At the EFRA project event organized by our coordinator, Agroknow, on February 5, 2025, in Amsterdam, two critical contributions were presented by Dr. Bas van der Velden and Dr. Ali Hürriyetoğlu (Wageningen Food Safety Research), showcasing the impactful role of artificial intelligence in ensuring sustainable and safe food systems. Held under the scope of the EFRA initiative, the event gathered leading experts to highlight cutting-edge AI applications in agriculture and food safety, tackling both environmental and public health challenges.
Dr. Bas van der Velden, Head of Data Science at Wageningen Food Safety Research, delivered a presentation titled “AI for Proactive Food Safety Management.” His work focused on harnessing machine learning and explainable AI (XAI) to address early warning systems for food contaminants, including mycotoxins and heavy metals like cadmium. With access to over 300 GB of EFSA and Zenodo data, comprising millions of measurements, his team has been building robust prediction models to identify emerging risks. Bas emphasized the need for transparent AI models that not only perform accurately but also offer explainability—essential in contexts like food safety where trust and regulatory compliance are paramount.
Meanwhile, Dr. Ali Hürriyetoğlu presented “Using AI to Predict Pest Occurrences,” a joint effort with collaborators that tackles the growing concern of pest behavior shifts under climate change. His presentation detailed how AI techniques such as decision trees, k-means clustering, LSTM classification, and TimeGAN were applied to analyze and forecast pest outbreaks in apple orchards and rice fields. The initiative aligns with the European Green Deal’s goal of reducing pesticide use by 50% by 2030. By leveraging meteorological data and observational insights, the team produced actionable models for early pest detection—supporting farmers, advisors, and policymakers in implementing sustainable pest management practices.
Both presentations underscored a shared vision: integrating advanced AI methods with environmental and biological data to create practical, scalable tools for risk prevention. Bas’s approach emphasized food safety through explainable AI, while Ali’s work brought predictive intelligence to agricultural resilience. Together, they represent two powerful strands of innovation supporting EFRA’s mission of proactive risk assessment and sustainable food systems.
The event not only highlighted technological excellence but also reflected the collaborative ethos of the EFRA project, bringing together academia, industry, and public agencies. The contributions of Bas and Ali demonstrated how interdisciplinary teams and open data can fuel meaningful advances in public health and environmental stewardship.
Ultimately, the Amsterdam gathering served as a testament to Europe’s commitment to leveraging AI responsibly in the face of evolving challenges. With leaders like Bas van der Velden and Ali Hürriyetoğlu at the forefront, the future of AI-powered food safety and agricultural sustainability looks promising—and critically, more resilient to the pressures of a changing climate.
