This new issue of FSTM tackles how the pandemic has provided a push for digital innovations (e.g. data science, artificial intelligence (AI), remote auditing) in the food and related industries. International food safety expert, Dr. Manny Garcia, discusses the COVID-19 virus in detail for a better understanding of what we are all up against. There are also further discussions on the effects of the virus on the food manufacturing and HORECA industries, with a focus on what household bread manufacturer, Gardenia, did in response to the pandemic. This issue also includes topics on food fraud, defining risk in food safety, implementation updates on the Food Safety Act of 2013, eight food trends and consumer buying behavior that have changed due to the pandemic, foodborne viruses such as hepatitis A and norovirus, and a tribute to world-renowned scientist and food safety advocate, Dr. Alicia O. Lustre.