Key Takeaways from the GCCA Conference in Düsseldorf

Jonathan Cook, Information Security Director, recently attended and presented at the GCCA Conference in Düsseldorf, a major event in Europe’s temperature-controlled logistics calendar. The conference brought together leading food and healthcare logistics operators, partners and contractors from across Europe to discuss industry trends, address shared challenges, exchange knowledge, and identify opportunities for innovation and collaboration, with a strong focus on the growing importance of cybersecurity and regulatory compliance. Jonathan’s attendance and presentation were aligned with Constellation’s strategic focus on delivering Excellent Solutions through continuous innovation, ensuring the organisation remains engaged with evolving industry practice, regulatory change, and emerging risk landscapes.

A Growing Cyber Risk Landscape
The food sector in Europe and the UK is one of the largest and most critical industries, encompassing farming, food processing, packaging, transportation and retail. However, increasing digitalisation and interconnectivity have significantly heightened exposure to cyber threats. As a result, cybersecurity now plays a vital role in logistics, helping protect sensitive data, maintain operational integrity, and preserve trust among businesses, integrated logistics partners, and end customers. 

Within Constellation, engagement with these risks is driven by a commitment to driving improvement, ensuring that insight from industry forums is translated into improved capability, stronger resilience, and the ongoing delivery of future-ready solutions. In this environment, compliance with evolving regulation is essential to maintain market access and operational continuity.

NIS2 and the Compliance Challenge
A key focus of Jonathan Cook’s conference presentation was the EU NIS2 Directive, which establishes a comprehensive framework to strengthen cybersecurity and resilience across Europe. Under NIS2, the food sector, including production, processing and distribution, is now formally classified as an “Important Entity”, bringing it firmly under stricter regulatory oversight. This marks a significant shift, requiring medium and large organisations across the supply chain to implement robust cybersecurity measures, demonstrate accountability, and maintain ongoing compliance.

For UK organisations, the challenge is twofold: meeting NIS2 requirements to sustain European trade relationships, while also preparing for the forthcoming UK Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, which is expected to introduce comparable, and potentially more stringent, obligations.

Jonathan commented: “Compliance with the new EU NIS2 and the soon-to-be-introduced UK CSRB regulations is critical. There is a real need for industrial automation vendors to prioritise security by design. As an industry, we should encourage these vendors to develop solutions aligned with IEC/ISO 62443. Traditionally, these standards have been applied mainly to critical infrastructure sectors such as utilities, but under NIS2, food production and transportation now fall within the essential category. Adopting these standards provides a strong foundation for resilience and trust across our sector.”

Security in the Age of AI
Jonathan highlighted the importance of taking a proactive approach to cybersecurity, particularly in the context of emerging technologies. He noted, “I found it particularly rewarding to champion cybersecurity, especially around the rise of current and future generations of AI. I emphasised how vital it is to consider security before handing over commercially sensitive data to AI models.” This reinforces the need for organisations to embed security considerations into every stage of digital adoption, ensuring compliance and risk mitigation go hand in hand. 

Strengthening Industry Collaboration
In addition, Jonathan has initiated discussions with the European Cold Storage and Logistics Association regarding the creation of a dedicated cyber sub-committee. The aim is to establish a collaborative platform for sharing cyber threat intelligence, supporting organisations in meeting compliance obligations, and strengthening cybersecurity maturity across the sector.

The key takeaway from this year’s GCCA Conference for Constellation is clear: if we are to continue delivering excellent solutions in an environment where regulatory expectations are increasing and cyber threats continue to evolve, continuous innovation is essential to maintaining compliance. Organisations that prioritise cybersecurity, align with recognised standards, and actively collaborate across the industry will be best placed to meet legislative requirements, protect their operations, and maintain trust in an increasingly complex and connected supply chain. Jonathan will be speaking again at the 2026 conference, continuing the conversation on cybersecurity, compliance, and resilience across the sector.