FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY LAW

Associates Law Firm attorneys have wide-ranging and deep expertise in the myriad legal issues facing our clients in the food and beverage industry. Whether relating to safety regulations, intellectual property, product recalls, advertising and labeling issues, class action litigation or government agency enforcement, our attorneys have the skills to address business challenges that are unique to those in this essential industry. Let us help you navigate the complicated legal regime governing food and food products, so you can focus on what is important – making your business thrive!

Clients from across the locale and abroad benefit from Associates Law Firm’s cross-disciplinary focus on the food, beverage and agribusiness industry including organic plants. Supported by the knowledge of experienced corporate, finance, real estate, labour & employment, tax and estate planning practitioners, we are well positioned to provide legal advice that helps you achieve your current, short-term, and long-term goals in the Food and Beverage (FnB) sector locally and internationally.

When it comes to the food and beverage industry, we believe in getting to know the business – not just the law. At Associates Law Firm, we understand the significant challenges facing clients in all segments of the highly competitive food and beverage industry – from the receipt of harvests and subsequent processing and packaging through the delivery of food products to the grocery stores and restaurants that serve consumers. For several decades, Associates Law Firm have been helping clients not only surmount these mounting hurdles, but also to realize the opportunities available in an evolving industries around the world.

At Associates Law Firm, we counsel on a full spectrum of issues facing companies that produce, distribute, or sell food and beverages, including the businesses that support them. Our attorneys understand the food industry and stand ready to help address the major decisions facing your business, including:

Food Safety & Product Recalls: navigating federal and local laws involving food safety and assisting in all stages of the recall process.

Food & Beverage Labeling and Packaging: reviewing labeling and packaging to ensure compliance with state and federal regulations and with special labeling rules for organic and natural foods.

Product Development: representing clients before the regulators such as; the FDA, UDSA, USPTO, and state agencies in all phases of the product development cycle.

Brand Name Identification & Intellectual Property Protection: patent, trademark, and copyright services to protect your technology and brand and enforcing and defending intellectual property rights and infringement claims in state and federal courts.

Promotion, Advertising, E-Commerce & Sweepstakes: advising on regulators such as; FTC and FDA product advertising and promotion requirements, including local requirements for sweepstakes and contests.

Importing/Exporting Compliance and Regulations: assisting domestic and international clients in complying with the rules and regulations of the FDA, USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine, Food Safety and Inspection Service, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, including ensuring that clients have met regulatory requirements for importing or exporting food, assisting clients with permit applications and product disclosures at the state and federal level, drafting trade agreements, and setting up Local, State, Federal, and International corporate entities.

It is this range of experience and expertise -- coupled with our thorough comprehension of our clients’ food and beverage (FnB) business needs and goals -- that supports our ability to help our numerous clients not only grow and protect their brands but achieve success in the long run.

Food and Beverages Professional Services:

1. Corporate organization and structuring
2. Tax planning and audit compliance
3. Asset based financing
4. Bankruptcy and insolvency
5. Vendor, manufacturing and co-packaging arrangements
6. International operations, distribution and transportation
7. Warehousing, fulfillment, distribution and licensing
8. Contract disputes
9. Mergers & acquisitions
10. Joint ventures
11. Real estate acquisition, financing, leasing, land use and zoning
12. Environmental compliance and enforcement actions
13. Labour, employment, employee benefits
14. Patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret protection
15. Regulatory compliance
16. Permitting and licensing of wineries, breweries and distilleries
17. Liquor licensing
18. Litigation
19. Franchisee and franchisor agreements
20. Consumer health and safety
21. Trusts, estates and succession planning

Who We Represent in the Food and Beverages Industry:

1. Suppliers
2. Manufacturers
3. Brokers
4. Packagers
5. Distributors
6. Retailers
7. Restaurants
8. Craft Brewers
9. Distillers
10. Wineries
11. Organic Plants

At Associates Law Firm, we are trusted advisors to clients ranging from start-up and early stage manufacturers of ingredients to privately held food product and flavoring companies in the food and beverage (FnB) industry that we have represented for several decades; from local, national processing and marketing cooperatives of farmers who produce the food to publicly-traded integrated food companies and subsidiaries of global food and beverage giants.

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Our broad experience in the (Food & Beverages (FnB) Industry Practices) includes:

For many of these clients, we serve in a general counsel role, working closely with senior management on all aspects of their food and beverage legal issues. When necessary, we coordinate our food and beverage industry law services with those of firm colleagues to provide exceptional representation in:

• General business litigation
• Franchise and distribution litigation
• Acquisitions and divestitures
• Joint ventures
• Environmental compliance
• Labour and employment counseling and litigation
• Employee benefits
• Finance
• Financial markets and products
• Settlements
• Patents
• Intellectual property
• Investment matters
• Real estate
• Tax issues
• Trade secrets and unfair competition
• Securities, commodities and swaps regulation and litigation
• Supply chain negotiations and contracting
• Environmental compliance
• Litigation

Questions Regarding This Food & Beverages (FnB) Industry Law?

If you have any questions or enquiries regarding this Food & Beverages (FnB) Industry Law or have any need or request for our professional and expert legal services, please send us an email to: enquiry@associatelawfirm.com or contact us .