ACT4FOOD at the DEP CYBER (UPTAKE) Gathering, 29 April

ACT4FOOD participated in the DEP CYBER (UPTAKE) gathering on 29 April. The event brought together beneficiaries of the Digital Europe Programme to exchange lessons learned, share early progress, and discuss how cybersecurity solutions can be taken up across sectors.

Marilena Dimitrakopoulou represented ACT4FOOD, presenting the project’s mission to strengthen cybersecurity resilience across the critical food supply chain. As food production, processing, and retail rely more on connected systems, cyber incidents can disrupt operations and compromise critical information. ACT4FOOD addresses these risks by developing practical tools and guidance that support resilience and continuity.

Key Insights Shared

During the gathering, ACT4FOOD presented updates on three key areas:

• Early progress: building a secure-by-design approach for cybersecurity in critical food supply chains
• TACCP 4.0: updating food defense by adding cyber and cyber-physical risk considerations, supported by AI-based risk ranking
• Secure information sharing: work on the blockchain-based Information Exchange Platform (IEP) and the Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) feed to support trusted alerts and coordination

From development to real-world validation

ACT4FOOD validates its work in three operational environments that reflect key stages of the supply chain: aquaculture, dairy manufacturing, and retail. These settings help ensure that the project outputs are grounded in real processes and usable by the organisations that need them.

The consortium values the opportunity to have connected with fellow programme beneficiaries and looks forward to continuing these vital discussions to strengthen Europe’s collective cybersecurity capacity.