Food safety and labelling

Our dedicated regulatory team acts for businesses across the food and drink industry, ranging from national restaurant chains to international drinks manufacturers and distributors. Recently, we have helped a number of national pub and restaurant chains comply with new food safety requirements, allergen labelling issues and post-Brexit changes.

It can be difficult for businesses in the sector to understand what they need to do to stay compliant, as regulations continue to increase and change every year. Our specialist training and technical advice helps clients at every stage of the food supply chain meet their strict legal obligations around food safety and labelling.

The consequences of safety issues with food and drink products can be serious and come with significant penalties from regulators. To help prevent this, we regularly test clients’ due diligence procedures in getting food from the field to the table. We can also:

• Deal with investigations and prosecutions brought by regulators, such as the Food Standards Agency and local authorities
• Work with local authority enforcement teams on behalf of businesses and individuals involved in food safety investigations and prosecutions
• Advise on how to handle regulatory breaches around food labelling, food hygiene and product contamination.

• Advised a London restaurant and bar chain in respect of labelling issues for allergens and alleged food poisoning incidents.
• Advising a national grocer in relation to labelling and export requirements for food and drink supplies to Northern Ireland post Brexit.
• Represented an individual involved in a local authority investigation following an allergen labelling non-compliance issue, we assisted with PACE responses and representation at preliminary hearings.