DLA Piper has for many years been a trusted advisor to many big names in the food retail, hospitality and leisure and manufacturing industries. We continue to provide guidance and assistance to household names in the food and beverage industry on all aspects of food law from compliance, labelling and marketing and enforcement  proceedings and on related regulatory regimes such as such as health, safety and environmental regulation.

Bringing a product to market

We advise a large number of both UK and international clients on a wide range of European and domestic UK regulations which govern the composition and safety requirements of products. Examples include: the "New Approach" Directives, the WEEE and RoHS Directives, the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations and the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2007.

Another area of focus has been on the REACH Regulation, which has had a significant impact on the chemical industry but has also affected many other industries to some degree.

Products already on the market

Unforeseen issues can arise once a product reaches the market place. A recent change of law may mean that a product is suddenly non-compliant or suppliers may have failed disclose the presence of a specific substance within the material or product they supply, which in turn gives rise to a regulatory issue for your business.

We advise on the full range of compliance issues in respect of products which are already on the market. We work closely with our clients to understand their business and product range so that we are familiar with the types of issues that may arise. Should it become necessary, we communicate efficiently with regulators and help to manage the reputation of the business.

Product failure resulting in likely personal injury or property loss can lead to costly and damaging litigation. Information must be assimilated quickly to allow the crisis management team to assess whether a not a recall is necessary and to continually review that decision. We have provided general compliance advice and strategic advice to companies faced with recalling products and regularly form part of clients' recall project teams during the operational process of product recall.