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. Ala ..read more

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 ..read more

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 Resp ..read more

In this episode of Legal Food Talk, host Justin Prochnow welcomes colleague Tyler Thompson from GT’s Data Privacy and Cybersecurity team to discuss the responsibilities of companies to protect data. Tyler breaks down the overall regulation of data collection and the web of different state laws and regulations, making it more difficult for companies to comply. The guys discuss pathways for achieving compliance and some of the pitfalls involved. Tyler and Justin also breakdown other related obligations companies have that could pose risk for action from plaintiff lawyers, including website compl ..read more

In this episode of Legal Food Talk, host Justin Prochnow welcomes Bill Bookout, President and Founder of the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC) to talk about the ever-growing category of animal supplements. Bill starts off by explaining the origin of the NASC and how it came to exist before Justin and Bill breakdown the regulation of animal products and the interests of regulators. Bill discusses the interplay of the NASC mission with federal and state agencies and the tenets for members of the NASC. Finally, the guys discuss some of the more pressing issues facing companies in the boom ..read more

In this episode of Legal Food Talk, host Justin Prochnow welcomes colleague Barry Schindler, Co-Chair of Greenberg Traurig’s Global Patent Prosecution Group, to the mic to talk about the influence of AI and other technology in food. First, Barry and Justin talk about what is on everyone’s mind – AI – and the first AI-created energy drink. The guys talk about what that means for the industry and how a patented mechanical mouth can assess mouthfeel. Drones dusting and harvesting crops, 3D printing of dietary supplements, and increasingly personalized medicine. How far off are we from your o ..read more

You are invited to listen to Episode 20, "What’s Popping? Darrin Foster and Oogie’s Gourmet Popcorn." In this episode of the podcast, host Justin Prochnow welcomes Darrin Foster of Oogie’s Snacks into the studio to talk about a beloved snack item: POPCORN! Darrin and Justin talk about how Darrin got into popcorn, previous iterations, and how Oogie’s got its name. Darrin shares his experiences on how flavors get chosen, implementing big changes in packaging, and managing the business during and post-COVID. Finally, Darrin provides some thoughts and tips for those entrepreneurs looking to s ..read more

In this episode of the podcast, host Justin Prochnow takes the mic solo and discusses the highwire act that many advertisers and affiliate marketers must navigate to promote products while staying on the right side of the law. Justin runs through his own “Top 10” list of topics that federal regulators like the FDA and the FTC are focused on, including parameters for substantiating claims, requirements for disclosing material connections, the necessity of vetting customer testimonials, and generally making permissible claims. Whether you are looking to tout that secret ingredient found in a hid ..read more

You are invited to listen to Episode 18, "Regulatory Roundtable – What's on the Menu in 2022?." In this episode of the podcast, host Justin Prochnow along with GT colleague and golf partner Jim Prochnow discuss happenings from 2022 and issues to look out for in 2023. The boys discuss a wide ranges of topics, moving from sesame as the newest food allergen to homeopathics to the FDA’s regulation of NMN. Other topics include potential regulation of CBD/hemp, updates to the Green Guides and the definition of healthy. Listen in to hear where the GT regulatory team see trends heading in 2023. Greenb ..read more

In this episode of the podcast, host Justin Prochnow joins colleague Riley Lagesen at the counter to talk about the restaurant industry. Riley breaks down how he got started working with restaurants and what led to creating a restaurant-focused practice. Riley also talks about joining Greenberg Traurig and how he and the other Portland-based members of the Global Restaurant Industry Group have transitioned to GT’s global platform. The duo discusses the effects of COVID on the restaurant industry and how they worked with clients to manage the many hurdles created before and after COVI ..read more