Knowing how food and beverage laws can affect the restaurant industry is essential. It ensures that restaurants, vending machines, and suppliers comply with government legislation and the legal repercussions if they fail to do so.
Food Laws and alcoholic beverage laws are state and federal regulations that govern the areas of safety and distribution for the food industry and the manufacture, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages.
While food and alcoholic beverage laws are concentrated in food safety and distribution, they are also subject to laws such as nutrition labeling, product labeling, and post-market safety monitoring.
Similarly, the food and beverage industry is subject to a wide array of regulatory agencies in the US. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are primarily responsible for ensuring compliance in the food and drug industries.
However, a wide array of state and local laws impact the food and beverage industry, including health code regulations and zoning laws, to name a few.
The food and beverage industry has become highly organized over the years, and, as a result, state and federal laws have developed quite a bit, particularly around product safety claims, accurate labeling and advertising, food import regulations, and the like. But, while the legal concerns of the food industry are expansive, there are crossover practice areas that are often of interest to those in the food and beverage industry, including contract, business law, distribution networks, agricultural law, personal injury, international trade laws, and many others.
