Sam Jockel

Sam Jockel is a partner at Alston & Bird and co-leads the food and beverage industry team. Sam focuses his practice on regulatory, policy and litigation matters involving industries regulated by FDA, USDA, TTB, FTC, CPSC, and related state regulatory agencies. Sam’s clients include those in the food, beverage, alcohol, cosmetic, dietary supplement, retail, animal product and drug industries. Sam’s approach to counseling clients leverages his time as a trial attorney in the USDA’s Office of the General Counsel and an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education Fellow at the FDA. While at the USDA, Sam received the General Counsel’s Award for Excellence.

Regulatory Update

What’s Ahead for the GRAS Pathway?

The self-affirmed "generally recognized as safe" status may be subject to upcoming regulatory changes.

Sam Jockel

Ashley Yull

April 14, 2025

Self-affirmed GRAS determinations made by the food industry are being called into question at federal and state levels, even without health or safety concerns associated with substances that are designated as GRAS.

Join Lynn Dornblaser, Client Advisor at Mintel, and Alyse Thompson-Richards, Editor-in-Chief of FOOD ENGINEERING, as they break down the 2026 Top 100 Food and Beverage Companies and discuss the factors affecting this year’s rankings.

Explore food safety strategies that strengthen sanitation, risk management, operational efficiency, and compliance across foodservice and facility environments.

Sam Jockel

ARTICLES

What’s Ahead for the GRAS Pathway?

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