Competent, reliable, fast – and above all, safe. This is what matters in food and the complementary areas of law, and this is what the experts at Friedrich Graf von Westphalen & Partner stand for.

Anyone who develops, manufactures or distributes food, animal feed, animal by-products, cosmetics, food contact materials, consumer goods, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, food supplements, drugs, antibodies, bacteria or cells operates in a difficult legal environment. A large number of requirements for the development, manufacturing, approval, labelling, distribution and use of the 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 such products but also safety issues.

Good pilots are needed to navigate this terrain safely. Gladly, we will advise and support you on these issues.

We accompany suppliers, manufacturers and distributors throughout the entire process, from product development, contract drafting and marketing to product recall. The ground work for avoiding and solving potential quality problems is laid as early as the research and development contract stage. We advise preventively in connection with supply contracts, general terms and conditions and quality assurance agreements. In doing so, not only national but also the constantly growing European requirements for manufacturers have to be taken into account. Legal advice on technical law is provided to ensure that you are on the safe side. We also support our clients in case of an emergency. We are familiar with the competent authorities – nationally and across Europe. And they are familiar with us. This makes it easier for us to quickly and efficiently initiate the necessary measures in the event of product defects, including the support and implementation of worldwide product recalls. We also use this expertise to defend against liability claims in the event of damage.

In addition, our food law experts focus on advising along the food law areas of responsibility in regulatory issues, in negotiations with supervisory and approval authorities, in questions of product labelling and advertising. We support you in your hygiene management, the development of measures for food safety culture, including the drawing up of HACCP concepts and developing viable concepts for food law compliance, including advice in the context of risk and complaint management.

Another focus of our consulting services is the judicial and extrajudicial review of the amount of fees set for official controls by veterinary authorities and the disposal and marketing of animal by-products. We represent you in disputes with competitors and authorities, including criminal and sanction proceedings.

Moreover, we advise German companies on their activities abroad, as well as foreign companies in Germany. We therefore maintain a close network with law firms from all major economic regions of the world that have special expertise in food law.