This white paper explores the growing interdependence between cybersecurity and food safety in an increasingly digitalised agri-food sector. As digital technologies such as sensors, data platforms, artificial intelligence, and predictive analytics become integral to food safety monitoring and decision-making, the security of these systems emerges as a foundational requirement for protecting food integrity and public health.

Focusing on data-driven food safety platforms, the paper examines how cyber incidents can disrupt monitoring systems, compromise traceability, and undermine regulatory compliance. It highlights the evolving cyber threat landscape facing the food sector and explains how digital vulnerabilities can translate directly into operational, economic, and food safety risks across interconnected supply chains.

Using the EFRA platform as a reference case, the white paper argues for the systematic integration of cybersecurity into the design, governance, and operation of digital food safety infrastructures. It provides a conceptual framework for understanding cybersecurity as an essential component of modern food safety governance, supporting resilience, trust, and long-term sustainability in digital food systems.