Terms & Conditions

1. Important legal notice; acceptance of terms

1.1. These Terms & Conditions (the “Terms”) govern access to and participation in ChefVerse and all associated services, features and resources made available by Unilever (as defined below), including any ChefVerse websites, portals, applications, community spaces, onboarding flows, educational materials, content toolkits, briefs (including evergreen, campaign and reactive briefs), activations, events, rewards mechanisms, recognition features, leaderboards, analytics and reporting dashboards, and related communications (collectively, the “Services”). ChefVerse is a professional chef creator ecosystem intended to support chefs in developing content capability and community participation, and to facilitate chef-led storytelling and programme measurement.

1.2. By accessing, browsing, registering for, applying to, using, or participating in the Services, or by clicking an “I agree” (or equivalent) button, you confirm that you have read, understood and agree to be legally bound by these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not access or use the Services.

1.3. If you access or use the Services on behalf of a business, culinary school, employer, or other organisation, you represent and warrant that you have authority to bind that entity to these Terms, and “you” and “your” shall refer to both you and that entity.

2. Who we are; operator; contact

2.1. The Services are provided and controlled by the Unilever entity identified within the relevant ChefVerse interface, sign-up page or programme materials (the “Operator”), being a member of the Unilever group of companies (“Unilever”, “we”, “us”, “our”). Where the Operator is not explicitly identified in the interface, the Operator shall be the Unilever group company that administers the ChefVerse programme in the country or region associated with your account registration.

2.2. Certain elements of ChefVerse may be administered by a local Unilever group company, including fulfilment of rewards, event delivery, local compliance, or tax reporting. Where a local operating entity is applicable, it may be specified in a country annex, programme notice, or within the relevant feature of the Services. References to “Unilever” include the Operator and its affiliates, and Unilever may allocate performance of obligations under these Terms among affiliates without affecting Unilever’s rights and remedies.

2.3. Contact details for ChefVerse support, notices and complaints are provided within the Services and may include an email address and/or webform. Legal notices to Unilever must be delivered in accordance with Clause 22.

3. Related policies; order of precedence

3.1. Your use of the Services is also subject to Unilever’s Privacy Notice (the “Privacy Notice”), Unilever’s Cookie Notice (the “Cookie Notice”) where applicable, and any ChefVerse community guidelines, brand guidelines, content guidelines, brief requirements, event rules, and programme-specific conditions made available to you within the Services (together, “Programme Policies”). The Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice govern how Unilever processes personal data and uses cookies or similar technologies.

3.2. In the event of conflict, these Terms prevail over Programme Policies, except that the Privacy Notice prevails in relation to personal data processing matters where required by applicable law. In addition, where a country annex applies, the country annex prevails to the extent of any inconsistency, but only for the relevant country or participants within its scope.

4. Programme nature; no guarantee; changes

4.1. ChefVerse is designed to support professional chefs by providing education, community interaction, briefs and activations, and recognition and reward mechanisms intended to encourage participation and development of creator skills. ChefVerse may include onboarding journeys, educational trainings and resource hubs, brief systems, community boards, content galleries, spotlights, rewards tiers, and measurement and reporting capabilities.

4.2. ChefVerse is not an offer of employment, a contract for services, a talent agency arrangement, or a guarantee of paid collaboration, sponsorship, endorsements, visibility, audience growth, bookings, sales, revenue, or any particular outcome. Participation is voluntary unless otherwise agreed in writing, and any benefits described within the Services are subject to availability, eligibility and programme rules.

4.3. Unilever may modify, suspend, withdraw or discontinue any part of the Services, including features, content libraries, briefs, rewards mechanisms, eligibility criteria, or measurement methods, at any time. Where practicable, Unilever will provide reasonable notice of material changes; however, Unilever may make changes without notice where required for security, legal compliance, or operational reasons.

5. Eligibility; professional chef status; application and invitation

5.1. The Services are intended for professional chefs and related culinary professionals. You must be at least 18 years old, or the age of legal majority in your place of residence if higher, to use the Services. You represent and warrant that you meet all eligibility criteria communicated within the Services, including any professional chef status requirements, minimum social presence thresholds, local audience thresholds, and content quality or credibility requirements.

5.2. Participation may be invitation-only, application-based, or otherwise subject to approval. Unilever may accept, reject, suspend or revoke participation in its sole discretion, subject to mandatory applicable law. Unilever may request evidence of eligibility, professional status or identity at any time, and may suspend or terminate access if you fail to provide requested information promptly or if Unilever reasonably suspects that information you provided is inaccurate, incomplete or misleading.

5.3. ChefVerse may be offered as a pilot in selected markets and may not be available in all countries. Programme elements, participating brands, products, rewards, and events may vary by market based on availability and local conditions.

6. Account registration; security; accuracy of information

6.1. Where account registration is required, you must provide accurate, current and complete information and keep your account information updated. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activities conducted through your account, whether or not authorised by you.

6.2. You must notify Unilever promptly if you believe your account has been compromised or used without authorisation. Unilever may suspend or restrict access to the Services to protect programme integrity, security, or participants.

6.3. You must not create multiple accounts to circumvent programme rules, impersonate any person, misrepresent your identity or professional credentials, or permit others to use your account. You must not interfere with or disrupt the Services, attempt unauthorised access, reverse engineer the Services, or use automated means (including bots or scrapers) to access the Services without Unilever’s prior written permission.

7. Community standards; acceptable use; moderation

7.1. ChefVerse is a professional community environment. You agree to participate respectfully and professionally, comply with any Community Guidelines and moderator instructions, and refrain from conduct that is unlawful, harmful, abusive, harassing, threatening, discriminatory, hateful, defamatory, obscene, misleading, or otherwise inappropriate.

7.2. You must not post or share content that infringes the rights of any third party, including intellectual property rights, privacy rights, publicity rights, or confidentiality obligations. You must not disclose personal data of others without lawful basis and appropriate consent, and you must not share confidential Unilever information or third-party confidential information.

7.3. Unilever may moderate the Services, including by removing or restricting content, suspending features, or limiting access to protect participants, consumers, brand safety, and programme trust. Unilever is not obliged to pre-screen content, but may do so at its discretion. Unilever may cooperate with law enforcement or regulators where required.

8. Briefs; activations; submissions; no obligation to use

8.1. The Services may provide briefs and activations, including always-on evergreen briefs, time-bound campaign briefs, and reactive briefs linked to trends or timely moments, which may be accompanied by templates, guidance, disclosure requirements, and brand or product messaging parameters.

8.2. Unless expressly agreed in writing, participation in any brief or activation is voluntary. You may choose whether to create or submit content in response to any brief. Unilever may modify, replace or withdraw briefs at any time, including for legal, safety, brand, or operational reasons.

8.3. Unilever is not obliged to publish, feature, reward, recognise, or otherwise use any content you create or submit, even if it is created in response to a brief. Any decision to feature content, award rewards, or provide recognition is subject to programme rules, availability, quality thresholds, compliance, and brand safety considerations.

9. Creator content; ownership; licence to Unilever; attribution

9.1. For purposes of these Terms, “Creator Content” means any content, materials or information you submit, upload, publish, transmit, link, tag, make available, or otherwise provide through the Services or in connection with ChefVerse, including recipes, photos, videos, audio, captions, comments, messages, feedback, testimonials, biographical information, and any materials that incorporate or reference Unilever brands or products.

9.2. As between you and Unilever, you retain ownership of your Creator Content, subject to the licence you grant to Unilever under this Clause 9 and subject to any third-party rights in materials incorporated into your Creator Content.

9.3. By submitting or making Creator Content available in connection with ChefVerse, you grant to Unilever and its affiliates a worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive, transferable and sublicensable licence to host, store, reproduce, use, display, perform, distribute, communicate to the public, make available, adapt, edit for length or format, translate, and create derivative works from your Creator Content, in each case for the purposes of operating, administering, improving, measuring, promoting and marketing ChefVerse and/or Unilever and Unilever brands, including in Unilever-owned and controlled channels and materials, and in internal communications, for as long as reasonably necessary for those purposes and, where permitted by law, perpetually for archival and historical purposes.

9.4. To the extent your Creator Content includes your name, professional name, image, likeness, voice, biography, social handle(s) or other identifiers, you also grant Unilever the right to use these as incorporated in, or in connection with, the Creator Content for the purposes set out in Clause 9.3. Unilever may attribute Creator Content to you (including via your handle) where practical, but attribution is not guaranteed and may vary by format and channel.

9.5. Where the Services provide, or Unilever requests, additional permissions for paid media amplification, whitelisting, boosting, dark posting, or use via creator account authorisations, such uses shall occur only where you have provided the relevant permission through the Services or by separate agreement, and may be subject to additional terms regarding duration, territories, spend, and controls, which shall prevail to the extent of inconsistency with these Terms for that specific use.

9.6. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, you waive, or agree not to assert, any moral rights (or equivalent rights) you may have in Creator Content against Unilever, provided that Unilever will not knowingly edit Creator Content in a manner that is materially prejudicial to your honour or reputation.

9.7. You acknowledge that once Creator Content is shared, promoted or distributed, it may be copied, re-shared or stored by third parties outside Unilever’s control. While Unilever will consider reasonable removal requests, Unilever cannot guarantee complete removal of Creator Content from third-party systems or from the internet once disseminated.

10. Your warranties; rights clearance; consents; compliance

10.1. You represent and warrant that you have all rights, licences, consents and permissions necessary to create, submit and license the Creator Content to Unilever as described in these Terms, including rights in music, sound recordings, images, footage, trademarks, logos, recipes or other protected materials, and that your Creator Content does not infringe any third-party rights, including intellectual property, privacy, publicity, or contractual rights.

10.2. You represent and warrant that any individuals appearing in your Creator Content have provided valid consent for recording and for the uses described in these Terms. If your Creator Content includes minors, you represent and warrant that you have obtained verifiable consent from a parent or legal guardian and that the content complies with all applicable child protection, labour, and platform rules.

10.3. You represent and warrant that your Creator Content and your participation in ChefVerse comply with all applicable laws, regulations, codes and guidance, including advertising and consumer protection rules, food safety and hygiene rules, and platform terms applicable to the social media channels on which you post.

11. Disclosures; claims; brand safety; content integrity

11.1. Where you create content in connection with ChefVerse, including where you receive or may receive any benefit such as products, invitations, access, recognition, rewards, or other value, you must make clear, prominent and timely disclosures as required by applicable law, regulatory guidance and platform rules, and in accordance with any disclosure instructions included in the relevant brief or Programme Policies.

11.2. You must not make false, misleading or unsubstantiated statements about Unilever, ChefVerse, Unilever brands or products. You must not make nutrition, health, environmental, sustainability, performance, comparative, or other regulated claims unless such claims are expressly authorised in the relevant brief and supported by approved substantiation or claim guidance provided by Unilever.

11.3. You must not portray unsafe food handling, unsafe kitchen practices, or conduct that may endanger consumers or participants. You must not associate Unilever brands with unlawful, extremist, hateful, discriminatory, sexually explicit, or otherwise brand-unsafe content, or with content that could reasonably undermine trust in ChefVerse or the UFS brand.

11.4. Unilever may request that you correct, amend, add disclosures to, or remove content that Unilever reasonably believes is non-compliant or poses legal, safety, reputational or brand risks. Failure to comply with such requests may result in suspension, termination, withholding of rewards, and/or other remedies.

12. Rewards; recognition; events; fulfilment; tax

12.1. ChefVerse may offer rewards, recognition and benefits, which may include product access, event invitations, digital badges, tiered access to programme features, spotlighting, reposts or collaborations, and, where stated, monetary or voucher value (collectively, “Rewards”). Rewards structures may be used during pilots and beyond to test and learn what participants value and what drives output and retention.

12.2. Unless expressly stated otherwise in writing, Rewards are discretionary, subject to eligibility, availability and programme rules, may be substituted with items of equal or greater value, are non-transferable, and are not redeemable for cash. Unilever may impose reasonable limits on frequency, quantity, or categories of Rewards per participant.

12.3. Where events are offered, participation may be subject to additional event rules, venue policies, safety requirements, age requirements, travel requirements, and capacity limits. Unilever may cancel, reschedule or modify events for operational, safety, legal or other reasons. Except where required by applicable law, Unilever is not responsible for costs you incur in anticipation of an event unless Unilever has expressly agreed in writing to cover such costs.

12.4. You are responsible for any taxes, duties, levies, declarations or reporting obligations arising from your participation or receipt of Rewards, except to the extent that applicable law requires Unilever to withhold or report. Unilever may request information and documentation reasonably necessary for compliance (including identity verification and tax forms), and may withhold or delay Rewards where such information is not provided or where Unilever reasonably suspects fraud, non-compliance or misrepresentation.

12.5. Participation in ChefVerse does not create an employment, worker, agency, partnership or joint venture relationship. You act as an independent participant and retain control over your creative process, subject to compliance with these Terms, Programme Policies, and applicable law.

12.6. Unilever may withhold, revoke, require return of, or seek repayment of the value of Rewards where Unilever reasonably determines that Rewards were obtained through fraud, manipulation, misrepresentation, non-compliance with disclosure requirements, breach of these Terms, or other misconduct, or where local law or programme rules require such action.

12.7. Where the programme operates a points mechanic, points are earned for completed trainings and approved brief submissions and accumulate as a balance shown in your account. You redeem Rewards yourself from the Rewards section by spending that balance; a redemption is final and cannot be reversed, cancelled or exchanged once confirmed. Physical Rewards are then prepared for despatch to the address held on your profile; digital Rewards are granted to your account. Points carry no cash value, cannot be transferred between participants, and may expire in accordance with the programme rules notified to you.

13. Confidentiality; embargoes; product testing; non-disclosure

13.1. From time to time, Unilever may provide you with confidential or non-public information in connection with ChefVerse, including unreleased product information, new product development materials, internal brand guidance, commercial plans, briefs, roadmaps, platform features, or measurement insights (“Confidential Information”). Confidential Information may be marked as confidential or may reasonably be understood to be confidential given its nature.

13.2. You agree to keep Confidential Information strictly confidential, not to disclose it to any third party, and to use it solely for purposes of participation in ChefVerse. You agree to comply with any embargo dates or launch timings communicated by Unilever and not to publish or hint at Confidential Information prior to permitted dates.

13.3. Upon Unilever’s request, you will promptly return or delete Confidential Information in your possession or control, except to the extent you are required to retain it by law. These confidentiality obligations do not apply to information that becomes public through no breach by you, or that you must disclose by law or court order, provided that you notify Unilever in advance where legally permitted.

14. Unilever intellectual property; permitted use

14.1. All intellectual property rights in and to the Services and all materials provided by Unilever within the Services, including platform design, software, text, templates, toolkits, educational content, briefs, dashboards, and Programme Policies (excluding Creator Content), are owned by or licensed to Unilever. All rights not expressly granted are reserved.

14.2. Unilever brands, trademarks, logos and trade dress are owned by Unilever or used under licence. You may use Unilever trademarks and brand assets only as expressly permitted by the relevant brief, Programme Policies or brand guidelines, and you must not register or use confusingly similar marks or handles.

14.3. You may download or access Unilever-provided materials only for your personal professional use in connection with ChefVerse participation. You must not sell, license, publish, distribute, or otherwise commercially exploit Unilever-provided materials or make them publicly available outside the Services unless Unilever has expressly permitted this in writing.

15. Unsolicited ideas

15.1. Unilever’s policy is not to accept unsolicited ideas outside requested programme activities. If you submit ideas, concepts, suggestions or materials not requested by a brief, you agree that such submissions are non-confidential and non-proprietary, and Unilever may use them without restriction or compensation to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law.

16. Measurement; analytics; social listening; programme improvement

16.1. ChefVerse may include measurement and reporting features intended to evaluate chef growth, brand growth, commercial outcomes and cultural impact, and may integrate with third-party analytics and influencer/creator platforms where applicable. The programme may use social listening, sentiment and narrative tracking, and performance reporting to understand content effectiveness and improve briefs, education and programme design.

16.2. Unilever may collect and analyse performance data relating to your Creator Content and ChefVerse participation, including engagement metrics and aggregated insights. The nature and legal basis for such processing, including any personal data processing, is described in the Privacy Notice. Where required by law, Unilever will obtain consents or provide choices consistent with applicable data protection requirements.

17. Third-party services; links; platform terms

17.1. The Services may reference or link to third-party websites, tools or platforms, or may interoperate with third-party services. Unilever does not control and is not responsible for third-party services, content, or terms. Your use of third-party platforms (including social media platforms) is governed by the terms and policies of those platforms, and you are responsible for compliance with them.

17.2. Any links are provided for convenience and do not imply endorsement by Unilever. Unilever is not liable for any loss or damage arising from your use of third-party services.

18. Availability; disclaimers; no reliance

18.1. The Services are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Unilever disclaims all warranties and representations, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, and accuracy or completeness.

18.2. Without limiting Clause 4.2, Unilever does not guarantee any particular outcome from participation, including growth in social followers, engagement, bookings, revenue, or career opportunities. Educational materials and toolkits are provided for informational purposes and do not constitute professional advice.

18.3. Unilever may correct errors, update materials, and make changes to the Services at any time. Unilever is not responsible for interruptions, delays, security incidents, or failures caused by factors outside Unilever’s reasonable control.

19. Limitation of liability

19.1. Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability for fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation, death or personal injury caused by negligence, wilful misconduct, or any liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.

19.2. Subject to Clause 19.1, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Unilever shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or for any loss of profit, revenue, goodwill, business opportunities, anticipated savings, reputation, or data, arising out of or in connection with your use of or participation in the Services, even if Unilever has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

19.3. Subject to Clause 19.1, and to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Unilever’s total aggregate liability arising out of or in connection with the Services and these Terms shall be limited to the greater of (a) the total value of Rewards provided to you by Unilever under ChefVerse in the twelve months preceding the event giving rise to the claim, and (b) one hundred pounds sterling (GBP 100) or the equivalent amount in local currency, unless a different cap is required by mandatory applicable law or specified in a country annex.

20. Indemnity

20.1. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, you agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless Unilever and its affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, employees and agents, from and against any claims, losses, liabilities, damages, costs and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or in connection with (a) your Creator Content, (b) your breach of these Terms or Programme Policies, (c) your violation of law or third-party rights, or (d) your negligence or wilful misconduct.

21. Suspension; termination; effect

21.1. Unilever may suspend or terminate your access to all or part of the Services at any time, with or without notice, where Unilever reasonably believes that you have breached these Terms, Programme Policies, or applicable law, or where Unilever considers suspension or termination necessary to protect participants, consumers, Unilever, or the integrity, security or reputation of ChefVerse.

21.2. You may stop using the Services at any time and may request account closure through the mechanisms provided within the Services, subject to Unilever’s obligations to retain certain information where required by law.

21.3. Termination or suspension does not affect rights and obligations accrued prior to termination. Clauses which by their nature are intended to survive termination shall survive, including Clauses 9 (Licence), 10 (Warranties), 11 (Disclosures/Claims), 13 (Confidentiality), 14 (Intellectual Property), 18 (Disclaimers), 19 (Limitation of Liability), 20 (Indemnity), and 22 (Governing Law/Notices).

22. Governing law; jurisdiction; mandatory local rights

22.1. Unless a country annex states otherwise, these Terms and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them or the Services, including non-contractual disputes or claims, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Netherlands.

22.2. Subject to Clause 22.3, the courts of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, shall have non-exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with these Terms or the Services.

22.3. Nothing in these Terms deprives you of rights you may have under mandatory laws of your country of residence, and where mandatory local law requires a different governing law, jurisdiction, dispute resolution mechanism, or specific consumer protections, those mandatory rules shall apply to the extent required.

23. Changes to these terms

23.1. Unilever may update these Terms from time to time. Unilever will post the updated Terms within the Services and update the “last updated” date. Where Unilever considers changes material, Unilever may provide additional notice through the Services or via email, where practicable. Your continued use of the Services after the effective date of updated Terms constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

24. Miscellaneous

24.1. If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable, that provision shall be enforced to the maximum extent permissible and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

24.2. Unilever’s failure to enforce any provision shall not constitute a waiver of that provision or any other provision.

24.3. You may not assign, transfer or sublicense your rights or obligations under these Terms without Unilever’s prior written consent. Unilever may assign or transfer its rights and obligations under these Terms to an affiliate or successor in connection with a corporate reorganisation, merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.

24.4. These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and Unilever regarding the Services and supersede all prior or contemporaneous communications and understandings, whether written or oral, relating to the Services.

24.5. Notices to you may be delivered electronically to the email address associated with your account and/or through the Services. Notices to Unilever must be sent to the Operator’s registered office address (or such other address as Unilever may specify within the Services) and must include sufficient detail to identify your account and the nature of the notice.

Country annexes

Annexes may apply based on your location, the Operator, and the relevant programme market. Where an annex applies, it forms part of these Terms for participants within its scope.