Food Law

Anthony has advised and represented clients in the complex areas of food standards, food safety and food hygiene for many years.  He has acted for regulators and for clients such as farmers and producers as well as manufacturers, retailers and restaurants. 

Enquiries may relate to advice on a compliance investigation or a food labelling or composition issue, a food poisoning outbreak or help with a business dispute concerning food supplies or equipment.

Following his work on food poisoning both in the 2005 South Wales E. coli 0157 outbreak and in Wrexham, he was asked to advise and represent Belfast City Council in respect of the outbreak of E. coli there.

Anthony also practises in other linked fields of regulatory law including health and safety, pollution, consumer law and care standards.

Advice and representation

Anthony is approached by food business operators (FBOs) and regulators in relation to trading or compliance issues.  For FBOs, this may be when an environmental health officer is requesting information by letter or by interview in the course of an investigation or when proceedings have already been started.

He is very familiar with food safety management systems reliant upon Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), expert evidence and with the assessment of due diligence systems.

Dependent upon the case, instructions can often be accepted directly from the client or via a solicitor. 

Mediation

Anthony also accepts instructions to appear at mediations in food-related cases either a party’s representative or as mediator.

Next Steps

Do get in touch for further information either with me directly on the Contact form or via the clerks on 08450 713007.

Instructed cases

  • Instructed by substantial food business in large civil claim over quality
  • Represented restaurant in prosecution over supply of incorrect meat
  • Instructed by major business in respect of food labelling and hygiene issues
  • Advised supermarket in relation to food hygiene investigation
  • Advised farmer over food hygiene at egg production unit
  • Advised supermarket over pest infestation
  • Represented the Welsh Government in prosecution concerning the bovine TB scheme
  • Instructed by Belfast City Council in successful prosecution of Flicks Restaurant (R (Belfast City Council) v. Moviehouse Cinemas (Yorkgate) Limited) arising from 2012 outbreak of e. Coli O157 where 141 confirmed cases – Belfast Crown Court (2013-15)
  • Advised food supplier over internal company dispute
  • Advised regulator on prosecution relating to composition
  • Reviewed enforcement policy and procedures of public protection department of a local authority
  • Instructed by Wrexham CBC in prosecution of takeaway owner for 2009 outbreak of E. Coli 0157: R (Wrexham CBC) v Aslan – Mold Crown Court (2011)
  • Represented Bridgend CBC at the Public Inquiry chaired by Professor Hugh Pennington into the 2005 South Wales Outbreak of E. coli 0157 resulting in detailed report (summary).  Evidence concerned public procurement, environmental health investigations, food hygiene control, and school management.
  • Represented local authority in civil proceedings in magistrates court following food poisoning outbreak
  • R (Caerphilly CBC, Rhondda Cynon Taff CBC & Bridgend CBC) v Tudor – Led by Graham Walters in successful prosecution of butcher for marketing of unsafe food and food hygiene offences arising from 2005 E. coli outbreak resulting in death of Mason Jones and 118 individual cases – Cardiff Crown Court.
  • Represented various local authorities in relation to prosecutions concerning cattle identification documentation passports