Any day, President Obama is expected to sign into law H.B. 644, also called the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 – an act that may have far-reaching impacts on U.S. companies that use foreign suppliers. The Act allows the government to confiscate or turn away items being imported that it reasonably suspects were … Continue Reading
We have recently been interviewed by LexisNexis on the importance of supply chain audits, risks businesses should be aware of, and key steps companies can take to improve the audit process. Simon Garbett, Sarah Rathke and Dynda Thomas provide their analysis on how businesses can navigate the complexities of supply chain audits in the face of … Continue Reading
Previously (see here , here , and here ), we have reported on a growing litigation trend relating to supply chains for food procured by major U.S. manufacturers and retailers abroad. Namely, beginning in August 2015, plaintiffs’ class action lawyers began filing putative consumer class action lawsuits against major U.S. food manufacturers and retailers, alleging … Continue Reading
As many who follow this blog know, Squire Patton Boggs attorney Sarah Rathke and supply chain consultant Rosemary Coates are scheduled to release a book on supply chain disputes and litigation in the very near term. Entitled, Legal Blacksmith: How to Avoid and Defend Supply Chain Disputes, Sarah and Rosemary’s book aims to educate in-house counsel … Continue Reading
As supply chain and procurement professionals are well aware, the past five years have seen a dramatic increase in supply chain transparency laws and regulations. Motivated largely by a desire to provide consumers with more information about corporate operations, these laws require manufacturers and retailers to know more than ever about what goes on at … Continue Reading
On January 5, 2016, President Obama kicked off the new year by issuing a “Fact Sheet” on interagency efforts to combat human trafficking that, among other things, describes the federal government’s efforts in the procurement and supply chain fields. … Continue Reading
Chipotle has thrived in the fast-casual food industry by prioritizing sustainability in its supply chain. The company’s “Food with Integrity” policy focuses on sourcing food from suppliers that meet its requirements for animal welfare, sustainability, and social accountability. Pursuant to the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act of 2010, Chipotle publishes information on its website … Continue Reading
In previous posts, we discussed a litigation trend that began in September of this year: putative class action lawsuits against U.S. retailers based on alleged unethical practices in their supply chains. The first lawsuits asserted the presence of trafficked labor in the Thai and Indonesian shrimp and fishing industries, with complaints filed against Costco, Proctor … Continue Reading
This week’s Global Squire Patton Boggs Global Supply Chain Law Blog will once again focus on emerging regulations that impact food and beverage supply chains. One regulation, which is fairly sweeping, is the proposed rule governing Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food. Found at Federal Register Vol. 79, No. 24, the new rule is … Continue Reading
Today at Squire Patton Boggs’ Global Supply Chain Law Blog, we are featuring some recent work done by our Global Food and Beverage Practice, which actively monitors regulatory, policy, and case law developments in the food, beverage, and related sectors around the world. Recently, the group has published an update on food and beverage law … Continue Reading
On Friday, November 13, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finalized three new rules designed to increase food safety and prevent foodborne illnesses that will impact food supply chains. The first rule, called the Produce Safety Rule, establishes “science-based” minimum standards for safe growing, harvesting, packing, and handling of fruits and vegetables grown for human … Continue Reading
Food trade between the U.S. and China is on the rise. According to the most recent statistics, China is the third largest exporter of food and agricultural products to the U.S., behind only Canada and Mexico. And, the U.S. is China’s biggest source of foreign food and agricultural products. Under the current state of trade, … Continue Reading
The new obligation on commercial organisations over a certain size to publish a slavery and human trafficking statement has come into force today. There will, however, be transitional provisions to allow affected businesses sufficient time to understand the new requirements and produce a statement. Businesses with a year-end date on or after 31 March 2016 … Continue Reading
Last week, David Whincup, Head of our London Employment practice, wrote a post in the Employment Law Worldview Blog about the draft of the statutory guidance for the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015. My word, you think, if this is the seventh draft, what on earth must versions one to six have been like? Following … Continue Reading
We have posted before on the newly-enacted UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 (see here and here). We were honored recently to be interviewed by Compliance Week concerning compliance with this new law. As the article notes, we are all still awaiting further guidance, anticipated this month, regarding what companies need to do to comply. One point … Continue Reading
As previously posted, Squire Patton Boggs and TheBusinessDesk.com surveyed the UK’s manufacturing sector and conducted a series of roundtables to determine what the industry needs in order to stay competitive in the global market. The resulting manufacturing report gauges levels of confidence within the manufacturing sector and what businesses want to see from the government … Continue Reading
In some earlier posts (here and here), we discussed the new litigation trend in which plaintiffs are filing putative consumer class actions against manufacturers and retailers for failing to fully abide by their California Transparency in Supply Chains disclosure statements or their internal supplier policies. Well, as anyone following this story is likely aware, the … Continue Reading
Our colleagues at the Employment Law Worldview Blog have put together a helpful guide of 10 key points on the new requirements of the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015. The guide provides an excellent breakdown of important points such as how businesses will be affected by the new disclosure obligation and what steps businesses should be taking … Continue Reading
Last week, we had the great honor of talking with Amy Stickel at Inside Counsel Magazine about the recently filed California lawsuits based on companies’ California Transparency in Supply Chain Disclosure Act statements and/or their internal supply chain policies. Previously, we’ve written about these lawsuits in this blog here and here. With Amy, we discussed how these lawsuits … Continue Reading
Earlier this year, Squire Patton Boggs teamed up with TheBusinessDesk.com to gauge levels of confidence within the UK’s manufacturing sector and to determine what businesses need in order to stay competitive in the global market. At issue were the implications of a referendum on the UK’s membership with the EU. A survey was set up … Continue Reading
Last week, we posted about the newly-filed consumer class action against Costco in federal court in San Francisco, based on Costco’s disclosure under the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act. As we noted, this is the first case of its kind, in which plaintiffs’ lawyers are seeking injunctions, restitution and other damages for a putative … Continue Reading
In previous posts, we’ve talked about emerging legislation designed to increase visibility and transparency in supply chains to bring about desirable social ends. We’ve discussed, for instance, the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act and the UK Modern Slavery Act, both of which require companies to disclose their efforts to eradicate slavery from their supply … Continue Reading
On November 27, 2013, President Obama signed into law the Drug Quality and Security Act (DQSA), HR 3204, legislation that will have broad-reaching effects on pharmaceutical supply chains. The DQSA was enacted to help protect consumers from contaminated, counterfeit, and stolen pharmaceutical products, and was enacted as a response to a meningitis outbreak in 2012, … Continue Reading
Bonded labor. Indentured servitude. Human trafficking. These are terms for modern slavery, essentially obtaining or holding another person in compelled service. The UN’s International Labour Organization estimates that 21 million people are enslaved around the world, generating approximately $150 billion a year in profits. Earlier this year as part of National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention … Continue Reading
