Sarah Brew leads the firm's food litigation and regulatory team and is a member of the firm's food and agriculture industry group. Sarah has a national reputation for effectively representing food processors, distributors and retailers in foodborne illness and contamination cases, defending them against product liability, labeling and class action claims and representing them in complex commercial litigation and supply chain disputes.  She has served as national counsel in cases arising from many recent outbreaks, involving products such as eggs, spinach, lettuce, alfalfa sprouts, peanut butter, beef products, poultry products and pet food.

Sarah also counsels and provides risk management advice to food and dietary supplement clients on labeling and regulatory compliance matters, including the Food Safety Modernization Act, product recalls and reportable food registry events, FDA and USDA inspections and enforcement actions, supply chain management, and HACCP and production issues.

Sarah writes and lectures nationally on a variety of food law and litigation issues, and she is co-author of the Minnesota Practice treatise on Products Liability Law published by Thomson West.  Sarah was elected to the American Law Institute in 2007. She is a member of the International Association for Food Protection, the Food and Drug Law Institute, the American Bar Association's Food & Dietary Supplements Subcommittee and other professional and trade associations relating to the food industry.

Recent Representative Matters

• National counsel for ground turkey producer, defending lawsuits and claims following 2011 Salmonella-related recall
• National counsel for egg producer in connection with personal injury, class action and commercial claims arising from a 2010 Salmonella outbreak and recall and related FDA investigation and regulatory compliance issues
• National counsel for peanut butter distributor facing wrongful death and personal injury claims in connection with the 2008-09 Salmonella outbreak and recalls
• National trial counsel for the world's largest fruit and vegetable processor, coordinating the defense of foodborne illness litigation, including E. coli-related claims arising from a packaged lettuce recall in 2005 and spinach recall in 2006
• National counsel for major seed supplier in connection with 2009 Salmonella outbreaks in alfalfa sprouts in several states
• National counsel for commodities distributor involved in melamine-contaminated pet food litigation, advising the company through the 2007 recall process and FDA investigation, representing the company in connection with the class action settlement of MDL consumer claims, and defending indemnity claims and lawsuits brought by various pet food manufacturers
• National counsel defending food distributor following E. coli outbreak in chain restaurants in 2006, successfully obtaining summary judgment for the client; obtaining declaratory judgment requiring indemnity and defense costs from an upstream supplier; and securing dismissal of class action claims by restaurants seeking damages for lost profits and harm to business reputation
• Minnesota counsel for frozen hamburger producer in connection with multiple lawsuits and claims arising from a 2006 E. coli outbreak and recall
• Minnesota Tort Counsel for global quick service restaurant, defending personal injury and foodborne illness claims against corporate-owned restaurants in the state and providing risk management consultation on food safety issues
• Minnesota Preferred Counsel for industry organization serving major food, beverage and consumer products companies

Professional Associations

• American Bar Association, Food & Dietary Supplements Subcommittee
• American Law Institute (ALI)
• Defense Research Institute (DRI)
• Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI)
• International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC)
• International Association for Food Protection (IAFP)
• Minnesota State Bar Association, Food and Drug Law Section Council
• Minnesota Women Lawyers, Board of Directors 2002-07, Secretary 2004-05, Mentorship Committee, co-chair  1999-02

Civic Activities

• Midwest Art Conservation Center, Board of Directors, 2011-present
• Touchstone Mental Health, Board of Directors, 2001-05

Clerkships

• The Honorable Harriet Lansing, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1990-91

Presentations

• The New Frontier: Genetically Modified Organism Litigation
  GMA Food Claims and Litigation Conference (2012)
• Effectively Managing Outbreaks and Recalls
  Food & Drug Law Institute, Food Safety at the Crossroads: How FSMA is Changing the Landscape (2012)
• Assessing the Food Safety Modernization Act's Impact on Your Litigation Paper Trail: Knowing What to Document, When and How
  American Conference Institute, 5th National Forum on Foodborne Illness Litigation (2011)
• Food Safety: It's Not Business as Usual                    
  International Foodservice Manufacturers President's Conference (2011)
• Foodborne Illness Boot Camp
  Defense Research Institute (DRI), Strictly Hospitality Seminar (2011)
• Traceability and Effective Recordkeeping to Ensure Accountability and Minimize Liability Throughout the Supply Chain
  American Conference Institute, Food Safety Regulatory Compliance Summit (2011)
• The 2010 Egg Recall: A Case Study
  Grocery Manufacturers Association, Foodborne Illness Litigation Conference (2011)
• Anatomy of a Food Recall
  American Dairy Products Institute, Annual Conference (2011)
• Food Safety Modernization Act: Analysis and Industry Implications
  Minnesota State Bar Association (2011)
• Peanut Corporation of America: A Case Study
  Grocery Manufacturers Association, Food Claims and Litigation Conference (2011)
• The Evolving Science of Food Safety and Technology: Where Do We Go From Here?
  American Bar Association Food & Supplements Workshop (2011)
• Apportioning Liability Throughout the Supply Chain
  American Conference Institute, 4^th National Forum on Foodborne Illness Litigation (2010)
• Food Labeling and Consumer Fraud Actions 
  Current Issues in Food Labeling Regulation and Enforcement Minnesota State Bar Association (2010)
• Food Safety and Agricultural Security: A Litigation Perspective
  Midwest Association of Departments of Agriculture, Annual Conference (2010)
• Implementing Effective Food Safety Compliance Programs: Perspectives Across the Chain of Distribution
  American Conference Institute, Interactive Workshop, Advanced Summit on Food Safety Regulatory Compliance (2010)
• Long-Term Health Implications Tied to Contaminated Food
  Grocery Manufacturers Association, Foodborne Illness Litigation Conference (2010)
• Managing and Litigating a Food Crisis: A Defense Perspective
  Minnesota State Bar Association (2010)
• Long-Term Health Problems Associated with Foodborne Illness and How They Shape the Handling of Your Case
  American Conference Institute, 3^rd National Forum on Foodborne Illness Litigation (2009)
• Defending Foodborne Illness Cases
  McDonald's Corporation Annual Claims and Litigation Seminar (2009)
• Foodborne Illness: Issues in Cases Involving Children
  HB Litigation Conferences, Children's Products Litigation Teleconference (2009)
• Long-Term Health Problems Tied to Contaminated Food
  Grocery Manufacturers Association, Foodborne Illness Litigation Conference (2009)
• The ABCs of Toxic Soup: An In-Depth Look at Current Issues of Causation in Chemical and Toxic Torts
  Defense Research Institute, Product Liability Conference (2009)
• New Risks, Trends and Lessons Learned from Recent Outbreaks and Litigation
  American Conference Institute, 2^nd National Forum on Foodborne Illness Litigation (2008)
• Food Liability law Update
  McDonald's Corporation Annual Claims and Litigation Seminar (2008) New Law You Need to Know for Your Next Trial
  Mealey's Benzene Litigation Conference (2008)
• Perspectives on Foodborne Illness Litigation
  Seattle University School of Law (2008)
• Crisis Control: Limiting Liabilities through Strategic Response Plans
  American Conference Institute, National Forum on Foodborne Illness Litigation (2008) 

Legal Updates

• FDA Has No Jurisdiction Here - Or Does It? (co-author)
  Ethanol Producer Magazine (April 2012)
• The Laws of the Label: If You Can Avoid Making Vague or Misleading Claims on Food Labels, You Might be Able to Avoid a Class Action Lawsuit (co-author)
  Food and Drink Magazine (Fall 2011)
• Food Labeling Remains Ripe for Consumer Fraud Class Actions (co-author)
  ABA Products Liability Newsletter (Summer 2011)
• Products Liability Law, Vol. 27, Minnesota Practice Series
  Co-author, Thomson West (2006), updated annually
• Emerging Issues in Food Litigation, Chapter 12A: Current Law, Strategies sand Best Practices in Product Litigation
  PLI (2010), updated annually
• Crisis Management, Chapter 8: Current Law, Strategies and Best Practices in Product Litigation
  PLI (2009), updated annually
• Civil Practice Deskbook: Chapter 10 – Informational Statements
  Minnesota State Bar Association Continuing Legal Education (2009)
• Where the Rubber Hits the Road: Steering the Trial Court Through a Post-Kumho Tire Evaluation of Expert Testimony
  27 William Mitchell Law Review 467 (2000)