Legislation and regulations

Products and services are often subject to specific requirements that dictate what can be placed on the market and/or how. These requirements are set by legislation, which is most often given specific shape by associated regulations. For businesses, regulatory compliance is the process of making sure that a given product, service or business process is fully compliant with all the relevant legislation for the given market/s where that product or service is operating. Many products require one or more steps of registration before they can even enter a market. One important aspect of regulatory compliance is that it is not optional - people and businesses must comply with the requirements, or else face various restrictions and penalties.

As an example, in South Africa a herbal health product must be compliant with labelling regulations and regulations related to the registration and sale of medicines, which include requirements for things like safety and manufacture. Without being compliant, the product cannot be sold. A cosmetic product falls under its own category of regulations, along with any product made from, or derived from, an indigenous plant or animal.

People and companies dealing with regulatory compliance often require assistance from experts in that particular field of regulation. These can either be in-house experts, or else external consultants.