AI-Driven Analysis of EU Food Safety Data to Support Investigations and Recalls

Before TraceMap, tracing products and business operators across the supply chain meant relying on manual document checks and direct exchanges between authorities, which are time- and resource-intensive activities. The new platform now enables authorities to monitor agri-food supply chains more effectively once a potential risk has been identified, helping  investigators trace product movement, identify affected consignments, and accelerate the recall of unsafe or fraudulent products.

Using AI and traceability mapping, TraceMap rapidly processes, analyzes, and visualizes data from several existing EU food safety and trade monitoring systems, including the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) and the Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES).

By integrating data from these platforms, TraceMap streamlines access to key information used in food safety risk assessments, which may improve screening accuracy and support earlier detection of non-compliant food business operators. The system can rapidly identify connections among food business operators, shipments, and supply chain activities, helping authorities detect suspicious patterns and potential fraud by generating graphs and search functions.

TraceMap is now accessible to national authorities in all EU Member States.

Pilot Use in Infant Formula Recall

A pilot version of TraceMap was recently used during an investigation involving infant formula produced with cereulide-contaminated arachidonic acid (ARA) oil sourced from China. The Commission said the platform helped support the identification of affected products and inform the subsequent recall.

Broader deployment of TraceMap is intended to help Member States strengthen anti-fraud efforts, address vulnerabilities in the agri-food sector, and improve oversight of imported goods.