Senior Counsel, Food Law and Regulatory Compliance

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At Lactalis in the USA, we’re committed to providing meaningful opportunities for our people to learn, grow, and thrive—whether you’re just starting your journey with us or looking to take the next step in your career. From day one, we offer the tools and support to help you succeed.

As the world leader in dairy, Lactalis is a family-owned company with over 85,000 pragmatic and ambitious professionals across the globe. Each day, we’re proud to produce award-winning dairy products that bring people together.

In the US, we proudly offer an unrivaled house of beloved brands, including Galbani® Italian cheeses and ricotta, Président® specialty cheeses and butters, Kraft® natural and grated cheeses, Breakstone’s® cottage cheese, Cracker Barrel®, Black Diamond® cheddar, and Parmalat® milk. Our yogurt portfolio includes siggi’s®, Stonyfield Organic®, Brown Cow™, Oui®, Yoplait®, Go-Gurt®, :ratio®, Green Mountain Creamery®, and Mountain High®, along with a growing family of ethnic favorites like Karoun®, Gopi®, and Arz®.

At Lactalis, we live by our core values—Ambition, Engagement, and Simplicity. We foster a workplace where innovation thrives, diverse perspectives are celebrated, and everyone’s unique background and ideas are valued.

Even if you don’t meet every qualification, we encourage you to apply. We want to hear about your PASSION, your STORY, and how your EXPERTISE can help us shape the future of dairy.

From your PASSION to ours

The Senior Counsel, Food Law and Regulatory Compliance reports to the VP General Counsel, Cheese Divisions and serves as the primary legal advisor on food law, regulatory compliance, labeling, advertising, product claims, and related regulatory matters for the Cheese Divisions. This attorney partners closely with Regulatory, Quality, R&D, Marketing, Commercial, Industrial, Procurement and Sustainability teams to identify legal and regulatory risks, develop practical business solutions, and ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and international food laws and regulations. The position requires an attorney with strong business judgment, capable of working in a fast-paced, highly regulated environment. This attorney will be called upon to lead complex cross-functional initiatives, drive compliance strategies, and develop practical, risk-based solutions that advance business objectives while protecting the Company.

From your STORY to ours

Food Law and Regulatory Compliance

• Serve as a legal advisor on FDA, USDA, FTC, state consumer protection, food labeling, and food advertising requirements, monitoring developments in food law and emerging regulatory trends.
• Review product labels and packaging to ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and international food laws, including nutrition facts, ingredient declarations, standards of identity, allergen labeling, and net quantity statements.
• Advise business teams on claims substantiation for product and marketing claims, including nutrient content claims, health claims, structure/function claims, and comparative claims.
• Review advertising campaigns, digital marketing materials, promotional materials, and other consumer-facing communications to advise brand teams on regulatory and litigation risk. Participate in innovation and brand strategy meetings to understand future initiatives and provide proactive legal and regulatory counsel, supporting product development, marketing initiatives, and growth objectives.

Regulatory Enforcement and Litigation Risk Management

• Support regulatory enforcement matters, investigations, and litigation risk management, including interactions with FDA, USDA, FTC, and state regulatory agencies, and work with outside counsel and senior management to develop and implement cost-effective response strategies.
• Support the Company’s responses to warning letters, requests for information, inspections, inquiries, and enforcement actions from regulatory agencies.
• Advise the General Counsel, Cheese Divisions and internal stakeholders on key legal and regulatory developments, and risk mitigation strategies.

Cross-Functional Partnership and Business Support

• Support legal oversight of complex cross-functional projects with Regulatory, Quality, R&D, Marketing, Commercial, Industrial, Procurement, and Sustainability teams  to identify legal and regulatory risks and develop practical business solutions.
• Provide strategic advisory support on product innovation, new product launches, product reformulations, acquisitions, commercial growth initiatives, and other key business priorities.
• Provide legal guidance to Quality, Regulatory, Operations, R&D, Supply Chain, Commercial, and other cross-functional  business teams on product, packaging, labeling, quality, and regulatory matters, including risk assessment and decision-making related to withdrawals, recalls, market actions, customer notifications, and other corrective actions.
• Develop and deliver trainings on food law, labeling, advertising, regulatory developments, and compliance requirements to cross-functional business teams.

CSR and Emerging Regulatory Issues

• Provide strategic legal counsel on sustainability and corporate social responsibility initiatives.
• Advise on laws and regulations relating to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), packaging compliance, recyclability and environmental marketing claims, and product stewardship obligations.

Other Responsibilities

• Work on other projects as may be assigned from time to time.