Page 34 - Food&Drink Magazine August 2019

LABELLING & CODING
Serialisation to leave a trace
Serialisation is leading the field in traceability for your products. At a recent webinar with Coles and SAI Global, Matthews Australasia regional sales manager Matt Nichol outlined why. Samantha Schelling reports.
IN a recent Coles Quality Academy webinar, Matthews Australasia regional sales manager Matt Nichol spoke about the rise of serialisation, along with laser and inkjet product marking. He
looked specifically at the technologies’ roles in export markets and opportunities in the domestic space.
Nichol says among the general trends in laser coding, manufacturers are wanting to protect against piracy and improve their production process, including reducing waste, thus are looking for a
permanent code that can’t be easily removed from a product or package.
“Counterfeiting has been a global issue for many years. New technology has given counterfeiters the ability to make ever-more-convincing counterfeit goods, faster. So it’s important to find solutions to ensure consumers remain safe and that your products in the market are authentic. That’s where serialisation comes in: with serialisation, you’re getting the best traceability of your product in the market,” Nichol says.
Nichol explains, the most commonly counterfeited goods were those of value or high popularity, including honey, meat and smallgoods, infant formula, nutraceuticals, dairy products, wine, spirits and seafood.
On top of consumers’ health, the everlasting damage to an industry, well beyond the brand manufacturer, was reason to encourage entire industries to embrace serialisation.
REDUCING THE TARGET
“Serialisation is not about eliminating counterfeiting, but implementing technology to make your product less of a target,” Nichol says.
Previously, serialisation focused on products manufactured in first-world countries, then exported.
“A good example is China, with the world’s fastest-growing middle class. China’s large food-importation volumes have contributed greatly to the issue of counterfeiting, while repurposing packaging of legitimately sold products is also an issue,” he says.
Nichol says Australia’s clean, green reputation creates demand for our products, making them a target for food fraudsters. Disturbingly, organised crime has a part here.
“In just four months in 2017, 3.6 million tonnes and 9.7 million litres of fraudulent foods were seized across sixty seven countries, with seven hundred and ninety four arrests.
“But in some countries, being caught for organised food fraud has less of a penalty than drug trafficking, so organised gangs venturing into making fake food products.”
Nichol says here is where serialisation, which
Used as part of an anti-counterfeiting strategy with serialisation, QR codes give consumers the ability to instantly check a product’s authenticity and provenance, all via their smartphone.
helps solve the problem of transparency, can aid brand owners and industries.
“When there are counterfeiting or quality related issues, having a digital platform like a QR code on your packaging, and being able to engage with customers, can help instil confidence in your customers on the authenticity and safety of your products.
“Countries with a higher percentage of food fraud occurring have a higher percentage of people researching where their food is coming from.
“QR technology is being used for food tracking by seventy two per cent of people in China and India, thirty four per cent in Japan, thirty per cent in the UK and down to fourteen per cent in Australia.
“To do their research, people usually use technology like a QR code to scan and educate themselves on a product – where a brand claims to be from, where it was made, but also about the ingredients and even the social impact. They’re typically doing this with their mobile phones.”
Nichol says other platforms to combat food fraud include text recognition, reverse image search, watermarks and copy codes that trigger algorithms.
While they are not as easily recognised as a QR code to consumers, they can be used to complement QR codes as part of an anti-counterfeiting strategy. He says serialisation can also be included in hazard plans (such as HACCP, TACCP and VACCP) to combat food fraud.
Nichol provided an overview of serialisation technology and how to implement serialisation in a manufacturing facility.
“Don’t wait to be targeted by counterfeiters. Look at serialisation. Do your research.
“Talk to companies such as Matthews, and make sure you start by choosing the right serialisation provider.” ✷
34 | Food&Drink business | August 2019 | www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au