In her latest article for Law News Day, Felicity explores the intersection of consumer protection, modern slavery and Quality Compliance.
Over 30 years ago I was in the House of Lords, the highest court in England and Wales, before it moved across the road to become the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. I was there when arguments were being presented to their Lordships over misleading labelling under the Consumer Protection Act. At the time it made my tummy rumble. Now I wonder if it was the inspiration for my work on modern slavery. That case was about food labelling where regulatory compliance can include a very wide range of products and language: Claims about a product’s capabilities or endorsements that are not true, hiding crucial details like the true ingredients, origin, or necessary safety information, labelling a product with a specific ingredient when it doesn’t contain it, or is significantly different, and exaggerating or making unsupported claims about health or nutritional benefits, can all lead to litigation.
