Hack4safeFood: Tackling food safety challenges
Empowering safe food solutions for all
09/09/2025 - 10/06/2025
Introduction
Led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Regional Food Safety Research and Innovation Network (RFSRIN) in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region has been established to advance innovation programs for managing and harmonizing food safety and quality systems tailored to local and regional needs. Its objectives include developing innovative solutions and services at both national and regional levels to strengthen food safety, enhance efficient value chain development, and optimize resource utilization. RFSRIN also aims to support capacity development within government institutions to ideate, develop, and scale-up conducive strategies, policies, or programmes that mainstream innovation. The RFSRIN will function as a network for collaborative and innovation activities, addressing various challenges within agrifood systems. By uniting governments, academia, private sector actors, and international partners, the RFSRIN promotes knowledge sharing and the development of science-based food safety solutions. [FAO UN, 19/02/2025, Cairo]
The network co-organizes a Hackathon, hosted by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in collaboration with key partners. This programme provides space and technical support for innovators, coders, and policy makers to develop solutions for food safety challenges. The hackathon aims to enhance food safety by identifying, catalyzing, and upscaling solutions tailored to local and/or regional needs.
About (Hack4safeFood)
A hackathon is a programme that gathers people with varied backgrounds and expertise in one location for a limited period to develop ideas and artifacts. It facilitates open or distributed innovation and aims to tackle complex scientific, technological, and societal challenges by breaking down knowledge barriers.
Hack4safefood is a regional technology and policy hackathon event that aims to unite emerging computer programmers, scientists, policymakers, and private sector representatives to enhance or develop new technological and policy solutions addressing the critical challenges of food safety in the NENA region. Participants will have the chance to win a cash prize, join a six-month incubation programme, and pitch at the FAO’s Science and Innovation Forum in Rome in October 2025. Additional opportunities include scholarships, internships, and access to a vast network of researchers and innovators within the agrifood and food safety ecosystem.
Participants will be encouraged to tailor solutions to local needs and given the flexibility to choose their preferred technology, development tools, and platform. The evaluation will prioritize the impact of the solution over technical proficiency. The Hackathon is open to members of the public who have an interest in innovation, technology, policy, and food safety.
Key project goals:
- Address regional food security challenges through technological innovation and public policy.
- Mobilize young people, researchers, developers and decision-makers around concrete solutions.
- Develop technological or policy prototypes that can be scaled up.
- Strengthen food safety systems in NENA countries, through traceability, mycotoxin detection and crisis prevention.
- Build bridges between innovation, investment and public policy.
Highlights: Dual categorization
- Technology: AI, traceability, monitoring, early warning systems.
- Policy: circular economy, food waste recovery, regulatory innovations.