Acts of counterfeit and fraud have unfortunately become prevalent in the United States, particularly around food and beverage. You might ask why are counterfeit food and beverage such a big business? Well, simply because food and beverage IS a big business. The large number of annual sales makes this particular industry an attractive target to criminals. With household budgets under pressure, many buyers are looking for cheaper alternatives without compromising the quality. Brand owners need to be able to fight the fakes, while proving authenticity and legitimacy of their products.
As the pandemic began, the demand for essential products increased and more consumers turned to e-commerce to purchase their pharmaceutical and medical products. Unfortunately, this increased the prevalence of counterfeit. A recent study found that counterfeit pharmaceuticals traded worldwide reached 4.03 billion euros (www.oecd.org).
What can you do to authenticate your product?
Add an invisible watermark! Invisible Watermark is the science of making content on a product invisible so that it can only be detected by those checking for the authenticity of the product. Similar to a QR code, you can choose for your invisible watermark to bring your customer to an interactive experience such as a video, text, audio, or website while ensuring copyright protection.
The invisible watermark is embedded in the label by two transparent Electro Inks that are only visible under UV light glowing yellow, blue, red and green respectively or black light lamp/LED.
Benefits of Invisible Watermark:
- Allows your product to be aesthetic without a large QR Code
- Insures chain of custody throughout the supply chain
- Gives your customers an interactive experience with your product
- Allows complete product authentication
- Ability to interact with your customers via visual and auditory content
What is the difference between Visible and Invisible Watermark?
A visible watermark is different from an invisible watermark since it is visible on the product. This can be a QR Code, an image that says “scan me”, or another personalized image. Some individuals prefer visible watermarks since customers immediately know that they need to perform an action. The invisible watermark is mainly used to authenticate a product with hidden inks.
What are the different levels of security printing we can offer you?
Level 1: Visible Label
Visible security features such as a holographic sticker that allow individuals to inspect packaging without specialized tools.
Level 2: QR Code Label
A visible security feature such as a QR code which individuals are able to scan to bring them to an experience that the company wanted them to discover.
Level 3: Invisible Watermark
An invisible watermark that is invisible to the human eye. It is a high-security feature embedded into labels, product packaging and documents to decrease the likelihood of counterfeit.
At Flexible Pack, we can offer you security solutions that create a digital armor to prevent counterfeiters. Combining multiple security levels and security features such as security inks, you can create an adaptive security shield that outmaneuvers a criminal’s every move.
