pakistan.

Some activities may have an additional notice—for example, an entry form, public-voting page, ticketing page or event recording notice. That specific notice should be read with this Policy and will control for that activity if it provides more detailed information.

This Policy does not cover an independent website, payment processor, ticketing platform, social network or other third party that handles information under its own privacy policy.

The information we may collect depends on how you interact with us and can include:

• Identity and contact details: name, job title, organisation, postal address, city, email address, telephone number and social-media profile.
• Nominee and business details: legal or trading name, branches, category, business profile, licences, registrations, menus, service information, achievements and supporting evidence.
• Entry and evaluation material: nomination answers, documents, images, videos, testimonials, references, interview notes, visit records, tasting or judging observations and correspondence.
• Payment and transaction records: amount, date, invoice details, payment status and transaction reference. Approved payment providers process card or bank credentials; we do not intentionally retain complete card details.
• Voting information: selected nominee, time of vote, verification response and technical signals used to validate eligibility and detect manipulation.
• Event and media information: registration, ticket, access needs, guest details, photographs, video, audio, interviews and event participation.
• Communications: enquiries, complaints, feedback, survey responses, marketing preferences and records of contact with our team.
• Technical and usage information: IP address, device and browser type, approximate location, operating system, referral page, pages viewed, interaction times, cookie identifiers and security logs.

We may receive information:

• directly from you through our website, forms, email, telephone, WhatsApp, social media, interviews, payments, events or other communications;
• from a person or organisation nominating, representing, employing, partnering with or referring you;
• from judges, researchers, auditors, mystery visitors, event providers, ticketing providers, payment providers and other authorised service providers;
• from customers or members of the public who submit votes, reviews, feedback, complaints or supporting material;
• from public sources such as official registers, business websites, menus, news coverage and public social-media profiles; and
• automatically when you use the Website, through server logs, cookies and similar technology.

If you give us another person’s information, you must be authorised to do so, ensure it is accurate and make this Policy available to them where appropriate.

We may use information to:

• receive, administer, confirm and communicate about nominations, entries, votes, tickets and event registrations;
• check eligibility, identity, authority, supporting evidence, category suitability and payment status;
• research nominees, coordinate judging, organise visits or tastings and maintain fair evaluation records;
• detect duplicate entries, invalid votes, fraud, impersonation, cyber threats, misuse and breaches of our rules;
• announce nominees, finalists and winners and produce certificates, trophies, badges, directories, articles and promotional material;
• operate ceremonies, media activities, partnerships, customer support and programme administration;
• improve the Website, categories, services, accessibility, audience experience and communications;
• maintain business, accounting, audit, complaint and legal records; and
• protect our rights, participants and the public, comply with lawful requirements and establish or defend legal claims.

We will not use personal information for a materially incompatible purpose without providing appropriate notice or obtaining permission where required.

Nomination information may be reviewed by authorised programme staff, judges and verification specialists. Access should be limited to the information reasonably required for administration, due diligence and evaluation. Judges may receive a structured entry pack rather than unrestricted access to every record.

We may compare submitted claims with public information, contact an authorised representative or named reference, request clarification, arrange a visit or tasting, and record the outcome. Evaluation notes, scores, conflict declarations and deliberations are generally treated as confidential and may be withheld where disclosure would undermine judging independence, reveal another participant’s information or expose security and anti-fraud methods.

Do not include unrelated customer, employee, supplier or financial data in supporting documents. Where possible, redact CNIC numbers, bank-account details, personal addresses, signatures and other data that is not necessary to support the entry.

To celebrate and document the Awards, we may publish a nominee’s, finalist’s or winner’s brand name, public representative’s name, category, city, result, approved profile, logo, images, interview, quotation and award status on our Website, social channels, event material, press releases and partner media.

Award events may be photographed, filmed, recorded or livestreamed. Notices may be displayed at entrances or recording areas. If you have a safety, accessibility or privacy concern, contact the event team in advance so a reasonable arrangement can be considered.

Information marked for judging only will not automatically become public. We aim not to publish confidential evidence, private contact details, payment information, unpublished scores or judge deliberations.

Where public voting is offered, we may collect contact or verification details and technical signals such as IP address, device information, timestamp, cookie identifier, approximate location and voting pattern. We use this information to apply voting rules, limit repeat votes, investigate unusual activity and protect nominees and voters.

Automated systems may flag a vote for review, but significant action should be confirmed using appropriate checks where reasonably possible. We may aggregate, remove, cap or invalidate suspicious votes and retain relevant evidence for audit, dispute and security purposes.

We do not publish a voter’s personal contact details. Aggregate vote totals or trends may be published where this is part of the announced award format.

Cookies are small files stored on your device. Our Website may use cookies, pixels, local storage and similar technology. The categories below apply only where the relevant technology is enabled.

You can control cookies through our consent tool, where available, and through browser settings. Blocking necessary cookies may prevent forms, voting or other features from working correctly. Third-party tools may set their own cookies under their privacy policies.

We may send service messages about a nomination, verification request, payment, ticket, event, vote, result, rule, security matter or response to your enquiry. These messages are necessary to manage the interaction you requested and may continue even if you opt out of marketing.

Promotional emails or messages about future awards, events, partners or opportunities will be sent using an appropriate permission or existing relationship. You may unsubscribe using the link or instructions in the message, or email us. We may retain a minimal suppression record so your opt-out is respected.

Please do not send sensitive documents through an informal channel such as social-media direct message unless our team has specifically directed you to an approved secure method.

Depending on the activity and applicable law, we process information because:

• you asked us to take steps or provide a service, such as accepting an entry, processing a vote, answering an enquiry or issuing a ticket;
• it is reasonably necessary to administer a fair and secure awards programme, verify claims, keep records, improve services or protect our rights and users;
• you gave consent, including for optional marketing, non-essential cookies or a specific media use where consent is appropriate;
• we must comply with a legal, regulatory, tax, accounting, court or law-enforcement requirement; or
• it is necessary to protect a person’s vital interests or address a serious safety or security concern.

Where processing depends on consent, you may withdraw it for future use. Withdrawal does not make earlier lawful activity invalid and may prevent us from providing an optional feature. Some records may still be kept where another lawful reason applies.

We do not sell personal information. We may share limited information with:

• Judges and specialists who assess categories, verify evidence, conduct research or support programme integrity;
• Service providers supporting website hosting, forms, email, cloud storage, analytics, cybersecurity, payments, ticketing, printing, delivery, event production, photography and customer support;
• Professional advisers such as legal, accounting, insurance, audit and risk advisers;
• Partners, venues, sponsors and media where needed for an agreed activity, event, announcement or benefit and subject to appropriate limits;
• Authorities or affected parties where required by law or reasonably necessary to investigate fraud, protect safety, enforce our rules or defend legal rights; and
• A successor organisation if the programme or relevant assets are lawfully reorganised, transferred or acquired, subject to appropriate confidentiality and notice.

Providers should receive only the information needed for their role and are expected to protect it, follow documented instructions where applicable and not use it for an unrelated purpose.

Although Pakistani Food Awards is administered from Pakistan, some website, cloud, email, analytics, communications or payment providers may store or process information in other countries. Those countries may have privacy protections different from those in Pakistan.

Where cross-border processing occurs, we seek to use reputable providers, appropriate contractual and security measures, access restrictions and other safeguards suitable to the information and applicable requirements. You may contact us for more information about a material transfer affecting your data, subject to security and confidentiality restrictions.

We keep personal information only as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose collected, the integrity and historical record of the Awards, applicable legal or accounting obligations, dispute periods, security and the establishment or defence of claims. Typical working periods are:

Records may be deleted, anonymised or securely archived when no longer needed. Backup copies may remain for a limited period until normal rotation or secure deletion.

We use reasonable administrative, organisational and technical measures appropriate to the nature of the information. These may include role-based access, authentication controls, secure hosting and transmission, backups, malware protection, logging, staff confidentiality, vendor review and procedures for handling suspected incidents.

No website, email or storage system is completely secure. You should use trusted devices and networks, keep access links and passwords confidential, verify unusual requests and promptly tell us if you believe information or an account connected with Pakistani Food Awards has been compromised.

If a material security incident occurs, we will investigate, contain and remediate it and will notify affected individuals or authorities where reasonably appropriate or legally required.

Subject to applicable law, programme integrity and legitimate recordkeeping needs, you may ask us to:

• confirm whether we hold personal information about you and provide access to an appropriate copy;
• correct information that is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date;
• delete information that is no longer needed or was handled without a valid reason;
• restrict or object to particular processing in appropriate circumstances;
• withdraw consent for future consent-based use;
• stop direct marketing or update communication preferences; or
• request information in a reasonably usable format where technically practical.

Send a request to contact@pakistanfoodawards.com with the subject “Privacy Request”. We may ask for proportionate identity verification and clarification. An authorised representative must provide proof of authority. We aim to respond within 30 days, but may require more time for a complex request and will communicate where reasonably possible.

A request may be limited or refused where disclosure would reveal another person’s data, confidential judging or anti-fraud methods, legal privilege, or where retention is needed for law, safety, audit, dispute or award integrity. We will explain the reason where permitted.

The Website and general awards programme are not directed to children under 18. A person under 18 should not submit a nomination, vote, register or provide personal information without the involvement and permission of a parent or legal guardian where participation is permitted.

If an award category, school activity or event intentionally involves a minor, we may provide an additional notice and seek verifiable permission from a parent or guardian before collecting or publicly using identifiable information. Contact us if you believe a child submitted information without proper permission so we can review and take appropriate action.

Our Website may link to nominees, sponsors, venues, payment services, ticketing platforms, maps, videos and social networks. We do not control their data practices. Review the privacy information provided by those services before giving them personal information.

We may update this Policy when the Awards, Website, suppliers or applicable legal requirements change. The current version will appear on this page with its effective date. Where a change materially affects how active participant information is used, we will take reasonable steps to provide additional notice through the Website, form or supplied contact details.