Venable is excited to have attended Expo West 2023 in Anaheim, California. Attorneys from our FDA Group participated in private consultations in our dedicated meeting space, and the co-chairs of our FDA Group presented on FDA and FTC updates. As always, we found that both seasoned veterans and newcomers to the natural products industry were excited to learn more about the legal issues with manufacturing, marketing, and distributing foods, dietary supplements, and cosmetics. We are grateful to have many new faces that are either new to the industry or new to us, which only demonstrates the ongoing success and growth of the industry.
Since last year's Expo, there have been several newsworthy changes to the legal landscape. The co-chairs of our FDA Group presented on these updates as part of the show's Exhibitor-Presented Seminar series. Specifically, we discussed FTC's Health Products Compliance Guidance and its impacts on the industry, as well as the latest on the marketing and regulation of CBD. For example, we noted that through its new guidance, FTC is now attempting to raise the bar for substantiation of health product claims, and is no longer merely focused on dietary supplements, but also on any health-related products. We also briefly discussed recent trends in plaintiff's bar cases, as well as FDA's new authority under the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MOCRA). For example, we noted the increased frequency with which nuanced technical violations of FDA's regulations are leveraged for plaintiff claims, and the continued attention to natural claims and claims that could be read as natural claims. We ended our session with a lively Q&A. You can view a recording of our presentation here as well.
If you missed our presentation at Expo West 2023, we are happy to have you join our follow-up webinar on Thursday, April 27. Please save the date and stay tuned for the invitation!