Overview
McDermott’s Food, Beverage & Agribusiness team comprises leading regulatory lawyers who advise on the regulation, licensing, distribution, labeling, current Good Manufacturing Practices, e-commerce, advertising, false claims and marketing of food and beverage products, as well as their related inputs.
We regularly represent clients and trade groups in preparing and submitting comments to agencies on emerging regulatory issues. For example, the passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act has ushered in a new wave of regulatory proposals and challenges for those involved in the production, storage and distribution of foods. These proposals will significantly change the manner in which many companies in this space will operate in order to remain in accord with the law’s requirements.
We assist growers, processors and distributors in developing food safety and quality control programs that help them meet the regulatory requirements of the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, the Food and Nutrition Service, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the Foreign Agricultural Service. Our alcohol regulatory and distribution team is active at the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau and the FTC, and is involved with the control authorities in almost every US state.
As the pace of regulatory and law enforcement efforts by the FDA and USDA has increased, we have represented numerous companies in handling a range of enforcement actions. When regulatory investigations or product recalls arise, we provide comprehensive crisis management assistance and advise in connection with related proceedings.
Our experienced Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) team also advises industry clients on compliance issues and the full range of enforcement actions. We have pioneered approaches that have shaped existing policies and have successfully handled many of the largest OSHA enforcement actions.
