In the fall of 2022, the Reagan-Udall Foundation—an independent organization established by Congress to advance the mission of the FDA—evaluated the CTP and identified several key areas for improvement. Released in December 2022, the report outlined 15 things the CTP must improve to effectively implement the regulatory goal of the organization’s mission: the protection of public health.

Jax’s Citizen Petition represents a perfect opportunity for the FDA’s Human Foods Program under Deputy Commissioner Jones to lead by example and break away from the Reagan-Udall Foundation’s finding that the FDA’s “culture creates an environment where decision-making is unacceptably slow” and from an external perspective appears “sluggish and non-responsive to public health concerns.”