TL;DR
Project 2027 is a draft agenda of 35 proposed food-safety actions that its author says could be taken within a year by existing agencies and organizations. A review of public records found overlapping support for several proposals, but the author stresses that no groups have endorsed the agenda itself. Comments are due November 30, ahead of a shorter December draft and a planned January meeting.
The author of Project 2027, a draft agenda proposing 35 food-safety actions, says public records show that organizations from different sectors have already backed some of the same priorities. The author is seeking further comments by November 30 and plans to issue a shorter draft in December, while cautioning that no organization has endorsed the agenda as a whole.
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The working paper began circulating in early September under the tagline “Known Problems, Known Solutions.” Its author describes it as a draft agenda, not a manifesto, and says the proposals are intended to be achievable within a year by agencies and groups that already exist. More than 100 people and organizations have received it, including consumer and victims’ groups, public-health organizations, labor and environmental groups, state regulators, academics, former agency officials and people in the food industry.
Feedback has led to corrections and additions, but also to a decision to shorten the document. The author reports that several readers said 35 proposals were too many and says a shorter version is planned for December. To examine where groups’ positions overlap, the author compiled a grid matching proposals with organizations’ previous public actions, such as petitions, bill endorsements, regulatory comments or testimony.
According to the author’s count, 13 of 30 rows in the grid contain marks from more than one group or “camp.” Examples include opposition to federal preemption of state food laws; better information-sharing between the FDA and state authorities; and restoring active foodborne-illness surveillance. The author also points to support across organizations for defining ultra-processed foods, improving infant-food safety, addressing Salmonella in poultry and limiting routine antibiotic use in animals that are not sick.
The proposal’s central argument is that organizations with different missions may be able to increase their influence by presenting common requests together. The author says groups often approach the same agencies and congressional committees separately, making it easier for officials to set aside overlapping but fragmented requests. A shared list could make areas of agreement easier for policymakers to identify, though the paper does not establish that joint advocacy will lead to policy changes.
The author links the effort to foodborne illness and chronic disease, arguing that advocates focused on pathogens and those focused on diet have a common interest in preventing harm. The report cites a USDA estimate of $74.7 billion in annual costs from foodborne illness and says CDC data reported in spring showed no decline, relative to a 2016–2018 baseline, in any of the pathogens it tracks. Those figures are presented as reasons for action; they do not show that Project 2027’s proposals have been adopted or evaluated.
The timing also matters to the author’s strategy. With a new Congress scheduled to convene on January 3, 2027, the letters being sent to returning and newly elected lawmakers seek their views before the agenda is finalized. The author argues that proposals shaped with prospective congressional supporters may have a better chance of being taken up than separate lists delivered by individual organizations.
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How Project 2027 Took Shape
Project 2027 is being developed as a practical list of proposed changes rather than a single organization’s formal platform. Its author says the draft has been shared with groups working on consumer protection, public health, nutrition, labor, environmental issues and food regulation. The consultation is intended to correct the paper and identify where groups’ existing positions align.
The grid is based on the author’s review of public records, not a survey asking organizations to approve every proposal. The author says the marks reflect actions already taken under each organization’s own name. Examples include petitions, testimony and comments on policy. That distinction matters: the grid is an attempt to map past positions, not a record of commitments to sign or campaign for Project 2027.
The author also says letters are going to lawmakers viewed as potential food-safety supporters, asking for their thoughts. The stated aim is to keep each group’s own agenda while coordinating advocacy where their proposals overlap, rather than asking organizations to abandon separate priorities.
““Known Problems, Known Solutions.””
— Project 2027’s author
Support Has Not Become Endorsement
The grid remains the author’s interpretation of public records, and the organizations listed are still correcting it. The author says some support for information-sharing between FDA and state authorities comes from parts of industry but is still being confirmed. The count of 13 rows is also the author’s tally; the report does not provide a full independent verification of each entry.
It is not yet clear which organizations, if any, will support the revised December draft, whether they will coordinate their advocacy, or which proposals lawmakers may take up. The source report also ends its description of a planned January working meeting before providing complete details about how it will be organized or who will participate.
Comments Before the December Draft
The author is accepting comments through November 30. Feedback is expected to inform a shorter draft in December. The author says a working meeting is planned in Washington in early January, after the 120th Congress convenes on January 3, but further details are not provided in the source report.
Readers seeking the working paper are invited by its author to request it by email. The next clear test of the project will be whether the revised document reflects feedback accurately and whether organizations choose to coordinate on any of the proposals they already share.
Key Questions
What is Project 2027?
It is a draft agenda of 35 proposed food-safety actions that its author says existing agencies and organizations could pursue within a year. A shorter draft is planned for December.
Have organizations endorsed the agenda?
No. The author says no organization has agreed to the agenda or been asked to sign it. The grid records positions groups have taken publicly on individual proposals.
What proposals appear to have support across groups?
The author cites areas including opposition to federal preemption of state food laws, FDA-state information-sharing, foodborne-illness surveillance, infant-food safety and a usable definition of ultra-processed food. The reported overlap is based on the author’s review of public records.
When will the next version be available?
Comments are due November 30, and the author plans a shorter draft in December. A Washington working meeting is planned for early January, but details remain limited.
Source: foodsafetynews.com
