Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), otherwise known as CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods), are defined as products that sell quickly at a relatively low cost. This can include but is not limited to packaged foods, cosmetics, beverages, cleaning supplies and other low-cost household items. Alarmingly, in 2020 ‘foodstuffs (in particular cookies, pasta, crisps and sweets) were the second most commonly seized category of products at the EU’s external border’ according to the Intellectual Property Crime Threat Assessment published by Europol.
It goes without saying, that counterfeit food and beverages can pose serious risk to consumers’ health. Meanwhile, counterfeit toiletries and cleaning supplies can cause adverse reactions to their users as well as the environment.
Not only do counterfeit consumer goods put the consumer at risk, they also cause significant damage to a brand’s reputation, disrupt supply chains and cost companies both revenue and consumer trust. In fact, a recent study found that 39% of respondents will no longer trust brands with fake products, showing the detrimental effect counterfeit consumer goods can have on consumer and brand relationships.
To help tackle the rise in counterfeit consumer goods, we have created the world’s first quantum anti-counterfeit solution for FMCG.
As FMCG are typically sold quickly, their inventories and indeed productions move fast. Likewise, FMCG can often move across international borders. As such, keeping a track of supply chains can become a logistical nightmare, making counterfeits easier to infiltrate.
Our Q-ID® Optical tags provide security at an atomic level, exploiting the inherent randomness of quantum materials to create a solution which cannot be cloned by counterfeiters. These unique identities (Quantum Signature) can be integrated easily into any existing manufacturing process at a large scale, lending themselves perfectly to the fast-moving, large-scale supply chains of FMCG. Able to be incorporated on swing tags, labels or the product these unique identities can be read by a standard smartphone camera empowering the consumer.
This allows the process of authentication to take place in just a few seconds, far quicker than many other counterfeit solutions. All you need to do to authenticate a product is download the Quantum Base app. This uses your smartphone camera to read the Q-ID® tag and provide all relevant product or brand information relating to your product. This process can be done by both brands and customers in real time and allows for brand and product authentication on a global scale.
Fast-moving consumer goods is one of the worst affect industries when it comes to counterfeit products with figures on the amount of counterfeit goods rising year on year.
Such high levels of fake products in the supply chain creates a high loss of revenue for brands as well as damaging reputations among consumers and stockists. As with counterfeit pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals, counterfeit FMCG can put the lives of consumers at risk with serious side effects reported worldwide. Our anti-counterfeit solution can help to reduce this loss of income and brand credibility whilst protecting the consumer. Alongside these, you can also enjoy:
If you would like to learn more about how our Q-ID® tags can provide reliable anti-counterfeiting for your FMCG company, get in touch.