This Cookie Policy explains how ZenGarden Works uses cookies and similar technologies to recognize you when you visit our website and use our nutrition planning services. It explains what these technologies are, why we use them, and your rights to control our use of them.
Last Updated: January 1, 2025
Effective Date: January 1, 2025
What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. They are widely used by website owners to make their websites work more efficiently, provide a better user experience, and gather analytical information about how the site is being used.
Cookies can be "persistent" (remaining on your device until deleted or expired) or "session" cookies (deleted automatically when you close your browser). They can also be first-party cookies (set by the website you're visiting) or third-party cookies (set by a different domain than the one you're visiting).
Similar technologies include web beacons, pixels, and local storage, which serve similar functions to cookies in helping us understand how our website is used and improve your browsing experience.
Why Do We Use Cookies?
Essential Website Functionality
We use strictly necessary cookies to enable basic website functionality, including user authentication, session management, and security features. These cookies are essential for the proper operation of our services and cannot be disabled without affecting core functionality.
Personalization and User Experience
We use cookies to remember your preferences, such as language settings, display preferences, and customized content recommendations. This helps us provide you with a more personalized and efficient experience when using our nutrition planning services.
Analytics and Performance
We use analytics cookies to understand how visitors use our website, which pages are most popular, and how we can improve our services. This information is aggregated and anonymized, helping us enhance the overall user experience and service quality.
Service Improvement
Cookies help us identify technical issues, monitor website performance, and understand user behavior patterns that inform our development of new features and improvements to our nutrition planning platform.
Types of Cookies We Use
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Purpose: Essential website functionality
These cookies are necessary for our website to function properly and provide core services. They enable basic functionality such as page navigation, access to secure areas, and user authentication.
Examples: Session ID, login authentication, security tokens, form submission data
These cookies cannot be disabled as they are essential for basic website operation.
Performance and Analytics Cookies
Purpose: Website performance optimization
These cookies collect anonymous information about how you use our website, helping us understand user behavior patterns and improve our services accordingly.
Examples: Google Analytics, page load times, error tracking, user flow analysis
You can opt out of these cookies through your browser settings or our cookie consent banner.
Functional Cookies
Purpose: Enhanced user experience and personalization
These cookies remember your choices and preferences to provide a more personalized experience and enhanced functionality.
Examples: Language preferences, display settings, saved meal plans, reminder settings
These cookies improve your experience but are not essential for basic functionality.
Targeting and Advertising Cookies
Purpose: Relevant content and advertising
These cookies may be used to deliver advertising that is relevant to your interests based on your browsing behavior and to measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns.
Examples: Ad personalization, campaign tracking, interest-based content recommendations
You have full control over these cookies and can opt out at any time.
Third-Party Cookies
Our website may include content or services from third-party providers that set their own cookies. These third parties are responsible for the cookies they set and how they use them. We do not control these third-party cookies and recommend reviewing the privacy policies of these providers.
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics to analyze website traffic and user behavior. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect anonymous information about how visitors use our site. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
Content Delivery Networks
We may use content delivery networks (CDNs) to improve website performance and loading times. These services may set cookies to optimize content delivery and monitor network performance.
Social Media Integration
If we include social media features on our website, the social media platforms may set cookies when you interact with their content. These cookies are controlled by the respective social media companies and subject to their privacy policies.
Your Cookie Choices and Control
Browser Settings
Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings preferences. You can typically set your browser to accept all cookies, reject all cookies, or notify you when a cookie is being set. However, disabling cookies may affect the functionality of our website.
- Chrome: Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data
- Firefox: Preferences > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data
- Safari: Preferences > Privacy > Cookies and website data
- Edge: Settings > Site permissions > Cookies and site data
Our Cookie Consent Tool
When you first visit our website, we present you with a cookie consent banner that allows you to choose which categories of cookies you want to accept or decline. You can change your preferences at any time by accessing the cookie settings in the footer of our website.
Opt-Out Options
For analytics and advertising cookies, you can opt out using industry-standard opt-out tools and browser extensions. Many advertising networks also provide opt-out mechanisms through the Digital Advertising Alliance or Network Advertising Initiative.
Mobile Device Settings
Mobile devices typically include settings that allow you to control or block cookies in mobile browsers. You may also be able to reset your device's advertising identifier or opt out of targeted advertising through your device's privacy settings.
Cookie Retention and Deletion
Different cookies have different retention periods depending on their purpose and type. Session cookies are automatically deleted when you close your browser, while persistent cookies remain on your device until they expire or are manually deleted.
Cookie Lifespan Examples:
- Session cookies: Deleted when browser is closed
- Authentication cookies: 30 days or until logout
- Preference cookies: 12 months
- Analytics cookies: 24 months
- Marketing cookies: Various periods, typically 30-365 days
Updates to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the updated policy on our website and updating the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page.
We encourage you to review this Cookie Policy periodically to stay informed about how we use cookies and similar technologies. Your continued use of our website after any changes to this policy constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms.
If you have questions about this Cookie Policy or how we use cookies, please contact us through our website contact form or the contact information provided in our Privacy Policy. We are committed to addressing your concerns and providing transparency about our data practices.