The U.S. food safety landscape is shifting with new leadership, tight budgets, and expanding state action on additives are reshaping expectations for FDA’s Human Foods Program (HFP) and USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS). From outside the agencies, leaders in consumer advocacy, state regulation, and industry will outline what federal priorities should be for 2026: sharper FDA–USDA alignment, practical federal–state partnerships that leverage state capacity without fragmenting standards, and modernization grounded in science, risk, and transparent communication. This fireside chat distills what must happen next to protect consumers, sustain public trust, and keep the food system resilient while addressing GRAS scrutiny, risk-based inspection models, recall modernization, and the role of state policymaking in a coherent national framework.