Why is GDPR important for my nutrition business?

If you have a business or offer services to the EU, it’s mandatory to be GDPR compliant. But why is GDPR important, what steps should you take to be compliant, and what are the benefits? Here’s what you need to know about GDPR and its implications for dietitians. 

Whether you are a new business owner or have a mature company that gathers data for people in the EU, it’s mandatory to be GDPR compliant. This regulation has multiple steps, so it’s important to make sure you and your organization are fully aware of any and all obligations. 

But why is GDPR important, how can you be compliant, and what benefits does it offer for your business? In this article, we are answering all of these questions, as well as sharing some of the implications for nutrition professionals surrounding GDPR.  

DISCLAIMER: Because information varies from country to country, this article is meant to be a general guide, not an exhaustive resource. Therefore, we encourage you to consult with a lawyer, the regulation, and the website of your country’s supervisory authority, where you will most likely find complete documentation.

What does GDPR stand for?

GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation and is meant to give all people living in the European Union choice and control over how their data is handled. 

GDPR compliance applies to any person, agency, organization, or business that collects, analyzes, shares, or uses data. Furthermore, if you run an online business, you should also be GDPR compliant, as you will never know for certain if the people you transact with are located in the EU. 

Watch the following video to learn more about GDPR. 

Note: All personal data of people in the EU is strictly subject to GDPR compliance. If you're not sure if the IP addresses you collect are classified as personal data, refer to the supervisory authority in your EU state.

GDPR compliance: step by step

As a dietitian who may also own a nutrition business, it’s important to comply with GDPR regulations to ensure proper data handling. Here’s a brief step-by-step guide for how to implement these changes in your own business. 

1. Map your company's data. You need to know how personal data flows through your internal systems to understand how it’s controlled. For example, if you have a downloadable ebook, you need to know the download form, the data collected from the form, reasons for data collection, where the data is processed, when the data is disposed of, if you have consent to collect the data, and if the data has sensitive information.
   
   
2. Define what data you need to keep. You should only collect data that you absolutely need. If you accumulate too much sensitive data without a valid reason, it can signal alarm bells. 
   
   
3. Put security measures in place. If you experience a data breach, it’s required to report the incident. To avoid this, be sure to have the proper security measures set up so everything stays secure.
   
   
4. Clearly display data collection. It’s very important to make sure that data collection acknowledgment is clearly displayed at every data collection point, especially before any data is collected. 
   
   
5. Continue to update your privacy policy. Your Privacy Policy must always be up-to-date and readily accessible on your website, and should clearly outline how you collect and use data. It’s recommended to seek legal advice to create a GDPR-compliant privacy policy. 

Business benefits of data protection and GDPR compliance

Being GDPR compliant can be a major cause for concern, and understandably so. However, it can have a variety of benefits for you and your business. Here are some ways your nutrition business can benefit from GDPR compliance.

Increased trust and credibility

GDPR compliance can support your business by helping you build more trusting relationships with your customers and the general public. Since consumers are becoming more suspicious about how their data is being used, it’s important that you gain their trust by being transparent about how you will use their personal information. You can also use GDPR to further solidify that you stand out from your competitors and care about the privacy of your clients.

Improved data management

To be GDPR compliant, you should know exactly what sensitive information you have, and be able to audit this data accordingly. This will enable you to minimize the data you collect and hold, better organize storage and refine data management processes.

You can do this by getting rid of files that don’t offer business value, as this will reduce the costs of storing and processing data and erase any sensitive information. Once the data is analyzed, you can make data globally searchable and indexed to handle any requests better. 

It’s also important to have a data protection strategy, as this defines how you are going to implement and maintain security measures to minimize the footprint of sensitive data.

Increased ROI

Did you know that GDPR can have the potential to increase your return on investment (ROI)? This is because GDPR has an opt-in policy where someone needs to give their consent for you to process their personal data. By implementing this, you can streamline your marketing strategy by purging lost leads or unengaged addresses and fine-tuning your database of relevant leads that actually want to hear from you. 

It also allows you to experiment and tailor your marketing messages to a clearly defined audience with more interest in your brand. This can result in higher click-through, conversion rates, and social sharing, which may result in an increased ROI and more efficient budgetary spending.  

Greater business efficiency

Given that the GDPR requires businesses to ensure that personal data is accurate and kept up to date, as highlighted above, this can help businesses avoid errors and inconsistencies in their data, which can have immediate results on the efficiency of their processes and decision-making. 

On the other hand, security-wise, GDPR sets out requirements for the protection of personal data, including the need to implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to ensure the security of personal data. Adhering to these requirements can help businesses reduce the risk of data breaches and other security incidents, which can improve the efficiency and reliability of their operations. 

Lastly, the Regulation requires businesses to be transparent about their data processing activities and to only collect and process personal data for specific, explicit, and legitimate purposes. This can help businesses streamline their processes and avoid collecting or processing unnecessary data, which can also improve efficiency.

TIP: Here are other ways for nutrition professionals to stand out from the competition. 

Nutrium’s approach to GDPR

At Nutrium, GDPR compliance and implementation is a continuous and constantly improving process. We are also aware that professionals are subjected to its requirements, and we want to help you implement it in your practice.

As such, we constantly strive to improve our privacy policies, general information, personal data security, and your rights. Check out this article to learn more about our approach to GDPR.

Summary

Being GDPR compliant will take some adjustment and legal counsel to adopt these practices. However, it can have a positive impact on your business and increase trust between you and your clients. At Nutrium, we will always be available to assist you in any way we can, and we are implementing all the necessary features so you can respond to your client’s requests as efficiently as possible. 

We are always working toward bringing you the best nutrition content, so we welcome any suggestions or comments you might have! Feel free to write to us at info@nutrium.com.

Haven't tried Nutrium yet? Now is the time! You can try Nutrium for free for 14 days and test all its features, from appointments, to meal plans, nutritional analysis, videoconference, a website and blog, professional and patient mobile apps, and more! Try it now for free!

References

What does GDPR stand for? (And other simple questions answered). Retrieved December 1, 2022 from https://gdpr.eu

10 Step Checklist: GDPR Compliance Guide for 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022 from https://www.upguard.com

Five Benefits GDPR Compliance Will Bring To Your Business. Retrieved December 1, 2022 from https://www.forbes.com