Boosting food safety in Europe with digital innovation
In a world of increasingly complex and globalised food supply chains, ensuring food safety is a challenging task. Emerging hazards, from microbial outbreaks to chemical contamination, are placing constant stress on food systems. In response, the EU-funded FoodSafeR(opens in new window) project brought together 19 academic, research and industry organisations from across Europe to develop cutting-edge digital tools to address this challenge.
Harnessing AI for emerging risks
“The vision for FoodSafeR was to provide a proactive system for detecting and managing emerging food safety hazards,” explains Lauren Alteio, a scientist at the Austrian Competence Centre for Feed and Food Quality, Safety & Innovation(opens in new window) (FFoQSI). “We’re not just monitoring risks though; we’re trying to stay ahead of them.” Artificial intelligence (AI) was applied within research case studies, including the use of machine learning algorithms in bioinformatic approaches for microbiological use cases, and in the analysis of satellite imagery data for the investigation of mycotoxin contamination in crops. The project also applied machine learning and natural language processing to scan media and scientific data for early signs of emerging risks, in order to help professionals respond quickly and confidently. Through this work, the project developed a framework for detecting how food safety threats change under pressure. “We identified indicators that allowed us to track how a threat behaves over time, essential for short-term response and long-term prevention,” says Alteio. These insights were then integrated into digital tools(opens in new window) and policy recommendations(opens in new window) for both operators and regulators. So far, four microbial and four chemical threat scenarios have been explored in depth, helping researchers understand how risks change and how to respond effectively.
The power of a DigitalHUB
Central to FoodSafeR was the creation of the DigitalHUB(opens in new window), a collaborative platform designed with and for food safety professionals. Developed through co-design events called Living Labs, the HUB serves as a digital meeting ground where users from academia, industry and government share data, tools and insights. “We built the DigitalHUB with the people who will use it. It’s designed to be flexible, transparent and easy to integrate into real-world food safety operations,” notes Alteio. Launched as an open access platform in 2025, the HUB offers tailored workspaces, networking features and document-sharing tools. It also includes training modules, a digital toolkit and AI-powered features such as Signal Trends.
Shaping the future of food safety
Dissemination was vital to the success of FoodSafeR, with the project sharing its outcomes through active participation in industry conferences such as FoodMicro 2024 and the IAFP European Symposium 2025, as well as hosting webinars on YouTube. With its milestones achieved and the DigitalHUB now online, the project’s next challenge is growing its user base and building a truly global community. Engagement and feedback will shape how the platform evolves and scales across the food safety landscape. “In the age of ‘big data’, AI will become increasingly important and assist in informing decisions to ensure a safer food future,” Alteio adds. Thanks to FoodSafeR, early detection, real-time data and AI-driven insights are transforming food safety management into a more adaptive, resilient system ready to tackle the threats of tomorrow.
