Food security is no longer just about producing more, it’s about building a system that can endure disruption and deliver access to safe, nutritious food for all. As climate volatility, economic inequality, and geopolitical tensions continue to destabilize global supply chains, the gap between what our food system delivers and what it must achieve is only widening.
Today, over 700 million people still lack regular access to adequate nutrition. Meeting this challenge requires more than incremental change. It calls for bold innovation across every stage of the food value chain from production and logistics to quality control and redistribution.
To build long-term resilience, the industry must adopt technologies that anticipate risk, optimize resources, and unlock efficiencies at scale. From surplus recovery and predictive safety tools to digital platforms empowering smallholder farmers, these startups are pioneering new pathways toward a more secure and inclusive food system.
1. Aflabox – Real-time mycotoxin detection to prevent contamination and loss
Focused on one of the most persistent global food safety threats, Aflabox has developed an AI-powered device to detect aflatoxins in cereals. The tool enables real-time quality control, reducing post-harvest losses and mitigating public health risks, especially in vulnerable markets where safe food is critical for long-term stability.
2. Naria – Blockchain-enabled surplus management to tackle food waste and insecurity
Naria’s digital platform connects food industry surplus with social organizations, using blockchain traceability to ensure a safe, transparent, and efficient redistribution process. By turning unused food into structured donations, Naria reduces waste, cuts disposal costs, and improves access to nutrition, bringing food security to the heart of corporate responsibility.
3. Nilus – Tech-powered logistics to rescue food surplus and combat urban hunger
Nilus operates a digital platform that connects surplus food from producers and retailers with low-income communities. Through logistics optimization and last-mile delivery, it transforms inefficiencies into impact, improving access to fresh, affordable food while reducing unnecessary waste across the chain.
4. AgUnity – Digital infrastructure to empower smallholder farmers
AgUnity equips smallholder farmers with blockchain-based mobile tools that improve access to markets, inputs, and financial services. By enhancing transparency and coordination, it strengthens farmer livelihoods and productivity, building localized resilience and improving food availability in underserved regions.
5. Foodtel – Sensor-based technology to safeguard real-time food quality
Foodtel develops advanced sensors and digital systems that monitor key food safety parameters, such as temperature, pH, and gas emissions, throughout storage and distribution. This real-time visibility reduces spoilage, ensures compliance, and strengthens trust in food quality, particularly in long, complex supply chains.
Food security can no longer be addressed with isolated or reactive measures. It requires coordination, scientific rigor, and scalable innovation across the entire food value chain. While startups are bringing agility and fresh perspectives to longstanding challenges, leading corporations are also rethinking their internal processes. As highlighted in recent insights from Mondelez International, integrating food safety and resilience criteria from the earliest stages of product development not only reduces risks, but also cuts costs and accelerates trust.Whether through industrial process design or agile startup innovation, the message is clear: building resilience into the food system starts long before products reach the shelf.
