We are saddened to share the news that Phil Olsson passed away surrounded by his family on Thursday, June 12th. His life took him from the cranberry bogs of Massachusetts, to Harvard University, to distinguished service in the federal government, and finally into private practice in Washington, DC. Alongside Richard Frank, he co-founded OFW […]
OFW Law is proud to announce that Jeff Canavan, Senior Regulatory Advisor, has been recognized with the “Above and Beyond Award” at Prime Label Consultants’ 38th Annual Food Label Conference. In presenting the honor, Prime Label Consultants recognized Jeff for a “career defined not only by service, but by kindness, generosity, and impact.” Jeff’s connection
OFW Law’s Jeff Canavan Honored with “Above and Beyond Award” Read More »
Congressional oversight of the food industry has intensified. Whether the trigger is a high-profile recall, a food safety outbreak, a supply chain failure, or a policy dispute with a federal agency, food companies increasingly face committee inquiries, document requests, and formal hearing summons. Your regulatory affairs team knows how to manage FDA inspections and USDA
Your marketing claims meet industry standards. Your labeling passed internal review. Yet you’ve received an FDA Warning Letter, an FTC demand letter, or worse – notification that the Department of Justice is investigating potential criminal misbranding charges. I know this because enforcement against food, supplement, and consumer product advertising has intensified dramatically in 2025-2026. FDA
October & November 2025 OFW’s Cannabis Team regularly monitors cannabis news, legislation, regulation, and policy so our clients stay up-to-date on the latest developments impacting their business. If you have any questions or would like more information about any of the items below, please contact us. We also track cannabis-related legislation introduced in the U.S. Congress. If
OFW’s Food & Agriculture team regularly monitors announcements and policy issuances from FDA, USDA, and other agencies to keep our clients apprised of regulatory developments that may impact their business. Here are a few of the significant developments from July. If you have any questions or would like more information, please do not hesitate to
July Food and Agriculture Regulatory Recap Read More »
December 2024 OFW’s Cannabis Team regularly monitors cannabis news, legislation, regulation, and policy so our clients stay up-to-date on the latest developments impacting their business. Please contact us if you have any questions or want more information about any of the items below. We also track cannabis-related legislation introduced in the U.S. Congress. If you
On July 16, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued warning letters to six companies for illegally selling copycat food products containing delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and introducing them into the marketplace, violating the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act. The FDA highlighted two primary concerns: the
FDA and FTC Issue Warning Letters to Companies Selling Copycat Delta-8 THC Food Products Read More »
Today, the White House and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced the results of the USTR’s statutory 4-year review of the tariff actions in the Section 301 investigation of China’s Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation (the China tariffs imposed under former President Trump). As had
WEEK OF APRIL 5, 2024 OFW’s Cannabis Team regularly monitors cannabis news, legislation, regulation, and policy so our clients stay up-to-date on the latest developments impacting their business. If you have any questions or would like more information about any of the items below, please contact us. We also track cannabis-related legislation introduced in the U.S. Congress.
As OFW Law’s Cannabis Team launches our new blog, CannaSweep, the team thought it would be helpful to explain what all is “swept” under the cannabis umbrella. For our first post, we describe what “cannabis” is and how it has found its way into agriculture, foods, cosmetics, drugs, and other commercial applications. It’s all Cannabis
Did you know that if you travel to the U.S. carrying large amounts of money, you are required to report that money to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)? Failure to report can lead to the seizure of your money by CBP, with no guarantee that it will be returned to you. The penalties for
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued the final rule modernizing the customs broker regulations 19 CFR 111 with an effective date of December 19, 2022. Key changes include transitioning to a national permit framework, requiring that a customs broker have direct communication with an importer, revising the standard of care of using responsible supervision
Decoding CBP’s Modernized Customs Broker Regulations – What You Need to Know Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been actively working to address cybersecurity concerns related to medical devices. On March 29, 2023, FDA published a much-anticipated cybersecurity final guidance regarding cybersecurity requirements for medical device pre-market submissions. Medical devices, like many other modern technologies, are susceptible to cybersecurity vulnerabilities that could potentially compromise patient
FDA’s Focus on Cybersecurity Creates Avoidable Risk for Management Read More »
OFW’s Food & Agriculture team regularly monitors announcements and policy issuances from FDA, USDA, and other agencies to keep our clients apprised of regulatory developments that may impact their business. Here are a few of the developments from November that we took note of. If you have any questions or would like more information, please
November Food and Agriculture Regulatory Recap Read More »
OFW’s Food & Agriculture team regularly monitors announcements and policy issuances from FDA, USDA, and other agencies to keep our clients apprised of regulatory developments that may impact their business. Here are a few of the developments from October that we took note of. If you have any questions or would like more information, please
October Food and Agriculture Regulatory Recap Read More »
The African Green Revolution Summit concluded and served as an introduction for the UN Food Systems Summit to be held at the UN in New York on September 23. Dr. Agnes Kalibata hosted the African Forum and will also Chair the UN Summit. The goal of the UN Summit is to drive an agenda that will
African Agriculture Forum Read More »
President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence held a press conference beginning at 11:30 this morning. They were joined by FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Deborah Birx, and Surgeon General Jerome Adams. Summary of the President’s remarks and questions: The President announced that he signed HR 6201, the Families First
3/19/20 OFW Law Daily COVID-19 News Conference Summary Read More »
FDA has announced a public meeting to discuss its recent Draft Guidance for industry on the agency’s intentional adulteration of food regulation, promulgated under FSMA, i.e., “Mitigation Strategies to Protect Against Intentional Adulteration” (Final Rule), codified at 21 C.F.R. Part 121. The public meeting is taking place on April 17, 2019, from 8:30 AM to
FDA’s Final Rule on Intentional Adulteration of Food: Public Meeting and Guidance Read More »
As initially announced last week by outgoing Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., the compliance dates for FDA’s agricultural water quality requirements under the “Standards for the Growing, Harvesting, Packing and Holding of Produce for Human Consumption” rule (Produce Rule) are being extended. Today, FDA published a final rule in the Federal
FDA Extends Compliance Date for The Produce Rule’s Agricultural Water Requirement Read More »
In all the drama and commotion over the government shutdown, now in its third week, with 800,000 federal employees going without paychecks and services disappearing by the day, all prompted by President Trump’s insistence on funding his proposed Mexican border wall and Congressional Democrats’ refusal to provide it, has anyone stopped to notice how frankly
Government shutdowns – Who dreamed up this crazy idea? Read More »
The European Union Court of Justice’s (ECJ) recent decision that new gene-editing techniques must go through the same lengthy approval process as traditional transgenic genetically modified (GM) plants has sent shock waves around the world and its greatest impact will be on those who are hungry and food insecure. The decision will have a direct
Opinion: The EU Gene-Editing Decision: Parliament Should Not Let it Stand Read More »
Pick up a paper or turn on the TV – It’s all about trade. So that’s the subject I’m going to talk about today. Will there be a trade war? Our agriculture industry that exports 20% of what we produce could get pounded pretty hard. A lot of President Trump’s critics don’t think he has
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block Just when I was so comfortable with President Trump’s follow through with so many of his campaign promises – conservative judges, tax reform, cuts in regulations, and securing our borders. The stock market has soared more than 30% since he was elected. Suddenly, last week, he announced his plan
John Block: Tariffs Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block You may have heard about the John Duarte wetlands case. John Duarte, a California farmer, bought 450 acres in 2012. He plowed and planted it to wheat. The Army Corps of Engineers, the California Water Quality Control Board, and the EPA came after him. He was looking at a
John Block: Duarte vs. Big Government Read More »
It will take months to calculate the damage Hurricanes Harvey and Irma unleashed on Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and other states this summer: lives lost, homes destroyed, businesses wrecked, property damage in the tens of billions of dollars. But beyond everything else, these storms and their massive devastation have exposed deep problems in the Federal government’s
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block September is here. Labor Day is behind us. The To Do list in this town by the end of the month is a heavy lift. First, we have disaster relief for those devastated by Hurricane Harvey. But we have to raise the debt ceiling to have the money to
John Block: The To Do List Read More »
This morning I watched the oral arguments before the CPSC in the staff appeal of the ALJ’s decision in the Zen Magnets case. I felt as if I was watching World War One trench warfare in modern dress. And like trench warfare where the combatants refuse to give an inch, insisting on holding their positions,
Fighting the Magnet Wars Read More »
By former USDA Secretary John R. Block I am encouraged. I think that we have some pretty strong voices in the Trump Administration speaking out in support of agriculture. Our strongest voice comes from Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. He said after meeting with 75 Senators “their number-one, two, and three priorities were trade, trade,
John Block: GE Science Read More »
Earlier this week, the George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center released a significant report, “International Regulatory Cooperation: Benefits, Limitations, and Best Practices.” This report builds on earlier work done by the Center and examines opportunities to improve regulatory cooperation between the European Union and the United States. The report is timely because negotiators from the
EU-US Regulatory Cooperation: Strides Made, but More Can Be Done Read More »
Our dear colleague, partner and friend, Robert A. (Bob) Hahn passed away on April 20, 2016, at the age of 57. Bob’s incredible intellect and exceptionally kind heart made him OFW Law’s gentle giant. His quiet tenacity garnered him great respect from clients and colleagues within the food and nutrition community. He contributed greatly to
In Memoriam: Robert A. Hahn Read More »
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced today that Gree Electric Appliances Inc., of Zhuhai, China; Hong Kong Gree Electric Appliances Sales Co. Ltd., of Hong Kong; and Gree USA Sales Ltd., of City of Industry, Calif., has agreed to pay a $15.45 million civil penalty – the maximum penalty provided for under the
CPSC Issues Record $15.45 Million Civil Penalty Read More »
