Food & Beverages Benelux

Share the Expertise Food law compliance is essential to a successful business and to building trust-based relationships. Food & Beverages Loyens & Loeff

Food law

Every day, millions of people in Europe consume food and beverages imported from all over the world. Due to its impact on human life and health, it is not surprising that the food sector is one of the most heavily regulated markets in the European Union. Continuous changes to this regulatory framework make compliance a challenging and delicate issue. Correct implementation, however, is essential to a successful business in the food industry and to building trust-based relationships with other market players.

At Loyens & Loeff, we understand that a well-informed and pragmatic approach to this complex subject is paramount for a business.

The members of the Food & Beverages team have the expertise to assist you with these challenges. Our team’s practice covers all facets of Food Law, thus ensuring that when you work with us, you have at your disposal the required legal expertise for all legal aspects of your business.

Our expertise

The Food & Beverages team specialises in the Benelux and European regulatory environment relating to food- and feedstuffs and offers assistance and advice on topics ranging from:

• Nutrition and health claims made about foodstuffs (including intellectual property issues); • Labelling; • Food safety and related liability (including mandatory notifications and product recalls); • Market Practices related to the food and feed sectors (i.e. [comparative] advertising, joint offers, price policy, and other practices prevalent in the industry); • Establishing distribution networks; • Drafting service agreements such as manufacturing agreements; • Assistance in the integration process of food and feed companies (including pre- and post-acquisition legal/compliance review, application procedure with the regulator and drafting of the specific representations).

Our services cover giving advice, drafting of contracts, negotiating with the relevant authorities (Belgian, Dutch, Luxembourg and European) and litigating questions of Food Law in its broadest sense.

As a Benelux team, the Food & Beverages team is composed of lawyers from Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, with sector-specific experience. Our team’s practice covers all facets of Food Law. Food & Beverages Loyens & Loeff

Some recently handled matters

• On a continuing basis, providing full legal support to a company that manufactures and distributes on a global scale new and creative high- grade Belgian chocolate, particularly regarding labelling, packaging and the implementation of their distribution network. • Assisting a well-known Italian food manufacturer in obtaining specific authorizations from the Belgian food safety authorities. • Advising an industrial group with respect to the acquisition of a Belgian ready-to-eat meals business with regards to the due diligence of all (supply and manufacturing) agreements and of the regulatory framework. • Assisting and representing a major Colombian fish importer regarding quality control issues related to food purchased from a Belgian company in the context of a major import-export arrangement. • Extensively advising an international Food and Beverages company on EU and Dutch food safety and hygiene (HACCP) regulation. • Advising a public affairs group on specific aspects of the Novel Foods Regulation. • Assisting a well-known U.S. feed company regarding the labelling compliance in the EU and representing them before the Belgian food safety authorities. • Assisting an importer of dried fruit, nuts and seeds on questions related to food product liability. • Representing a public tap-water supplier in the first Belgian leading case regarding the application of Nutrition and Health Claim Regulation. The Food & Beverages team is composed of lawyers from Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, with sector-specific experience. Food & Beverages Loyens & Loeff

Belgium

Yves Van Couter Aude Mahy Partner, Brussels Associate, Brussels Woluwe Atrium Woluwe Atrium Neerveldstraat 101-103 Neerveldstraat 101-103 B-1200 Brussels B-1200 Brussels T +32 2 743 43 25 T + 32 2 773 23 69 [email protected] [email protected]

The Netherlands

Jeroen van den Brande Kim Lucassen Partner, Rotterdam Associate, Rotterdam Blaak 31 Blaak 31 3011 GA Rotterdam 3011 GA Rotterdam The Netherlands The Netherlands +31 10 224 66 88 T +31 10 224 67 08 [email protected] [email protected]

Luxembourg

Véronique Hoffeld Amélie Gandon Partner, Luxembourg Associate, Luxembourg 18-20, Rue Edward Steichen 18-20, Rue Edward Steichen L-2540 Luxemburg L-2540 Luxemburg T +352 466 230 232 T +352 466 230 473 [email protected] [email protected] Amsterdam Arnhem Aruba Brussels Curaçao Dubai Eindhoven Geneva Hong Kong London Luxembourg New York Paris Rotterdam Singapore Tokyo Zurich

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