greenberg traurig, llp attorneys at law ©2009. all rights reserved. beverage school: beverages 101...
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GREENBERG TRAURIG, LLP ATTORNEYS AT LAW WWW.GTLAW.COM ©2009. All rights reserved.
Beverage School: Beverages 101Legal and Regulatory Issues
December 2, 2012
Speaker:
Justin J. Prochnow [email protected] (303) 572-6562
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MAKING A LIST
Beverages vs. Supplements
Contracts
Labels and Claims
Endorsements and Testimonials
Intellectual Property
FDA Enforcement
Civil Litigation
Final Thoughts
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WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
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BEVERAGES vs. SUPPLEMENTS
Beverages□ Regulated as conventional foods
□ Nutrition Facts – 21 CFR 101.9
□ 8 oz serving size or single-serving containers
□ Ingredients must be approved food additives or GRAS
Liquid Supplements□ Regulated as dietary supplements
□ No set serving size
□ Supplement Facts – 21 CFR 101.36
□ Ingredients must be dietary ingredients
2009 FDA Guidance on Supplements/Beverages
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HEY BUDDY, YOU WANNA BUY A WATCH?
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CONTRACTS AND AGREEMENTS
Contracts with manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, affiliates marketers, consultants, etc.□ The time to address issues is at the
outset when everyone is still talking to each other
□ Contract considerations:
Obligations and responsibilities
Indemnifications / Insurance
Non-compete / Non-disclosure
Breaches / Cures
Termination
Dispute Resolution
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IS THERE GOLD IN DEM DER HILLS? (STAKING YOUR CLAIMS)
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LABELING
FDA regulates labeling, FTC regulates ads
21 USC § 321(m)□ The term “labeling” means all labels
and other written, printed or graphic matter
(1) upon any article or any of its containers or wrappers, or
(2) accompanying such article
FDA and the courts have identified brochures, booklets, films, sound recordings, and other pieces of printed, audio or visual matter to be labeling, including websites and other Internet materials
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LABELING
Labeling regulations - 21 CFR Part 101□ Examples of primary labeling regulations
Statement of Identity (21 CFR 101.3)
Net Quantity of Contents (21 CFR 101.105)
Nutritional Information (21 CFR 101.9 and 101.36)
List of Ingredients (21 CFR 101.4)
Name and Address of Business (21 CFR 101.5)
Food Allergen Labeling Act of 2004
Adverse Event Reporting
Can you copy someone else’s label?□ Only if you know you are copying the A+ student!
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CLAIMS
THREE TYPES OF CLAIMS PERMITTED FOR FOODS, BEVERAGES AND SUPPLEMENTS□ STRUCTURE-FUNCTION CLAIMS
□ NUTRIENT CONTENT CLAIMS
□ HEALTH CLAIMS
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CLAIMS
A FOOD, BEVERAGE OR SUPPLEMENT PRODUCT MAY NOT BE INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE, OR PREVENT A DISEASE
If it does, it will be considered a drug by FDA□ It doesn’t matter if a company can provide
substantiation that a supplement or food product does treat or prevent disease; except for limited exceptions, (specified health claims), cannot make disease claims
□ Mention of specific diseases, such as diabetes, HIV, cancer, Alzheimer’s are red flags to the FDA of likely disease claims
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IS IT FACT OR OPINION?
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ADVERTISING
All advertising is regulated by the FTC and is subject to the Truth-in-Advertising Laws which require that advertising be:
□ Truthful and not misleading
□ Not unfair
□ Adequately substantiated
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ADVERTISING
Consumer Testimonials □ Adopted statements of company
□ Must be substantiated
□ Presumed representative, disclose typical results if not
Material Connections□ Endorsers
□ Social Media
□ Bloggers
□ Affiliates
Affiliate Monitoring
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IT’S ALL IN THE NAME
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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
TRADEMARKS□ TM v. Circle R
□ Common-law trademarks
PATENTS□ What is protectable?
TRADE SECRETS
COPYRIGHTS
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WHO’S YOUR DADDY?
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FDA REGULATION
Food Facility Registration
Food Safety □ Recalls
Inspections□ Food Safety Modernization Act
□ Current Good Manufacturing Practices
Responses to FDA Actions□ Form 483s and Warning Letters
Seizures and Injunctions
Imports and Exports / Customs
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HOW MANY LAWYERS DOES IT TAKE…?
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CIVIL LITIGATION
Huge increase over last year or two on number of cases filed against food, beverage, and supplement companies for claims
Broad statutes in California and other states have provided plaintiff lawyers enticing avenues to bring class actions for alleged misleading or improper claims
Recent potential class actions cases filed have run the gamut, including “all natural” claims, nutrient content claims, alleged false and misleading claims, implied healthy claims, and other claims that allegedly are unsubstantiated
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CIVIL LITIGATION
Top 10 List of Class Action Litigation Claims□ “All Natural” Claims
□ False and Misleading / Unsubstantiated Claims
□ Dangerous / Failure to Warn
□ Weight Loss Claims
□ Healthy and Nutritious
□ Nutrient Content Claims
□ Standard of Identity
□ Geographic Origin
□ Products Liability
□ Prop 65
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BUT…
DON’T BE SCARED AWAY!
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THERE IS HOPE…
IT IS NOT ALL DARK CLOUDS
THERE IS SUCCESS TO BE FOUND FOR THOSE THAT PROPERLY PREPARE!
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FINAL THOUGHTS
DON’T JUMP IN WITHOUT DEVISING A GOOD GAME PLAN
THE CHOICE OF BEVERAGE OR SUPPLEMENT IS AN IMPORTANT ONE – IT WILL LIKELY SHAPE MANY DECISIONS DOWN THE ROAD
YOU MUST ENSURE YOUR LABELING AND ADVERTISING IS COMPLIANT – THE SMALL COST NOW WILL BE MAGNIFIED LATER
TAKE CARE OF ISSUES EARLY ON – SMALL ISSUES BECOME BIG PROBLEMS!
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LEGAL DISCLAIMER
This presentation consists of general legal information. It is not intended to give legal advice about a specific legal problem, nor does it create an attorney-client relationship.
Due to the importance of individual facts of every situation, the generalization in this presentation may not necessarily be applicable to all situations. Changes in the law could make parts of this presentation obsolete in the future.
This information is provided with the understanding that if specific legal advice is required, the services of the presenter or another competent attorney should be sought.
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Questions?
Justin J. ProchnowGreenberg Traurig LLP1200 17th Street, Suite 2400Denver, Colorado 80202(303) [email protected]
September 2012