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Nature of the Business
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2017
Nature of the Business [Abstract]  
Nature of the Business

1.  NATURE OF THE BUSINESS

Medifast, Inc. (the “Company” or “Medifast”) is a Delaware corporation, incorporated in 1989. The Company’s operations are primarily conducted through its wholly owned subsidiaries, Jason Pharmaceuticals, Inc., OPTAVIA, LLC, Jason Enterprises, Inc., Jason Properties, LLC, Medifast Franchise Systems, Inc., Medifast Nutrition, Inc., Seven Crondall Associates, LLC, Performance Products, LLC, and Corporate Events, Inc.  The Company is a leading manufacturer and distributor of clinically proven healthy living products and programs.  The Company’s product lines include weight loss, weight management and healthy living meal replacements, snacks, hydration products, and vitamins.  The Company has one modern, United States Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”)-approved manufacturing facility located in Owings Mills, Maryland.

These products are sold through various means, including the internet, call center, independent health advisors, medical professionals, franchise weight loss clinics, and direct consumer marketing supported via the phone and internet.  The processing, formulation, packaging, labeling and advertising of the Company’s products are subject to regulation by one or more federal agencies, including the FDA, the Federal Trade Commission (the “FTC”), the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency.