EU unveils AI platform to combat food fraud, contamination

BRUSSELS

The European Commission on Tuesday unveiled "TraceMap," a new artificial intelligence (AI)‑driven platform designed to strengthen the EU's fight against food fraud, contaminated food and agri‑food risks by accelerating detection and response across the bloc.

Developed under the commission's food safety and digital innovation agenda, TraceMap will help national authorities in all member states better analyze food safety data, identify suspicious operators and consignments faster and monitor entire supply chains once a risk is spotted, according to a statement.

The platform integrates and interprets datasets from existing EU systems, including the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) and the Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES), using AI to improve screening accuracy and speed up investigations of unsafe or fraudulent products.

According to the statement, TraceMap will streamline access to critical safety data, reveal links between operators and shipments, and enable quicker recalls of hazardous food items.

It will also support national food control authorities in targeting inspections and carrying out investigations without requiring additional resources.

The statement highlighted that TraceMap's early testing helped support the recall of infant formula made with contaminated ARA oil imported from China, underlining the potential of AI‑assisted systems to assist in real‑world food safety incidents.

BRUSSELS

According to the statement, TraceMap will streamline access to critical safety data, reveal links between operators and shipments, and enable quicker recalls of hazardous food items.

It will also support national food control authorities in targeting inspections and carrying out investigations without requiring additional resources.