California Privacy Rights Act Disclosure for Job Candidates


Last Updated: December 29, 2022

This California Privacy Rights Act Disclosure for Job Candidates page ("Disclosure"), which is effective as of January 1, 2023, applies to job candidates who are residents of the state of California and supplements the Whole Foods Market US and Canada Candidate Privacy Notice.  The Whole Foods Market US and Canada Candidate Privacy Notice describes the personal information that we collect, the sources from which we collect it, the purposes for which we use it, the limited circumstances under which we share personal information, and with whom we share it. These additional disclosures are required by the California Privacy Rights Act:


1. Categories of Personal Information Collected. The personal information that Whole Foods Market collects, or has collected from job candidates in the twelve months prior to the effective date of this Disclosure, falls into the following categories established by the California Privacy Rights Act:

  • Identifiers such as name, alias, postal address, email address, telephone number, IP address, your account log-in information for our job candidate-related accounts, and government-issued identifier (e.g., a social security number, driver’s license number, state identification card number, or passport number);
  • Information that may reveal age (e.g., date of birth), disability, gender, gender identity/expression, race, national origin, citizenship, sexual orientation, marital status, religious or philosophical beliefs, military and veteran status, or other protected classifications;
  • Internet or other electronic network activity information, including, but not limited to, information regarding a job candidate’s interaction with our job postings or our careers-related websites, applications, or advertisements, and information a job candidate makes publicly available on social media or other public-facing websites or mobile applications;
  • Geolocation data, which may constitute precise geolocation data;
  • Audio/visual information, such as recordings of job interviews;
  • Professional or employment-related information, such as work history, references, salary/income information, work permit status, information about skills/abilities, work preferences, job interview notes and recordings, travel and expense-related information, background check information, responses to screening questions, assessment results, and any information included in a job candidate’s resume or job application;
  • Education information, such as education history and any education-related information included in a job candidate’s resume or job application;
  • Information about certain health conditions (where relevant and in accordance with the requirements of applicable laws); and
  • Inferences drawn from any of these categories of information.


2. Categories of Personal Information Disclosed for a Business Purpose. The personal information that Whole Foods Market disclosed to the categories of third parties identified in the “Sharing of Your Personal Information” section of the Whole Foods Market US and Canada Candidate Privacy Notice about job candidates for a business purpose in the twelve months prior to the effective date of this Disclosure falls into the following categories established by the California Privacy Rights Act:

  • Identifiers such as name, alias, postal address, email address, telephone number, IP address, your account log-in information for our job candidate-related accounts, and government-issued identifier (e.g., a social security number, driver’s license number, state identification card number, or passport number);
  • Information that may reveal age (e.g., date of birth), disability, gender, gender identity/expression, race, national origin, citizenship, union membership, sexual orientation, marital status, religious or philosophical beliefs, military and veteran status, or other protected classifications;
  • Internet or other electronic network activity information, including, but not limited to, information regarding a job candidate’s interaction with our job postings or our careers-related websites, applications, or advertisements, and information a job candidate makes publicly available on social media or other public-facing websites or mobile applications;
  • Geolocation data, which may constitute precise geolocation data;
  • Audio/visual information, such as recordings of job interviews;
  • Professional or employment-related information, such as work history, references, salary/income information, work permit status, information about skills/abilities, work preferences, job interview notes and recordings, travel and expense-related information, background check information, responses to screening questions, assessment results, and any information included in a job candidate’s resume or job application;
  • Education information, such as education history and any education-related information included in a job candidate’s resume or job application;
  • Information about certain health conditions (where relevant and in accordance with the requirements of applicable laws); and
  • Inferences drawn from any of these categories of information.


3. Your Data Rights.  You may have certain data rights under the California Privacy Rights Act, including to request information about the collection of your personal information by Whole Foods Market, to access your personal information, and to correct or delete your personal information.  If you wish to exercise those data rights, you may do so as follows:

  • You may request access to the specific pieces of personal information Whole Foods Market has collected about you, deletion of the personal information that Whole Foods Market has collected from you, or correction of inaccurate personal information that Whole Foods Market maintains about you, by completing the online request form or contacting us at 1-833-4AskTMS (1-833-427-5867).
  • You may request information about the categories of personal information that Whole Foods Market has collected about you, the categories of sources from which that personal information was collected, the business or commercial purpose(s) for collecting that personal information, the categories of that personal information that were disclosed for a business purpose, and the categories of third parties to whom that personal information was disclosed by contacting us at privacy@wholefoods.com or calling us at 1-833-4AskTMS (1-833-427-5867) and indicating that you would like to make a “Request to Know Categories of Personal Information”.

To ensure the security of your personal information, we will generally ask you to verify your request using information you have already provided.  If you are an authorized agent under the California Privacy Rights Act and would like to make a request on behalf of another person, please contact us at privacy@wholefoods.com or call us 1-833-4AskTMS (1-833-427-5867).


4. No Sale or Sharing of Personal Information.  In the twelve months prior to the effective date of this Disclosure, Whole Foods Market has not sold or shared any personal information of job candidates, as those terms are defined under the California Privacy Rights Act.


5. California Privacy Rights Act Sensitive Personal Information Disclosure.  The categories of data that Whole Foods Market collects and discloses for a business purpose include “sensitive personal information” as defined under the California Privacy Rights Act.  Whole Foods Market does not use or disclose sensitive personal information for any purpose not expressly permitted by the California Privacy Rights Act.


6. California Privacy Rights Act Retention Disclosure.  If your application for employment is successful and you commence employment with Whole Foods Market, your personal information will be transferred to your personnel file and will be maintained consistent with Whole Foods Market’s employee data retention practices.  If your application for employment is not successful, depending on local law, we will generally keep your personal information beyond the end of the application process for purposes that include: (i) contacting you about future job opportunities; (ii) meeting recordkeeping requirements; and (iii) for potential use in legal proceedings.


7. California Privacy Rights Act Non-Discrimination Statement.  Whole Foods Market will not discriminate or retaliate against any job candidate for exercising their rights under the California Privacy Rights Act.