Food and Drug Law Institute

What Food and Drug Law Institute does

The Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI) is a nonprofit membership organization founded in 1949 and headquartered in Washington, DC, that operates as the primary professional community for food and drug law practitioners, regulators, academics, and industry professionals in the United States. Its core offerings span five integrated revenue streams: recurring membership dues, conference and event fees (annual conference plus specialized conferences on food advertising, tobacco, biologics, digital health, and enforcement), publications sales (books, the Update Magazine, and the Food and Drug Law Journal co-published with Georgetown University Law Center), webinar content delivered through a Virtual Learning Platform and FDLI Learning Library, and event sponsorships. The organization also runs an introductory course series, a Student Membership Program, a Faculty Discussion series, the Austern Writing Competition, and a Career Center job board, all of which serve to cultivate and sustain the food and drug law pipeline.

FDLI's go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: members are acquired through the website, professional referrals, conferences, and webinars, with speaking opportunities generally reserved for members, creating a self-reinforcing incentive loop. The underlying technology is a conventional virtual learning and content delivery platform rather than a proprietary software product; FDLI's defensibility rests on brand, content library, and community network rather than on technology differentiation. Operationally, FDLI runs with a small staff (11-50 employees) and extends geographic reach through both in-person events in Washington, DC and select cities and a global publications e-commerce storefront, while events scheduled through 2027 indicate continued forward demand. Leadership includes President & CEO Christine Simmon, with governance provided by a Board of Directors.

Name

Food and Drug Law Institute

Legal name

Food and Drug Law Institute

Website

https://fdli.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FDLI is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit membership organization, founded in 1949, that delivers education, conferences, publications, and webinars for U.S. food and drug law practitioners, regulators, industry professionals, students, and academics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Professional Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAAALAB

Legal & Compliance (CLE, Paralegal CE)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Professional Licensure & Continuing Professional Education (CE/CPE)

SECONDARYAFALANAF

Training & Competency Programs (Food Safety, HACCP, PCQI, Internal Auditor)

Agriculture & Food Production/Food Safety, Testing & Certification/Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS)

Keywords

• Food and drug law
• Regulatory law education
• Continuing legal education
• FDA compliance training
• Legal publications

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: FDLI operates as a nonprofit membership organization. Members receive benefits including access to publications, reduced conference fees, and educational resources. Student memberships are available at discounted rates.
2. Conference and Event Fees: FDLI generates revenue through registration fees for annual conferences, specialized conferences (food advertising, tobacco, biologics, digital health), and introductory courses. Events are offered both in-person and virtually.
3. Publications Sales: FDLI publishes books including the FDCA Statutory Supplement, A Practical Guide to FDA's Food and Drug Law and Regulation, and topic-specific guides. Publications are sold in softbound and downloadable formats.
4. Webinar Content: FDLI offers webinars providing timely education on food and drug law topics. On-demand webinars are available in the catalog covering topics such as FDA regulation, biologics, cosmetics, cannabis, and enforcement.
5. Sponsorships: FDLI offers sponsorship opportunities allowing organizations to reach senior regulatory and legal professionals through event sponsorship.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

FDLI is a nonprofit membership organization that delivers professional education, scholarly publications, and networking for the food and drug law community. Its core offerings include annual and specialized conferences, on-demand and live webinars, introductory courses in FDA law, books and reference materials, and the co-published Food and Drug Law Journal. Membership unlocks access to these educational resources, CLE credits, and the FDLI Learning Library.

Product overview

The Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI) is a nonprofit membership organization that provides a comprehensive educational platform for the food and drug law community. The organization offers a unified portfolio of educational products and services including the Virtual Learning Platform (on-demand and live webinars), conferences (annual conferences and specialized topic events), introductory courses, publications (books, Update Magazine, and the Food and Drug Law Journal co-published with Georgetown Law), and career resources. These offerings serve practitioners, scholars, students, policy makers, and others interested in food and drug law and policy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Conferences

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Georgetown University Law CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFDLI co-publishes the scholarly quarterly Food and Drug Law Journal with Georgetown University Law Center. This partnership provides academic rigor and credibility to FDLI's scholarly publications, combining Georgetown's academic resources with FDLI's practical expertise in food and drug law.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• FDAnews: Publishing and events business focused on FDA-regulated industries, offering newsletters, books, webinars, and conferences for compliance professionals. Comparable to FDLI across publications, webinars, and conferences serving the same FDA-regulated industry audience.
• American Health Law Association (AHLA): Nonprofit membership organization for health law professionals offering CLE, conferences, publications, and networking. Comparable to FDLI through CLE-led education model and legal practitioner audience, with overlap in food and drug regulation topics but broader across the full health law ecosystem.
• Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS): Global nonprofit membership organization providing education, training, and certification for regulatory professionals in healthcare products. Directly comparable to FDLI in mission, revenue model (membership + conferences + publications), and target audience across pharma, medical devices, and biologics — the most natural direct peer.
• Drug Information Association (DIA): Global membership organization serving professionals in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries with conferences, training, and publications. Closely matches FDLI's regulatory education and conference-driven model for FDA-regulated product categories, with broader international footprint.
• American Conference Institute (ACI): For-profit CLE conference and training provider covering specialized legal and regulatory topics including food, drug, and life sciences. Directly comparable on the events/conference axis, competing for the same practitioner attendees and corporate sponsors, but operating with a for-profit, commercial model.

Emerging players

• International Association for Food Protection (IAFP): Nonprofit membership organization for food safety professionals worldwide, providing publications, conferences, and professional development. Tangentially comparable to FDLI on food regulation education and membership-driven revenue, with a more scientific/safety rather than legal practitioner focus.
• Food Safety Summit: Conference and exhibition focused on food safety and quality across the food supply chain. Comparable to FDLI on the food law/regulation axis and conferences, with a narrower focus on food industry safety practitioners rather than lawyers.

Broad incumbents

• American Bar Association (ABA): The largest US legal membership organization, offering CLE programming, publications, and section-based communities that intersect with food and drug law. Operates as a broader incumbent providing general legal education where FDLI specializes in a niche; competes for CLE-attentive lawyer members.

Regional players

• National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA): US-based association of state agriculture officials, providing policy and regulatory engagement on food and agricultural issues. Comparable to FDLI through food regulation policy community engagement, but focused on state government officials rather than legal practitioners.

Others

• Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) Industry Day: Government-convened industry event for medical countermeasure development stakeholders. Adjacent comparator for FDLI's biologics and FDA-regulated industry programming, sharing audience with industry professionals and government stakeholders though not a membership association.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/foodanddruglaw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-food-and-drug-law-institute-fdli-
• Facebookfacebook.com/food-and-drug-law-institute-333594356849295

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Food and Drug Law Institute