Building Trust in Food Systems: EFF-CoP Roundtable Explores AI, Digital Innovation and Food Authenticity
How can emerging technologies help build more transparent, reliable and trustworthy food systems? This question was at the heart of an interactive roundtable discussion organised by EFF-CoP on 13 October 2026, bringing together representatives from the foodigIT and DARWIN projects.
Organised within the framework of EFF-CoP's Work Package 5 (Interactive Events), under the coordination of REZOS Brands, the online session, entitled "Building Trust in Food Systems: AI, Digital Innovation and Food Authenticity," provided an opportunity to explore the growing role of artificial intelligence, computational approaches and innovative detection technologies in strengthening food integrity.
The discussion highlighted the importance of connecting scientific research, technological innovation and practical applications to address challenges related to food safety, authenticity, traceability and consumer trust.
Exploring the Potential of AI and Digital Innovation
The roundtable featured two invited experts, each bringing a different perspective on the application of emerging technologies within the food sector.
Constantine-Richard Stefanou, PhD Researcher at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and member of the foodigIT research team, contributed insights into artificial intelligence, computational food science and digital innovation.
His research focuses on computational approaches, predictive microbiology and quantitative microbial risk assessment, particularly the development of user-friendly decision-support tools that translate scientific knowledge into practical applications for the food industry.
Jolien D’aes, Bioinformatician at Sciensano, the Belgian scientific institute for human, animal and environmental health, contributed the DARWIN project's perspective on AI tools, innovative fingerprinting methods, traceability and food authenticity.
Her research focuses on genomic detection methods that support food and feed safety controls and traceability, demonstrating the potential of advanced scientific approaches to strengthen authenticity verification.
Connecting Technology, Food Authenticity and Trust
Following the expert contributions, the roundtable opened the floor for an interactive discussion on the opportunities and challenges associated with integrating AI and digital technologies into food systems.
The conversation addressed several important questions:
How can AI, data science and computational approaches improve transparency and reliability across the food supply chain?
Which digital technologies offer the greatest potential for strengthening food safety, quality and authenticity?
How can innovative fingerprinting and detection methods support food authenticity verification and traceability?
What is needed to ensure that digital solutions are reliable, understandable and trusted by stakeholders and consumers?
How can collaboration between research initiatives accelerate the development of practical solutions for the food sector?
A particular focus was placed on the connection between technological advancement and trust, recognising that the successful adoption of innovative solutions depends not only on their scientific capabilities but also on their practical applicability and accessibility.
Strengthening Collaboration Across European Research Projects
Beyond the technological aspects, the roundtable created an opportunity to identify potential connections between research initiatives working towards safer and more transparent food systems.
By bringing together perspectives from foodigIT and DARWIN, EFF-CoP supported knowledge exchange across complementary research areas, encouraging dialogue on how digital innovation, food authenticity research and practical applications can contribute to common objectives.
Such exchanges reflect EFF-CoP's broader mission to strengthen collaboration, facilitate knowledge sharing and connect stakeholders working to prevent and detect food fraud.
Watch the Roundtable Discussion
Missed the discussion or interested in exploring the topics further?
🎥 Watch the recording below to learn more about the potential of AI, digital technologies and innovative detection methods in building more trustworthy food systems.