The Food Defence Research Centre is an interdisciplinary research centre working to develop methods to detect and mitigate threats and attacks on the food system. Our research focues on four types of warfare: chemical, biological, economic and information warfare. We are dedicated to strengthening the capabilities of both public and private sector actors within the food system to recognize and manage antagonistic threats.

The centre is a collaboration between the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI), the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), the Swedish Veterinary Agency (SVA), the Swedish National Food Administration (SLV) and the Swedish Board of Agriculture. It is funded through a grant from the government research council for sustainable development, Formas.

Growing vulnerabilities in trade systems and supply chains, combined with escalating geopolitical tensions, underscore the urgent need for strategic preparedness in the food system — particularly against deliberate antagonistic threats. Deliberate antagonistic actions during war and peacetime can be used to compromise the food supply, aiming to create disruption or secure strategic advantages.

Grounded in scientific evidence, our goal is to develop new methods and strengthen the operational capacity of key food system stakeholders to detect and counter deliberate chemical and biological threats, while raising awareness and managing the interconnected challenges of economic disruption and information warfare.

We bring together defence researchers, experts, industry stakeholders and government actors in food safety, food fraud, plant and animal production, and disease management to establish food defence as a recognized and leading research discipline in Sweden.

Our research focues on four main types of warfare:

Biological Warfare

In a time when natural pathogens can be weaponized, our mission is to prevent, predict, and protect. In collaboration with Umeå University, we're advancing biological surveillance using cutting-edge eDNA technology.

Leveraging an air-based system originally designed to detect nuclear activity, we've gathered over 60 years of eDNA data on biological organisms. This enables real-time monitoring of diseases and pathogens.

Our approach not only tracks plant and animal diseases but also builds predictive models to anticipate outbreaks, climate effects, and biological attacks. By mapping pathogen behaviour and genetics, we aim to strengthen Sweden’s food security and global bio-defence.

Chemical Warfare

Rapid detection of toxic chemicals in food and feed is vital to minimize harm and deter attacks. The Food Defence Research Centre unites Swedish agencies—SLV, SVA, SLU, and FOI—to develop advanced, non-targeted methods for identifying both known and unknown contaminants.

Using high-resolution analysis and in-silico tools, the system compares suspect samples with clean references to detect and quantify harmful substances, even without standard procedures.

This research will provide new tools for fast, accurate chemical analysis, strengthening Sweden’s food security and contributing to global defences against chemical threats.

Economic Warfare

Economic warfare—through trade manipulation, sanctions, and market control—has the potential to severely impact food security and self-sufficiency. Within the Centre we analyse the potential economic consequences of information, biological, and chemical warfare on the Swedish food sector. This includes direct effects such as loss of production and revenue caused by infections, as well as indirect effects like trade barriers and sanctions arising from actual or rumoured infections in Swedish food production.

We focus on two key areas: assessing the economic fallout from such attacks and developing future scenarios to explore and improve mitigation strategies. By combining policy analysis, historical and current insights, and scenario planning, we help shape resilient economic defenses tailored to today’s complex global landscape.

Through this work, the Centre supports Sweden’s food sector and policymakers in preparing for and responding to economic threats that could disrupt food production and trade.

Information Warfare

Our research focuses on the growing threat of information warfare targeting the food sector—a vulnerability exemplified by Russia’s war against Ukraine. Beyond physical damage, the conflict generates misinformation campaigns, social media manipulation, and diplomatic crises exacerbated by inadequate crisis communication. These incidents show how information acts as both a weapon and a shield during conflict and crisis, yet food preparedness planning often overlooks this dimension.

We conduct empirical studies on past information warfare operations, especially in conflict zones, and evaluate government and non-government responses. We identify best practices for deterring disinformation and improving crisis communication by drawing on interdisciplinary insights across our teams.

By concentrating on the food sector’s unique vulnerabilities, the Centre fills critical gaps in understanding and managing information threats, ultimately strengthening societal resilience in the face of evolving challenges.

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