FDA guidelines vs. regulations

摘要

Sometimes, the legal developments that may seem irrelevant to any individual packager may contain the seeds of important legal concepts. I have one such here. Stick with me, and I believe you will see the full significance of a seemingly obscure announcement by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. The executive summary is as follows. The government issued draft guidelines to help some food businesses operate more safely. However, some critics complained that these shouldn't be mere guidelines; they should be regulations with penalties attached for violations. But you must put yourself in FDA's shoes and ask, "Would I really want to make regulations out of these guidelines?"