What is Food Law?
Generally speaking, Food Law encompasses international, federal, state and local laws that govern members of the commercial food industry. These laws regulate how food can be produced domestically or imported, processed, transported, distributed, and sold by retailers for end-use consumption.
Meeting the challenges associated with this heavily regulated industry requires a diversity of legal and administrative talents. Food industry members inevitably encounter issues associated with numerous areas of responsibility, compliance and requirements, including:
- Administrative rules and marketing orders;
- Antitrust, fair trade and competition laws;
- Commercial contract and business laws;
Crisis prevention strategies, including preparing and assisting with the implementation of recall programs, inspection policies and compliance with FSMA;
- Crisis management, including misbranding lawsuits, government enforcement actions, PACA claims, and contamination events;
- Federal, state and occasionally even local registration or authorization requirements;
- Intellectual Property laws that govern the creation and use of trademarks for food products;
- Labelling regulations, e.g. FDA, USDA and DSHEA claims and labeling compliance;
- Production regulations;
- Taxation regulations;
- Transportation laws;
- Use of substances laws.
What can GrayRobinson do for members of the Food Industry?
GrayRobinson is a full-service law firm with over 300 attorneys and professionals who focus their talents in over 80 diverse areas of law to serve clients throughout America. Our Food Law Team is comprised of attorneys and professionals who represent clients in connection with the laws, regulations and business challenges facing producers, importers, processors, distributors and retailers of the commercial food industry.
Because GrayRobinson’s lawyers and professionals work collaboratively, our firm can provide "one-stop servicing" for a comprehensive range of food industry legal and business needs. Examples of the services we offer include:
- Agricultural Law and Administrative Compliance
- Business Entity Formation
- Commercial Leasing
- Contracts
- Co-op Formation and Maintenance
- Crop and Livestock Production
- Crop Insurance
- Farm Leasing
- Import/Export
- Labeling, Registration and Reporting
- Land Use and Zoning
- Litigation and Dispute Resolution
- Marketing Order Compliance
- Nonprofit Law
- Product Liability
- Production, Distribution and Marketing Contracts
- Real Property Law
- Taxation
- Transportation
- Wills, Trusts and Estate Planning