Brian Sylvester

Practice Areas

Brian P. Sylvester is a partner in MoFo's FDA & Healthcare Regulatory and Compliance Group. He is the head of Food Regulatory and an influential thought leader and practitioner in food tech regulation.

Brian counsels clients across the full life cycle of regulated products, serving global brands, startups, life sciences companies, investors, and trade associations. He has been recognized by a number of legal industry awards and publications such as Chambers USA, Bloomberg Law, and The National Law Journal. Chambers USA reports that Brian “is widely noted as an expert in regulatory issues relating to novel food technologies, with significant experience advising on USDA and FDA regulations.”

Brian focuses his practice on Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulated products, with an emphasis on the food and beverage sector. He additionally counsels early-stage, growth, and global clients on all aspects of cosmetics, over the counter (OTC) drugs, medical devices, consumer products, and a range of Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) regulated commodities. Across all these regulated product categories, his work spans enforcement actions, audits and investigations, regulatory compliance, labeling and advertising, import and export, due diligence, consumer litigation, comment preparation, public policy advocacy at the federal and state levels, and new product development.

In the area of food and beverage, Brian develops regulatory strategies to commercialize a range of food tech innovations, including transgenic crops and alternative proteins, such as cultivated meat and fermentation-derived food ingredients, among others. As a former regulator at USDA, he adeptly counsels clients on strategic considerations around engagement with and advocacy before USDA and FDA on numerous complex issues, including those of first impression.

Brian is an author and frequent speaker at industry-leading events in the United States, the European Union, China, Israel, and other parts of the world. He is regularly called upon to offer insights on trending legal issues by preeminent industry and global publications.