Food Law

Competent, reliable, fast – and first and foremost, secure. That is what matters in food law and related areas of law, and that is what the experts at Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner stand for.

Anyone who develops, manufactures, or distributes food, feed, animal by-products, cosmetics, food contact materials, consumer goods, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, dietary supplements, remedies, antibodies, bacteria, or cells operates in a difficult legal environment. A multitude of requirements for the development, manufacture, approval, labeling, distribution, and use of products and their accompanying documentation must be observed at the German and European level in order to avoid chain reactions that can affect not only the marketability of a product but also safety issues.

To navigate this terrain safely, you need good guides. We are happy to advise and support you in this process.

• We support suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors in all areas, from product development and contract drafting to marketing and product recalls. The foundations for preventing and resolving potential quality issues are laid as early as the research and development contract stage.
• We provide preventive advice on supply contracts, general terms and conditions, and quality assurance agreements. In doing so, we take into account not only national requirements but also the ever-increasing European requirements for manufacturers. We advise on technical law so that you are on the safe side.
• We also stand by our clients in “emergencies”: we know the relevant authorities – nationally and across Europe. And they know us. This makes it easier to quickly and efficiently initiate the necessary measures in the event of product defects, right through to the management and implementation of worldwide recall campaigns. We also use this expertise to defend against liability claims in the event of damage.
• Our food law experts also focus on advising on regulatory issues in areas of responsibility under food law, on negotiations with supervisory and licensing authorities, and on issues of product labeling and advertising. We support you in your hygiene management, the development of procedures for food safety culture, including the creation of HACCP concepts, and develop viable measures for food law compliance, including advice on risk and complaint management.
• We are happy to take on the extrajudicial and judicial review of the amount of fees charged for official inspections by veterinary authorities and the disposal of animal by-products and their marketing. We represent you in disputes with competitors and authorities, including in criminal and sanction proceedings.

We advise German companies on their activities abroad, as well as foreign companies in Germany. To this end, we maintain a close network of law firms from all major economic regions of the world that have special expertise in food law. Our advisors also specifically incorporate related areas of German law in order to consistently address regulatory, competitive, and sales-related issues. This results in legally compliant structures that create planning security and support business processes.