The government is launching eFood: how the new digital food safety monitoring system will work
19 March 20:56
The Cabinet of Ministers has adopted a resolution on the launch of the eFood pilot project—a unified state electronic system for food safety and consumer protection.
The State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection announced the launch, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
The project is intended to be part of a broader digital reform of state oversight in the agri-food sector.
What is eFood
According to the government’s plan, eFood will become the central digital platform for all services of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection.
The system will include:
- a single portal for the agency’s government services;
- an electronic user account for businesses;
- a map of food market operators;
- a map of regional investment attractiveness;
- a mobile app for inspectors;
- integrated government registries and control modules.
In the future, the platform is expected to consolidate up to 17 government registries and provide over 500,000 administrative services annually.
What will change for businesses
One of the system’s main goals is to reduce bureaucratic procedures.
According to Serhiy Tkachuk, head of the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection, digitization will allow for significantly faster access to government services.
Expected changes:
- registration of business facilities — within a few hours;
- obtaining permits — within 7–15 days;
- previously, these procedures could take up to 30 days.
In the first phase, eFood will cover nine key services, including:
- registration of production facilities;
- obtaining permits;
- submission of feed declarations.
At the same time, a State Register of Market Operators will be created, which will serve as the foundation for the entire system.
Part of a broader reform
The State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection emphasizes that the launch of eFood is part of a systemic reform of state control.
According to the agency’s leadership, this involves creating a new digital ecosystem designed to ensure:
- transparency of inspections;
- speed of service delivery;
- data openness;
- a reduction in administrative burdens on businesses.
A Step Toward EU Standards
The government emphasizes that the project is also linked to Ukraine’s fulfillment of its obligations under the Association Agreement with the European Union.
In particular, the system is intended to bring the Ukrainian food control model closer to the European food safety chain system.
A pilot project for now
The eFood project will be launched in a pilot format.
The pilot status will allow for:
- test the operation of digital services;
- resolve technical issues;
- gradually scale the system nationwide.
After the test phase is complete, the government plans to fully implement the platform.
