ALRUD is one of few Russian law firms, which specializes in providing legal support to manufacturers, importers and retailers of food and food commodities. ALRUD helps its clients, in the food industry, to deal with matters of regulatory, commercial, corporate, administrative and judicial nature, as well as issues related to antitrust compliance, distribution of advertisements and intellectual property.

The food industry in Russia is developing rapidly, and its regulatory framework features constant harmonization with legislation of the EU and the EAEU. Our expectation is that in the course of a large-scale state project, named “Regulatory Guillotine”, effective regulations, which are frequently archaic and excessive, will be abolished by 2021 and will be replaced by new Technical Regulations, GOSTs, and other up-to-date industry standards. Another notable trend is the mandatory digital-labeling marking of products, introduced in order to ensure their traceability and also to combat the circulation of low-quality products.

ALRUD’s food industry team is headed by ALRUD Senior Partner, one of co-founders of the firm – Maxim Alekseyev. Maxim is active member of the Food Lawyers’ Network, a highly-specialized international organization of food lawyers, uniting professionals from Europe, North and South America, Asia and Africa.

Our services

Regulatory matters

  • issues of confirming the compliance of goods with technical regulations, international and national standards;
  • issues of official registration of foodstuffs;
  • various regulatory requirements applicable to food products, including labelling, maintenance, etc.;
  • consultation on pricing, formalization of permits and licensing documentation;
  • requirements applicable to alcoholic beverages.

Commercial issues

  • distribution and wholesale agreements, agency contracts, transportation and logistics agreements;
  • agreements on manufacturing, packing and labelling;
  • import and export of food products;
  • advice on the consumer protection law, rules of retail sales, returns;
  • tenders and procurement procedures.

Corporate issues

  • M&A, deals involving selling and/or acquiring food companies;
  • legal audit of food companies;
  • corporate restructuring;
  • legal support to equity and debt financing;
  • creation and support to joint ventures, strategic alliances and consortia.

Antitrust regulation

  • transactions involving economic concentration;
  • cartels, abuse of dominant positions and unfair competition;
  • restructuring, regulatory initiatives, coordination of transactions, antitrust and other State investigations;
  • antitrust disputes in courts.

Intellectual property and advertising

  • advice on IP protection of brands and designs;
  • due diligence of IP rights;
  • building an IP portfolio for new products;
  • licensing, franchising agreements, and assignment agreements;
  • representing clients in Russian courts and Russian IP authority (Rospatent) including in the Chamber for Patent Disputes;
  • advertising and marketing of food, soft and alcohol beverages, dietary supplements.

Our Expertise: