Current Trends in Food Safety: Digital and Predictive Approaches Toward Sustainable Food Systems

Summary

This structured narrative review examines the transformation of food safety systems from traditional inspection-based models toward integrated, predictive, and digitally-enabled approaches. The authors analyse key enabling technologies (AI, whole-genome sequencing, IoT monitoring, blockchain traceability, and predictive analytics) and their implications for sustainability, whilst proposing a four-level Digital Maturity Framework to conceptualise progressive technological integration. The review identifies significant implementation barriers—including infrastructure gaps, data governance challenges, regulatory fragmentation, and unequal digital access—that constrain effectiveness, particularly in small and medium-sized enterprises and low- and middle-income countries.

Regional applicability

The findings are globally relevant but highlight particular challenges for implementation in resource-constrained settings. United Kingdom food businesses and regulators may find the Digital Maturity Framework useful for assessing technological readiness, though the review emphasises that regulatory harmonisation and coordinated innovation across jurisdictions will be necessary to realise benefits.

Key measures

Qualitative assessment of technological capabilities (early hazard detection, real-time surveillance, risk anticipation), regulatory and governance dimensions, sustainability trade-offs, digital maturity stages, and barriers to implementation across food supply chains.

Outcomes reported

The review examines how digital, genomic and data-driven technologies (AI, WGS, IoT, blockchain, predictive analytics) are shifting food safety from end-product inspection toward integrated preventive and predictive approaches. It proposes a Digital Maturity Framework for progressive technological integration and identifies implementation barriers across different economic contexts.

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