As seen in news reports, two recent Department of Justice (DOJ or Department) memoranda address the role of guidance documents in civil enforcement actions. Taken together, the two memoranda greatly limit the Department’s use of DOJ and other agencies’ guidance documents to support civil enforcement actions, as guidance documents do not impose binding standards on private parties. However, for the reasons set forth below, the memoranda are not expected to have a significant impact on enforcement actions initiated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in food-related matters.
