THOUGHT PIECE the carling team
Food Law Advisor Job Description
A food law advisor helps companies remain compliant with any applicable regulatory requirements relating to food production. They provide companies with technical details outlining their responsibilities when creating food products and help them ensure that food production processes are meeting necessary standards.
A food law advisor must be very familiar with current UK, EU and global food legislation. They use that knowledge to provide advice to customers, deliver training courses and identify the technical challenges they face to sell their product in the market. One of their key responsibilities is to ensure food is correctly labeled and ready for sale.
The food law advisor is ultimately responsible for the safety of the food that a company brings to market. They must ensure that all regulations have been understood by the company and strictly adhered to. A food law advisor must also inform clients of any changes to the law that may affect the production or marketing of their food products.
Food Law Advisor Responsibilities
A food law advisor has a wide range of responsibilities which can include:
- Help businesses understand current food legislation
They must pass on their knowledge about food legislation and regulations to clients in a clear manner. This is often done via the regulatory affairs department at the business, but may also involve discussions with management, food scientists, engineers, and other personnel. They must relay information about both current food legislation and likely changes in the future. - Organise and run courses to impart knowledge
A food law advisor will often run courses to educate stakeholders on various legislative requirements. Those requirements can include food safety and food advertising regulations. Depending on the organisations they are working with, that may involve talking directly to production staff, managers, technical staff or owners. - Contribute to regulatory affairs publications and events
They will be expected to have a deep understanding of regulatory issues and to be actively discussing these issues with other experts, through publications and events. - Deliver contract services on time and budget
They must deliver contract service within allotted parameters, keeping to budgets while achieving the necessary outcomes. - Contribute to product development
They may have to advise companies on the regulatory adherence of products that are being developed. In many cases, they will have to work with food scientists and product development teams to ensure compliance with food regulations. - Recommend changes to a business services, product or production line
A food law advisor may specify changes that a business needs to make to maintain regulatory compliance or prepare for future changes. When a business is considering selling a product in a new market, the food law advisor will ensure the existing product and production technique is sufficient for compliance. - Maintain a professional demeanour with high-level performance
This is a demanding role that typically involves interaction with many different stakeholders. The food law advisor must constantly display professionalism and perform well in high-pressure environments.
Educational Requirements
Although this position requires a great deal of legal and regulatory knowledge, a food law advisor does not necessarily need to be a lawyer. However, they should have a graduate level qualification ideally in science, food production or law.
Work Experience
It is crucial for a food law advisor to have experience in a role where extensive knowledge of food law was developed. Typically, this will be gained from working for a commercial business, government organisation or policy setting body for at least 2-3 years.
Key Skills
- High-level written and verbal communication skills
- Excellent presentation and public speaking skills
- Ability to explain sometimes complex legal requirements and concepts in simple language
- Ability to create advice that is uniquely tailored to the requirements of different businesses
- Create easy-to-understand summaries of legislation and regulatory requirements for stakeholders
- The ability to design and run food law training sessions for clients
- Brief other food law experts on changes to legislation
- High-level analytical skills and creative thinking ability
- The ability to understand large volumes of continually changing legal and business information. The ability to then take that knowledge and apply it in a practical sense
- The ability to manage and focus the activities of client’s regulatory affairs departments
- Outstanding time management and organisational skills
- Ideally, fluent in more than one language
The Carling Partnership specialises in search and selection for jobs in the brewing, distilling, wine, cider and soft drinks industries. Please contact Julie, Bill, Penny, Laurence or Tricia to discuss your requirements or email us at enquiries@carlingpartnership.co.uk to submit your CV and start a conversation with us.