Last week, I had the opportunity to teach a session at Michigan State University's Institute for Food Law and Regulation on U.S. Food Safety Regulation. The class was filled with students and professionals from around the world, including Australia, Thailand, Vietnam, Columbia, the Netherlands, Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Brazil and the United States.

I was struck at how engaged the attendees were to learn and discuss how the significant changes under the Food Safety Modernization Act would affect their foreign operations and their ability to sell into the U.S. marketplace. One concept that they all seemed to be familiar with is the overlapping – and sometimes confusing – jurisdiction and interplay among the various food regulation agencies (USDA, FDA, EPA, TTB, FTC, DOJ, C&BP, state agencies, etc.)

The course was "waiting list only" and well-received – so much so that I'm considering offering it as a service to clients' management teams as a cost-effective way to update management teams on the current state of food safety regulation. Or for foreign organizations, an introduction to U.S. food safety regulation and a forum for questions.