[Interview] Janusz Luterek, Partner, Hahn & Hahn Attorneys, South Africa
Janusz Luterek, a partner at South Africa-based law firm Hahn & Hahn Attorneys will be speaking at the Future Foods Conference on the legal impediments to launching novel foodstuffs in South Africa.
Tell us about Hahn & Hahn Attorneys
Hahn & Hahn Attorneys was established in 1951 and has a proud history of over 70 years. We were the first law firm in South Africa to set up a Food Law and Consumer Law department and are also members of the international Food Lawyers Network (FLN).
Our clients include some of the largest local and foreign originating food manufacturing and retail companies. Some of our attorneys hold degrees in science and engineering as well as law and the head of our Food Law department worked as an engineer in the food industry prior to qualifying as an attorney and a patent attorney.
What would you highlight as some of the outstanding legal issues in the food and beverage industry in Africa?
We focus on South Africa as that is where we are based. The issue of GMO foods and the dispirate nature of the regulation thereof in Africa is an important legal issue. In the future, other novel foods such as insect protein, cannabis and the like will become or already are hot topics.
You are one of the speakers in the Future Foods Conference. How crucial is the Conference and why should people attend?
Its important to keep up with industry developments and to network with participants across the supply chain.
As a speaker to the conference, what subjects will you be covering?
I will speak on the legal impediments to launching novel foodstuffs in South Africa, for example, insect protein and cannabis based products.
Why do they matter to the food and beverage industry in Africa?
Cannabis in particular is a booming industry in other parts of the world and has the potential to boom in Africa. Insect protein has been consumed by indigenous communities for centuries but not in a formalised manner and the formalisation of this sector is key to its growth.
What would you say has been the contribution of Hahn & Hahn Attorneys to the growth of businesses in the Food and beverages sector?
We help companies be compliant and thereby to grow trade.
What is your company’s growth strategy for 2022 and beyond?
We aim to help companies in the new sectors not currently addressed while ensuring that compliance of all products is enforced.
Any closing remarks?
Legal requirements can be an impediment to trade so it is important that specialist lawyers are available to advise on this complex topic.
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