Recalls, channel control and counterfeits: the priorities for food and beverage producers.
Implementation
The invisible signature is worked into existing designs such as an olive oil label, cheese packaging or a beverage can, and the packaging is printed on your existing line; how it looks on the shelf does not change. A dealer, a supermarket assistant or a consumer scans the packaging with the mobile app and confirms the product came from the brand's own production. Copied packaging does not carry this signature and separates out.
In food and beverage, a product's value often comes from its contents, its origin and the way it was made. In categories such as olive oil, honey, cheese, meat products and spices, blending in a cheaper ingredient or leaving out an essential characteristic is something you cannot see from the packaging and that misleads the consumer. In Türkiye, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry publishes foods confirmed by laboratory results to be imitated or adulterated, together with the company, brand and batch information.
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Data
Share of the 130 olive oil notifications in the EU in 2024 classified as confirmed cross-border fraud
Source: Avrupa Komisyonu, Alert and Cooperation Network 2024 Annual ReportRate of non-compliance found in olive oil label checks in the EU in 2023
Source: Avrupa Komisyonu, Alert and Cooperation Network 2024 Annual ReportTotal number of notifications created in the EU Alert and Cooperation Network (ACN) in 2025
Source: Avrupa Komisyonu, Alert and Cooperation Network 2025 Annual ReportRisks
In the Ministry's definition, adding a substance that does not carry the same value, or removing the elements that give a product its essential character, counts as adulteration. Presenting other oils as olive oil, or reducing the fat content in butter, are well-known examples.
The packaging of a well-known brand can be copied and filled with a low-quality product. The consumer is misled, and the brand faces the consequences of a product it did not make.
When a problem is found in a batch, if you do not know which warehouse, dealer and store it went to, the recall ends up either wider than necessary or incomplete. That creates risk both in cost and in consumer trust.
Products can go on sale through unauthorised sellers, social media accounts and marketplaces with no knowledge of how they were stored. For products that need a cold chain, this can turn into a food safety problem.
Example scenario
Olive oil is bottled on the existing line with a label carrying the invisible signature; every case enters the line exit record with its batch number.
Cases are scanned on entry to the warehouse and on delivery to the regional distributor; which batch went to which dealer is recorded.
The store manager scans the delivered product with the mobile app and sees that it is genuine and that the batch came through the right channel.
The consumer scans the bottle with their phone and confirms the product belongs to the brand. In the event of a recall, the sales points the batch reached are identified from the records.
Regulation
Under Article 31(6) of Law No. 5996, the name of the company that produced or imported a food confirmed by laboratory results to be imitated or adulterated, along with the product name, brand and batch and/or serial number, is published by the Ministry. Because the announcement is made at batch level, it matters that businesses can tell their own batches apart reliably.
Requires food business operators to be able to identify the supplier they obtained a product from and the businesses they supplied it to, and to label or identify food placed on the market in a way that facilitates traceability. This "one step back, one step forward" principle is the basis of food traceability in the EU market.
Since 2013 it has brought together the liaison bodies of the European Commission, the member states, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland to share information and cooperate on cross-border food fraud cases. The network's coordinated actions in areas such as honey, spices and food sold online indicate where the risk lies in these product groups.
This section is for information only; official sources prevail for current obligations.
FAQ
No. The invisible signature is worked into the existing packaging design and the packaging is printed on your existing line. How the product looks on the shelf does not change.
Because every change of hands is recorded, you can see from the records which warehouses, distributors and stores the affected batch reached. The scope of the recall then rests on records rather than estimates.
The consumer scans the packaging with the mobile app on their smartphone and sees the result immediately. No special device or authorisation is needed; supermarket staff, dealers and auditors can do the same.
Other industries
Meeting request
The first meeting reviews your product, sales channels and the risks you face, and recommends a suitable method.
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