In conversation with Ms Munmun Farhana, Manager – Legal Affairs, Arla Foods Bangladesh Limited

• Interview by Barrister Moe Moe Than

____________________________________________________________________________________

 Munmun Farhana is Manager – Legal Affairs at Arla Foods Bangladesh Limited, a leading multinational in the dairy and FMCG sector. In an increasingly complex regulatory environment, she leads the organization’s legal and compliance function, ensuring alignment with applicable laws while supporting business priorities. She works closely with internal stakeholders to embed compliance into operations, strengthening governance standards and supporting sustainable business growth. She has good length of expertise in working with reputed MNCs.

 As a leading dairy and nutrition company, how does Arla Foods structure its legal and compliance framework to manage product liability risks across sourcing, processing, packaging, and distribution in Bangladesh?

At Arla, product liability is not treated as a standalone legal checkpoint; it is managed through decisions made across the product lifecycle, particularly in a category like dairy where product integrity and consumer trust are closely connected.

We start at the sourcing stage, where supplier relationships are structured with clear accountability, supported by due diligence and contractual protections. The focus is not only on compliance, but on ensuring quality expectations are clearly understood and consistently met. As products move through processing and distribution, the emphasis remains on the strength of internal systems, i.e. traceability, documentation, and clearly defined responsibilities. Packaging and consumer-facing communication is where legal’s involvement becomes more direct. We ensure that every representation made to consumers is accurate, supportable and aligned with both local regulatory requirements and Arla’s global standards.

At Arla, product liability is not managed through reaction; it is proactively minimized through disciplined decisions taken long before the product reaches the shelf.

With increasing regulatory focus on food safety, nutritional labeling, and health claims, how does the legal department balance consumer protection obligations with product innovation and market expansion?

In practice, balancing consumer protection with innovation is less about trade-offs and more about how early and closely legal is involved in the process.

At Arla, we engage at the product development stage, working alongside business and regulatory teams to shape how products are positioned, particularly in areas such as nutritional labeling and health-related communication. This helps ensure innovation is developed within a framework aligned with consumer protection expectations. Where regulatory guidance is not always prescriptive, we align local requirements with Arla’s global standards and internal thresholds, so that decisions remain consistent, supportable, and suitable for market expansion.

The balance is achieved by enabling innovation to move forward while ensuring it remains anchored in positions that are clear, defensible, and aligned with consumer expectations.

In the event of consumer complaints, quality concerns, or regulatory challenges, what role does the legal team play in crisis management and maintaining consumer trust?

In such situations, the legal team’s role is to bring clarity and structure where decisions often need to be made quickly.

The immediate focus is on establishing a clear and accurate understanding of the matter including its context, scope, and potential implications. We work closely with internal teams to ensure responses are based on verified information and remain aligned across functions, often within compressed timelines. From there, our involvement is in shaping how the company responds, both in terms of communication and any necessary regulatory engagement. The emphasis is on ensuring actions are measured, consistent, and aligned with both legal obligations and the company’s broader responsibility toward consumers.

In moments of pressure, legal judgment is not just about compliance; it is about ensuring the company responds in a way it can stand by, even in hindsight.

How do Bangladesh’s consumer protection and food safety laws compare with global standards, and what key compliance challenges do multinational dairy companies face in emerging markets?

Bangladesh has made significant progress in strengthening its consumer protection and food safety framework, with increasing alignment toward global standards. For multinational companies like Arla, compliance is guided not only by local regulatory requirements but also by global standards, which help ensure consistency across markets and reinforce consumer confidence.

In practice, one of the key challenges in emerging markets is navigating areas where regulatory interpretation continues to evolve, particularly in sectors such as food and nutrition where expectations are continuously developing. At the same time, managing supply chain complexity and maintaining consistent compliance across stakeholders requires ongoing engagement.

Operating in such environments requires not just compliance, but clarity of principle—knowing where to hold the line, even when the law is still taking shape.

QUOTE: At Arla, product liability is not managed through reaction; it is proactively minimized through disciplined decisions taken long before the product reaches the shelf.