Brian Sylvester

Brian P. Sylvester advises food, dietary supplement, cosmetic, OTC drug, veterinary pharmaceutical, and animal feed clients on a broad range of regulatory, legislative, and compliance issues before FDA, USDA, and analogous food and drug regulatory bodies. His practice spans enforcement actions, audits and investigations, regulatory compliance, advertising, import/export, due diligence, consumer litigation, comment preparation, shaping policy at the federal and state levels, and new product development. Mr. Sylvester has specific expertise in developing regulatory strategies to commercialize alternative proteins using plant, microbial and animal cell-based technologies. Drawing on his tenure as a regulatory lawyer with USDA, Mr. Sylvester has particular experience counseling clients on strategic considerations around engagement with and advocacy before USDA and FDA on a range of complex issues, including those of first impression. He is a prolific author and frequent speaker at industry-leading events in the U.S. and around the world, and is regularly called upon to offer insights on trending legal issues by publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Food Navigator-USA, among others. Mr. Sylvester has written and spoken extensively on the evolving regulatory framework for commercializing alternative proteins. Working with a number of the world’s leading alternative protein stakeholders — including start-ups, established food and life science companies, and trade associations — he applies his deep substantive knowledge and key relationships at the FDA, USDA and on Capitol Hill to shape federal and state policies and legislation on issues such as labeling and manufacturing requirements. Outside the U.S., Mr. Sylvester partners with his Covington colleagues in international offices to assist clients with commercializing alternative proteins, and a range of other highly regulated products, in multiple jurisdictions around the world.