As food safety standards and sourcing regulations tighten globally, manufacturers are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) and supply chain (AI) platforms to transform food safety from reactive compliance to predictive and transparent systems.
At Fi Europe 2025 in Paris next week, exhibitors will showcase how these technologies give manufacturers real-time control over product safety while meeting the most stringent regulatory requirements.
This shift represents a fundamental change in how the food industry approaches safety and traceability. Instead of relying on traditional testing methods that can take days or weeks, companies are deploying AI-powered forecasting tools, real-time monitoring systems, and industry-backed digital platforms that allow them to identify and address risks before they reach consumers.
Predictive AI transforms shelf life management
Belgian food safety technology company Handry embodies this transformation. The company has developed an integrated approach that combines biotechnology, analytical science and artificial intelligence to give manufacturers unprecedented visibility and control over shelf life.
“With Shelfex AI, we authenticate ingredients, predict spoilage before it happens, and ensure compliance with all ‘date marking’ requirements,” says Dr. Amin He, Managing Director of Handary. Nutritional ingredients first.
The company’s Smart Microfier labels provide real-time microbial signals directly on the package, adding a new layer of transparency that allows both manufacturers and consumers to monitor product safety. Meanwhile, Hékôn’s smart micro-perforated packaging films regulate gas balance while tracking storage conditions throughout the distribution process.
“By linking laboratory data, production parameters and intelligent packaging into a unified, traceable system, we are transforming shelf life management from empirical judgment to a predictive, transparent and scientifically proven framework – enhancing food safety and consumer confidence,” Aimin He continues.
Industry giants are building a collaborative platform
While individual companies are developing their own technologies, major players in food and agriculture are also recognizing that complex supply chain challenges require collaborative solutions.
This realization led several Fi Europe attendees, including ADM, Cargill, Louis Dreyfus Company, and Olam Food Ingredients (ofi), to found Tract, a supply chain intelligence platform that raised €18.6 million (US$21.4 million) in Series A funding this year.
Tract provides tailored information for the agriculture supply chain, helping companies map sourcing networks, assess sustainability risks, and improve traceability across commodities such as cocoa, coffee, corn and cotton. The platform addresses a significant pain point in the industry: incompatible data systems that prevent companies from compiling and comparing sustainability metrics across their supply chains.
“Our goal is to take a proactive approach to transparency, making access to ESG metrics and supply chain traceability simpler, more consistent and more actionable,” says Kai-Uwe Ostheim, Vice President of Sustainability Portfolio at ADM. “It helps unlock efficiencies that benefit the entire value chain.”
As the EU Deforestation Regulation and other sustainability regulations come into force, companies need systems that can provide verifiable data on sourcing practices, monitoring deforestation, and tracking carbon. Tract provides a comprehensive platform for compliance needs while enabling companies to manage supply risks amid increasing climate and market pressures.
Comprehensive traceability at work
Several exhibitors at Fi Europe 2025 demonstrate how these technological advances translate into operational reality. ofi, finalist for Fi Europe Award for Innovation in Sustainabilityhas developed its Cocoa Compass initiative to provide enhanced traceability and transparency across its cocoa supply chain. The company achieved 100% traceability to farm or community in its direct cocoa supply chain in 2020.
ofi’s AtSource Sustainability Management System provides customers with detailed data and insights into where and how cocoa and other ingredients are sourced, including their social and environmental impact. At ofi’s laboratory testing facility in Koog aan de Zaan in the Netherlands, the company introduced a laboratory information management system where equipment captures data directly, eliminating manual data capture. The company also uses infrared equipment technology at several cocoa processing sites, reducing measurement time from 30-45 minutes to just five minutes.
“The accuracy of our data, coupled with our extensive on-the-ground footprint in countries of origin and strong relationships with growers, means we can continue to move the needle with collaborators,” Tejinder Singh Saraon, managing director and CEO of ofi Cocoa, previously told us.
“We are also investing in technology to help some of the world’s largest food and drink brands meet consumer demand for delicious, popular products with strong sustainability credentials.”
ADM, which was also a finalist for the Sustainability Innovation Award at Fi Europe 2025, has launched its own fully traceable North American soy resourcing program. The program has enrolled nearly 5,300 growers covering more than 4.6 million acres across 15 states for the 2024 season, using digital platforms to verify, track and separate participating grains from farms to final destination.
Build trust through verifiable data
The convergence of artificial intelligence, blockchain, and supply chain intelligence platforms reflects a broader industry recognition that consumer trust increasingly relies on verifiable data rather than marketing claims.
“Consumer trust is increasingly built on verifiable data rather than traditional claims,” says Aimin He, of Handari. “AI supports predictive risk analysis, microbial diagnostics, shelf life modeling, and digital quality control traceability. It also enables early deviation detection, evidence-based validity validation, and actionable insights for manufacturers.”
The company notes that blockchain technology provides a tamper-proof source for sensitive ingredients, ensuring that sustainability claims, certifications of natural origin and allergen information are transparent and independently verifiable.
OFI is exploring how artificial intelligence systems can process real-time food quality measurements from processing facilities globally combined with weather data from bean origins. “If the weather at the source of the cocoa is particularly humid, this may affect the levels of free fatty acids in the final product,” a spokesperson for the office told us.
“AI tools can help us estimate the quality of the final product and adjust processing operations accordingly, ultimately helping us plan better, predict discrepancies, reduce waste, and enhance the traceability of our supply chain.”
“Together, AI and blockchain technology transform complex food safety processes into transparent, data-driven evidence – giving consumers confidence not only in the products they buy, but also in how those products are produced, validated and protected across the supply chain,” says Aimin He.
As regulatory frameworks continue to evolve, technology providers are building adaptability into their systems. Handary’s Shelfex AI regulatory engine continuously monitors new guidance – from EFSA opinions to FDA GRAS updates and EU date-setting reforms – and updates compliance modules to keep clients audit-ready.
“Since transparency has become essential, our approach is simple: Identify what is subjective. Digitize what was manual. Verify shelf life scientifically, not experimentally,” Aimin He continues. “This is how we help the global food industry meet higher safety and transparency standards with confidence.”
The technologies on display at Fi Europe 2025 represent a maturation of digital tools that were once conceptual or limited to pilots. For manufacturers, the message is clear: food safety and transparency technologies are no longer optional innovations, but essential infrastructure that will increasingly separate market leaders from those struggling to maintain compliance.
