FSA partners with Aiimi to identify food risks and assess novel products faster.

The UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) has partnered with British AI firm, Aiimi, to roll-out a workplace search engine which brings together the regulator’s vast data estate. The AI-powered tool will instantly surface accurate and relevant information needed by FSA staff, as they work to process new food product applications and identify potential food safety risks.

The announcement comes as the UK Government unveils new funding as part of the Engineering Biology Sandbox Fund, aimed at supporting the FSA to bring more sustainable and emerging food products - like lab-grown meat - to market faster.

Aiimi uses AI to help teams find, make sense of, and retain control of their data. Their technology and services are relied on by leading British organisations including PwC and various FTSE 100 companies, as well as Government bodies such as the Financial Conduct Authority.

In this new two-year deal, which could extend for up to five years in total, Aiimi will be working with the FSA’s 1,500-strong team to help maintain the UK’s high food standards and public trust.

The new workplace search engine being rolled out by Aiimi will enable authorised FSA staff to easily search the regulator’s vast and varied data estate. The AI-powered tool will instantly surface information needed by staff - whose responsibilities include processing new product applications, identifying potential food safety risks, and reporting insights to stakeholders - to make more informed decisions.

To power the tool, Aiimi’s technology will classify and bring together information which currently exists in different formats across disparate sources, including data from Local Authorities, food businesses, and sampling laboratories. By making it possible to extract data and enrich it through geotags and sentiment analysis, the AI search engine will proactively deliver insights and enable staff to more easily spot crucial patterns.

Currently, FSA staff must work manually to analyse, cross reference, and validate vast quantities of data, in order to identify food risks and process new food product applications - a complex and slower process which this new project aims to transform.

Aiimi’s specialist consultants will also deliver training and continuous support for FSA staff to effectively leverage the technology once implemented.

Steve Salvin, CEO and Founder of Aiimi, comments:

“We’re proud to have such a trustworthy and well-regarded institution put their faith in us. Vast amounts of data underpin our vital public services, but there is so much value still waiting to be unlocked. Using this data to generate more accurate and relevant insights in a timely and secure way is the route to driving the greatest impact for the greatest number of people. The AI-powered workplace search engine we’re rolling out at the FSA will serve this very purpose; helping the regulator maintain the UK’s high food standards and public trust, and bring to market more sustainable emerging food products.”

Modern enterprises need AI-driven insights. Discover AI Workplace Search that's built for scale and complexity.