Fi Europe 2025: How AI, blockchain and digital platforms are redefining food safety transparency – foodingredientsfirst.com

Report on Technological Advancements in Food Safety and Supply Chain Transparency

Introduction: Aligning Food Industry Innovation with Sustainable Development Goals

The global food industry is undergoing a significant transformation, driven by tightening food safety standards and sourcing regulations. A paradigm shift from reactive compliance to predictive, transparent systems is being enabled by technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain, and advanced supply chain intelligence platforms. These innovations are not only enhancing product integrity and regulatory adherence but are also making substantial contributions to several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to food security, responsible production, climate action, and global partnerships.

Predictive Technologies for Food Security and Waste Reduction

Contribution to SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production)

Predictive AI is revolutionizing shelf-life management, which is critical for minimizing food waste and ensuring food safety. By shifting from empirical judgment to a science-validated framework, companies can better manage food resources.

• Spoilage Prediction: AI-driven platforms, such as Handary’s Shelfex AI, can predict spoilage before it occurs. This proactive approach helps secure the food supply, directly supporting SDG 2 by ensuring more food is safe and available for consumption.
• Waste Reduction: By optimizing shelf life and providing real-time microbial signals through smart labels, these technologies significantly reduce food loss at the manufacturing and consumer levels. This directly addresses SDG 12.3, which aims to halve per capita global food waste.
• Intelligent Packaging: Systems like Hékôn micro-perforated membranes regulate gas balance and track storage conditions, preserving food quality throughout distribution and further contributing to the goals of SDG 12.

Collaborative Platforms for Supply Chain Integrity

Fostering SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production)

Recognizing that complex supply chain challenges require collective action, industry leaders are forming partnerships to build shared intelligence platforms. This collaborative approach is essential for achieving systemic change.

• Industry-Wide Collaboration: The establishment of Tract, a supply chain intelligence platform founded by ADM, Cargill, Louis Dreyfus Company, and ofi, exemplifies SDG 17. This partnership aims to create a unified system for monitoring sustainability metrics across the agricultural sector.
• Promoting Responsible Sourcing: Tract enables companies to map sourcing networks, assess sustainability risks, and improve traceability for key commodities. This enhances corporate accountability and promotes the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources, a core target of SDG 12.
• Standardized Data: The platform resolves the issue of incompatible data systems, allowing for consistent and actionable aggregation of ESG metrics, which is fundamental for transparent and responsible supply chains.

End-to-End Traceability and Environmental Stewardship

Impact on SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure)

Technological advancements are providing the tools necessary for verifiable environmental monitoring and sustainable sourcing, enabling companies to meet stringent regulations and consumer expectations.

1. Deforestation and Carbon Monitoring: Traceability systems are crucial for compliance with regulations such as the EU Deforestation Regulation. By providing verifiable data on sourcing practices, these platforms help protect biodiversity and forest ecosystems, contributing to SDG 15.
2. Sustainable Sourcing Initiatives: Programs like ofi’s Cocoa Compass and ADM’s re:source demonstrate the operational reality of end-to-end traceability. ofi achieved 100% traceability in its direct cocoa supply chain, while ADM enrolled millions of acres in its traceable soybean program. These initiatives promote sustainable industrialization and resilient infrastructure, aligning with SDG 9.
3. Data-Driven Impact Assessment: ofi’s AtSource system provides customers with detailed data on the social and environmental impact of sourced ingredients, fostering transparency and accountability throughout the value chain.

Building Trust Through Verifiable Data and Digitalization

Strengthening Consumer Confidence and Ensuring Compliance

The convergence of AI and blockchain is creating a new foundation for consumer trust, which is increasingly built on verifiable data rather than marketing claims. This transparency is vital for promoting sustainable consumption patterns.

• Data Integrity: Blockchain provides a tamper-proof ledger for ingredient provenance, ensuring that claims related to sustainability, origin, and allergens are independently verifiable.
• Predictive Quality Control: AI systems can process real-time quality measurements and weather data to predict final product quality, allowing for proactive adjustments that reduce waste and enhance supply chain efficiency.
• Automated Regulatory Compliance: Advanced systems like Handary’s Shelfex AI feature regulatory engines that continuously monitor and update compliance modules based on new guidance from bodies like EFSA and the FDA. This ensures that manufacturers remain audit-ready in a dynamic regulatory landscape.

Conclusion: The Essential Role of Technology in Sustainable Food Systems

The technologies showcased at Fi Europe 2025 signify a maturation of digital tools from conceptual to essential infrastructure. For food manufacturers, investing in AI, blockchain, and collaborative intelligence platforms is no longer optional. These systems are fundamental to meeting higher standards for safety and transparency, building consumer trust, and making measurable progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger: The article’s core focus on enhancing food safety, predicting spoilage, and improving shelf life management directly contributes to ensuring access to safe and nutritious food. It also touches upon sustainable agricultural practices through traceable sourcing of commodities like cocoa, coffee, and soybeans.
• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: By deploying technologies to prevent food contamination and spoilage, the initiatives described aim to reduce foodborne illnesses. The use of AI to predict risks and real-time monitoring systems ensures that unsafe products are identified before they can harm consumers, thus promoting public health.
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: The article is centered on industrial innovation. It extensively discusses the adoption of advanced technologies like AI, blockchain, and supply chain intelligence platforms (e.g., Tract, Shelfex AI) to upgrade the food industry’s infrastructure, making it more efficient, resilient, and sustainable.
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production: The article highlights a shift towards sustainable production patterns. It details how companies are using technology for end-to-end traceability, managing sustainability risks, and providing consumers with verifiable data on a product’s social and environmental impact. The use of AI to predict inconsistencies and adjust processing also helps in reducing food waste.
• SDG 15: Life on Land: The article explicitly mentions the need to comply with regulations like the “EU Deforestation Regulation.” The Tract platform is designed to help companies with “deforestation monitoring” and verifying sourcing practices for agricultural commodities, which is crucial for protecting terrestrial ecosystems.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: The formation of the Tract platform by industry giants like ADM, Cargill, and ofi is a prime example of a multi-stakeholder partnership. They are collaborating to create a shared solution for complex supply chain challenges, demonstrating a commitment to working together for sustainable development.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 2.1: By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people… to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round. The technologies discussed, such as Handary’s Shelfex AI and Microfier smart labels, are designed to “predict spoilage before it occurs” and provide “real-time microbial signals,” directly enhancing the safety of the food supply.
• Target 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination. The entire premise of transforming food safety from “reactive compliance into predictive, transparent systems” aims to prevent contaminated food from reaching consumers, thereby reducing foodborne illnesses.
• Target 9.5: Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries… encouraging innovation. The article showcases companies like Handary, ADM, and ofi investing in and implementing cutting-edge technologies (AI, blockchain, infrared equipment) to “transform shelf life management” and improve processing efficiency.
• Target 12.3: By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains. ofi’s exploration of AI to “predict inconsistencies, reduce waste, and enhance the traceability of our supply chain” is a direct effort to minimize food loss during processing.
• Target 12.6: Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle. The article describes how companies like ofi and ADM are using platforms like AtSource and re:source to provide customers with “detailed data and insights on where and how cocoa and other ingredients are sourced, including their social and environmental impact.”
• Target 15.2: By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally. The Tract platform directly addresses this by providing tools for “deforestation monitoring” to help companies comply with regulations and ensure their sourcing practices are not contributing to deforestation.
• Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships. The collaboration between ADM, Cargill, Louis Dreyfus Company, and ofi to found the Tract platform is a clear example of a private-sector partnership aimed at solving industry-wide sustainability and traceability challenges.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Traceability Percentage: The article mentions that ofi “achieved 100% traceability to farm or community in its direct cocoa supply chain in 2020.” This serves as a direct indicator for measuring the extent of traceability in a supply chain.
• Farmer and Land Engagement: ADM’s re:source program “enrolled almost 5,300 farmers encompassing more than 4.6 million acres across 15 states for the 2024 season.” The number of farmers and the total acreage under sustainable and traceable management are quantifiable indicators of progress.
• Real-time Quality and Safety Monitoring: The mention of “real-time microbial signals” from smart labels and AI systems processing “real-time food quality measurements” implies that data on product safety and quality can be continuously tracked, serving as an indicator of food safety system effectiveness.
• Reduction in Measurement/Processing Time: The use of infrared technology by ofi “reducing measurement time from 30-45 minutes to just five minutes” is a specific metric that indicates increased efficiency, which can contribute to reduced waste and better quality control.
• Compliance with Sustainability Regulations: The article implies that a key indicator of success for platforms like Tract is their ability to provide “verifiable data” for compliance with regulations like the EU Deforestation Regulation. The ability to generate audit-ready reports on deforestation monitoring and carbon tracking is a measurable outcome.

4. SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Table

Source: foodingredientsfirst.com