Greenberg Traurig's Legal Food Talk

In this episode of GT’s Legal Food Talk podcast, host Justin Prochnow sits down for a roundtable discussion with guests Christopher Morey and Chris Strachan, alongside co-host and commercial litigator Stacy Carpenter.  Together, they delve into the critical role of insurance in the food, beverage, and supplement industries, covering everything from general liability and product recall coverage to stock throughput and directors and officers (D&O) insurance.  With real-world anecdotes, practical advice, and a touch of humor, the panel highlights the importance of working with specialized brokers, understanding policy exclusions, and discussing what to do to protect your business from unexpected risks.

In this episode of Greenberg Traurig Legal Food Talk, host Justin Prochnow sits down with Alan and Maxine Henderson, a dynamic husband-and-wife duo in the food and beverage industry. Alan, a former college basketball and NBA star and more recent spirits entrepreneur, and Maxine, a former electrical engineer turned beverage innovator, share their unique paths to launching their respective brands, Henderson Spirits Group and Bollygood. Maxine brings the flavors of India to her beverage with Bollygood, the first Indian-inspired sparkling lemonade, rooted in her family’s recipe for Nimbu Pani. Alan crafts spirits that honor African American history under brands like Tom Bullock’s and Birdie Brown. They discuss the challenges of entrepreneurship, the lessons learned, and how their backgrounds in sports and engineering have shaped their approach to business. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur or a fan of innovative products, this episode offers valuable insights and inspiration. Tune in!

In this episode of Legal Food Talk, host Justin Prochnow welcomes Sara Zborovski, one of his attorney counterparts from Canada with Stikeman Elliott to discuss the outlook on food regulation in 2025 for the United States and Canada.  Like a baseball or hockey game played between teams from Canada and the United States, they stand at attention while both national anthems play, discussing some of the potential political implications on food regulation in 2025, including a new administration in the United States and Justin Trudeau’s recent actions to prorogue Parliament in Canada.  They then discuss the wave of FDA guidance issues by the FDA at the end of 2024 and the start of 2025, including FDA’s revised definition of “healthy”, the removal of coconut as a food allergen, new action levels for lead in food intended for infants and children, and the proper naming of plant-based food alternatives.  This episode is a shining example of international cooperation and the best collaboration between the U.S. and Canada since Canadian bacon and pineapple!

In this episode of Legal Food Talk, host Justin Prochnow welcomes colleague Will Wagner back to Greenberg Traurig and back to the Legal Food Talk podcast! As one of the only repeat guests on Legal Food Talk, Will joins Justin to discuss what has changed in the last three years regarding environmental compliance for food companies since they recorded Episode 6 way back in 2021.  They revisit California’s Prop 65 and some of the challenges for food companies to maintain compliance and respond to bounty hunter allegations. Will also breaks down the significance of EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility for those wondering) and what companies need to do to ensure compliance with requirements that may seem far away but are closer than everyone thinks.  They also discuss PFAS and the various state laws prohibiting PFAS in packaging, as well as plaintiff lawyer class actions in the space. Finally, they discuss making environmental claims like “biodegradable” and the regulation of such claims on the state level in California and other jurisdictions, as well as what might be coming in the ever-pending revisions to the FTC’s Green Guides. The guys provide you the answers to questions you didn’t even know you had. Download and tune in!

In this episode of the Legal Food Talk podcast, host Justin Prochnow welcomes Greenberg Traurig colleague Peter Arhangelsky to discuss 5 Trends in the Food and Beverage Industry. After some background on Peter and his journey to GT, they breakdown some of the top trends affecting FDA-regulated industries in 2024. With Natural Products ExpoWest back for another year, Justin and Peter discuss the interplay between digital marketing and in-person tradeshows and how companies are deciding where to put their marketing dollars. They also discuss how PFAS and other chemicals are in the cross-hairs of class action plaintiff lawyers in 2024, even as the FTC reevaluates “The Green Guides” and various environmental claims. Plant-based foods and “healthy” claims are also likely to dominate discussion in 2024. And they wrap up with some PSAs regarding various laws and regulations that become effective in 2024 that companies need to know. This is the catch-up collab you need to be prepared for everything coming at you in 2024.