Izabela Tańska is a food law and regulatory strategy expert with more than two decades of experience in the interpretation and practical application of European Union and national food law. She has been associated with IGI FOOD LAW from its earliest years and has led the firm’s development since 2009, combining substantive expertise with a strong understanding of regulatory institutions, market practice and the realities of the food sector.
Her professional background combines experience in public administration with many years of advising manufacturers, distributors, industry organisations and international businesses. She has participated directly in EU regulatory processes, representing the Polish Government in the work of EU institutions. Her professional activities have taken her from Poland and Brussels to Singapore and Washington, giving her a broad international perspective on the development and application of food regulation.
She advises clients across the full spectrum of food law matters — from reviewing product labels, ingredient lists, nutrition and health claims, advertising and consumer communications to regulatory qualification, product development, market entry, distribution and communication with competent authorities. She is particularly recognised for her expertise in assessing nutrition and health claims and developing compliant, scientifically substantiated product communications.
Her areas of expertise include food information and labelling, nutrition and health claims, novel foods, food additives, food supplements, foods for special medical purposes, fortified foods, natural mineral waters, advertising and marketing, regulatory product classification, food contact materials and packaging requirements.
She works both on day-to-day regulatory matters and on complex projects involving issues for which no established administrative or market practice yet exists. Her assignments range from the assessment of an individual label or claim and the regulatory qualification of a product or ingredient to the preparation of scientific and regulatory documentation, market-entry approaches and broader regulatory strategies for companies and entire sectors.
Her work increasingly involves questions arising at the intersection of food law, public health, the pharmaceutical regulatory framework, sustainability, food contact materials and packaging legislation. She also advises on regulatory issues concerning human intervention studies, clinical research and the use of clinical evidence in relation to different categories of food, particularly foods for special medical purposes, food supplements, novel foods and products bearing nutrition or health claims. This work often involves questions arising at the boundary between food and medicinal product regulation.
She prepares expert analyses, position papers and substantive submissions addressed to national authorities and European Union institutions, including the European Commission. Through this work, she contributes to regulatory dialogue on matters requiring clarification, consistent interpretation or the development of new administrative practice.
A significant part of her professional activity consists of working alongside domestic and international law firms. As an expert regulatory partner, she complements their legal expertise with in-depth knowledge of food regulation, scientific assessment, administrative practice and the functioning of the food market, providing specialist support in complex client projects.
A particular strength of her work is the ability to combine detailed regulatory analysis with an understanding of science, institutional processes and business realities. She translates complex regulatory requirements into clear and practical conclusions while identifying their wider implications and emerging risks.
She holds a doctoral degree in medical sciences in the field of health sciences, bringing an interdisciplinary perspective to her work at the intersection of food regulation, science, public health and market practice. She was also a candidate for appointment to the EFSA Management Board in the 2025 call and has extensive practical experience in EFSA-related procedures and scientific and regulatory assessments.
In the Chambers Europe Guide 2026, Izabela Tańska was individually recognised in the Spotlight ranking for Food & Beverages in Poland. IGI FOOD LAW was also ranked in the same category as a specialist consulting firm in food law. Chambers highlights her expertise in interpreting and applying EU and Polish food law requirements and advising industry clients on product design, marketing and distribution.
In 2011, she founded the Summer School of Food Law and has led it ever since. It is one of Poland’s most recognised and highly regarded workshop series dedicated to the practical application of food law. She is also regularly invited to speak at national and international conferences, from Ankara to Boston.
She is the author and co-author of publications on food law, including a chapter on the legal foundations of functional foods in the international publication Nutraceutical and Functional Food Regulations in the United States and Around the World. She also regularly publishes articles and commentaries on regulatory developments and the practical application of food law.
www.linkedin.com/in/izabelatanska
