THE FOOD LAW GROUP

The Food Law Group - founded in 1990 - has at its core activity the provision of seminars in the early evenings on issues directly related to food law. Speakers at the seminars have included:

• experienced lawyers and legal academics
• senior officers of the Food Standards Agency
• executives of the Advertising Standards Authority
• scientists involved in food law matters

The seminars - for which CPD points can be claimed - are primarily in London but have also been held in Bristol and Leeds. Members of the Group enjoy a high profile in food law and include solicitors, barristers, trainees, pupils and para legals (including many in-house lawyers in food related businesses) together with a small number of non-lawyers carrying out food law related work such as microbiologists who act as expert witnesses in food law cases.

The Group also makes written representations to Government and Government organisations such as the Food Standards Agency.

Submissions were made to Government by the Group on the due diligence defence in food law cases and its retention in UK law so promoting the adoption of due diligence as a means of improving standards of food quality and safety. These were influential in the retention of the defence.

The Group has debated the development of food labelling information and regulation of nutrition and health claims. Significant topic of interest to lawyers, industry and individuals have included BSE, GM food ingredients and nutrition and health claims for foods.

The Group has organised educational visits relevant to food law, including to the European Commission in Brussels, to the Laboratory of the Government Chemist and to the European Food Safety Authority in Dublin.

(Click here for ‘How to join the Food Law Group')