Joe Lederman

Joe Lederman is an Australian commercial lawyer and is the Managing Principal of FoodLegal, Australian Lawyers & Consultants. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at Deakin University specializing in Food and Nutrition Law. He heads up a successful team of lawyers and consultants who advise the food industry.

Joe and his team act for many local and international food companies as well as governments. FoodLegal recently produced a report for the Federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry on the Management of Food and Grocery Distribution in the event of a Human Influenza Pandemic. Joe has also advised a State Parliamentary Economics Standing Committee in relation to Food Labelling and Constitutional Law issues and another State’s Auditor-General in relation to food law compliance by municipal councils. Joe and his team have handled Australian food compliance issues for Australia market entry for a large range of imported food products.

After graduating in law from the University of Melbourne in 1977, Joe’s work centered on commercial law and revenue law. For many years Joe has been recognized and accredited by the Law Institute of Victoria as an Accredited Specialist in Business Law and as an Accredited Specialist in Taxation Law. In 1986, he founded the Australian law firm Baldwins.

With his background in advising on revenue law and commercial law for food companies, Joe established the original Australian food law websites “Australian Food News” and “Food Law and Policy Australia”. In 1998, he was appointed as the principal author and contributing editor for the “Food Law” section of “Halsburys Laws of Australia” published by law publishers Lexis-Nexis (formerly Butterworths) and considered to be Australia’s main encyclopedia of Australian law. Joe also edited CCH Australia’s “Food Safety Guide”.

For many years, Joe Lederman has written papers and spoken to numerous industry seminars on a wide range of food industry topics. In March 2007, Joe made an online presentation to an international food conference in Cologne, Germany on the subject of the law of health claims and nutrition claims in Australia. In November 2006, he gave a keynote speech to the 8th Annual Food Regulations and Labelling Standards Conference in Sydney on the subject of Product Names, Descriptors or Marketing Catchphrases in the context of Health and Nutrition Claims. Likewise in December 2005, he spoke at the 7th Annual Food Regulations and Labelling Standards Conference on the topic of Country of Origin Labelling. In February 2006, he addressed the Food Technology Association of Victoria. He spoke on the topic of Legal Liability and the Food Testing Laboratory at the Agriquality 2006 Food Laboratory Seminar and Workshop. He has spoken elsewhere on numerous topics, such as: food labelling laws; food composition compliance issues; changes to packaging laws; food safety laws; changes to the Food Standards Code standards on GM food labelling; responsibilities of municipal councils in food law enforcement; and legal liability issues for restaurant owners. He has written and spoken extensively in different media, including to the Western Australian Farmers Federation, the Australian Industry Group, the Australian Food Marketing Centre (Victoria University), the Australian Society of Certified Public Accountants in Tasmania and Victoria, and has written for publishers including: Yaffa Publications’ “Food and Drink” (Food Management News); Thompson Legal; CCH Australia; Lexis-Nexis-Butterworths; and Australian Packaging News.

Many people receive “FoodLegal Bulletin” (edited by Joe Lederman and now distributed through Lawmedia Pty Ltd) in relation to topical food issues. One can subscribe to the FoodLegal Bulletin here.