2025 Outlook: Trends and Developments for the Food and Beverage Industry

Pooja S. Nair | Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP

Pooja S. Nair is a business litigator and problem solver with a focus on the food and beverage sector. She advises food and beverage clients, including restaurant groups, mid-market food brands, and food manufacturers on a comprehensive range of issues, including employment, trade secrets, partnership disputes, contract negotiations and intellectual property. Additionally, Pooja focuses on finding creative, long-term solutions to the business problems affecting companies of all sizes and industries, from startups to publicly traded entities. She combines litigation experience with a strategic perspective, so that legal decisions make business sense.
She has published extensively on business law and food and beverage legal issues for publications including Law360, Daily Journal, Eater, California Lawyer, Food Dive and Bloomberg BNA, and has had been quoted or referenced by The New York Times, the Motley Fool publication Millionacres, MSN Money, Los Angeles Times, Yahoo! News and Reuters. She also writes a bi-monthly column for Modern Restaurant Management on legal developments affecting restaurants.

Prior to joining ECJ, Pooja practiced at TroyGould, where she was the head of the Food and Beverage practice group. She also spent five years at Foley & Lardner focused on white collar criminal defense and internal investigations.

Pooja is active in the community and serves on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Music and Arts School, the Harvard Club of Southern California, and the Inner City Law Center. She is recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal as both one of the “Most Influential Women Lawyers” and a “Minority Leader of Influence.”

Pooja is passionate about history and appeared as a legal historian on the Travel Channel show Lost Secrets in 2019. She has spoken on Alexander Hamilton’s legal career and Aaron Burr’s treason trial at NerdNite events in Los Angeles and Oakland, as well as at Federal Hall, Hamilton Grange, the Museum of American Finance and Morris-Jumel Mansion.

Melissa Grzybowski | Food Consulting Company

Melissa Grzybowski, MS, RD, LD is the President of Food Consulting Company, leveraging nearly 20 years of experience in the field as a U.S. Regulatory and Nutrition Specialist. In her current role, Melissa partners with clients to provide expert nutrition and regulatory guidance, ensuring that food labels fully comply with U.S. labeling laws. She also leads the Food Label Insiders Community and is a sought-after speaker at industry conferences.

Prior to her time at Food Consulting Company, Melissa developed her expertise in food labeling, regulation, and nutrition at Target Corporation. Her unique blend of nutritional education and extensive knowledge of government regulations and industry trends has made her an invaluable resource for food manufacturers, distributors, retailers, ingredient suppliers, importers, brokers, and restaurateurs alike.

Melissa’s insights save clients significant time and effort, allowing them to focus on marketing and sales initiatives. Most importantly, her expertise offers peace of mind and mitigates risks related to regulatory compliance.

A Registered Dietitian, Melissa holds a bachelor’s degree in Dietetics, Food, and Nutrition from The College of St. Scholastica and a master’s degree in Nutrition from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

I. Regulatory Trends | 1:00pm – 1:40pm

• Recent Legislative Changes
• Regulatory Agencies’ Role
• Impact on Litigation

II. Key Case Law Developments and Emerging Litigation Trends | 1:40pm – 2:30pm

• Significant Case Law
• The Reasonable Consumer Standard

Break | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

• Ambiguity in Claims

III. Strategic Considerations and Defense Tactics | 2:30pm – 3:10pm

• Certification Stage Strategies
• Post-Certification Defense Approaches