FAO highlights key areas of food safety foresight approach

Digital tools and human expertise have been highlighted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as vital when looking at emerging food safety issues.

Foresight takes a medium-to-long-term view and is used in the early identification of emerging food safety issues as part of a move from a reactive to preventive approach.

A report came out of an expert meeting in April 2025, organized by FAO’s Agrifood Systems and Food Safety Division as part of the Food Safety Foresight Program.

The publication highlights best practices and guiding principles, particularly in the context of digital tools such as artificial intelligence (AI). It also emphasizes the importance of human oversight and collaboration to strengthen global food safety foresight capacity.

The approach begins with clear objectives, timescales and a flexible approach that combines qualitative and quantitative data. It relies on expert-led intelligence gathering. Success depends on strong communication, institutional buy-in and alignment with decision-making processes. 

AI tools can support data screening, extraction, structuring, analysis and prediction. However, human expertise and oversight are needed to define search criteria, assess data relevance, interpret outputs, and ensure quality control and feedback mechanisms are in place.

Several questions and challenges remain including data protection, interpretability, bias, ethics, cost, predictability, transparency and confidence in the outputs of AI tools.

Mid- to long-term approach
According to the FAO, foresight provides a foundation for identifying possible future food safety scenarios and the various implications. While early warning systems focus on detecting immediate hazards, foresight identifies longer term trends that may impact food safety. It helps inform science- and evidence-based risk assessments and related policy decisions.

“Combining digital tools with human expertise offers a successful formula for food safety foresight, enabling the identification and management of emerging trends,” said Riccardo Siligato, program support specialist at the FAO Agrifood Systems and Food Safety Division.

According to the report, a foresight exercise does not require large teams or extensive funding. Internal efforts can begin with a small project and be expanded based on needs and resources.

In examples of existing foresight frameworks, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Finance Corporation are finalizing the Global Strategy for Food Safety Roadmap Tool to assist nations in identifying their country-specific level of implementation of the WHO Global Strategy for Food Safety and outline a plan to strengthen key areas.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has the Vigilance and Intelligence Before food issues Emerge (VIBE) network and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland uses the Emerging Risk Identification and Screening System (ERISS).

(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)