Jillian Guernsey counsels domestic and foreign clients on regulatory and compliance matters related to food, wine and other alcoholic beverages, drugs, dietary supplements, food and drug packaging, and cosmetics.

Jillian assists clients in obtaining regulatory clearances for food additives, food processing aids, and food contact materials from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), Health Canada, and other comparable international agencies. She advises companies on establishing self-determined Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) positions and assists in preparing GRAS Notifications to FDA. Jillian also advises clients on compliance with state and local laws, such as California’s Proposition 65, the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act (SB 54), Green Chemistry, and extended producer responsibility laws in the state.
 
Prior to joining Keller and Heckman, Jillian was Operations Director at Berryessa Gap Vineyards and has worked as a harvest intern at wineries in Italy, New Zealand, California, and Virginia. Her extensive experience in the food and wine industry also includes a B.S. degree in Viticulture and Enology from the University of California, Davis, and a Classic Culinary Arts Certificate from the French Culinary Institute in Campbell, California.
 
While in law school, Jillian was Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Hastings Environmental Law Journal, a Teaching Assistant for several advanced legal writing courses, and participated in the Corporate Counsel Externship Program at a California-based winery.
 
Jillian’s focus within the food and beverage industry during her education and career has provided her with invaluable insight when assisting clients with the challenges faced by the ever-evolving industry.

Representative Matters

• Provided counsel and support to clients in submitting Food Contact Notifications (FCNs) to FDA to obtain regulatory clearances for food contact substances
• Assisted clients in the preparation of submission materials to obtain regulatory clearances for food packaging materials in jurisdictions worldwide
• Performed regulatory review of food contact materials to assess compliance with U.S., European Union (EU), and Japanese food contact laws and regulations
• Assisted multinational plastics manufacturers in obtaining recycling no objection letters for their plastic recycling processes
• Provided assistance to clients regarding compliance with California’s Proposition 65 and other California regulations on toxics in packaging
• Assisted cosmetics companies in reviewing their product ingredients for compliance with U.S., EU, MERCOSUR, and other international cosmetics laws and regulations