About
This scheme has been developed to help ensure that everyone has access to authentic food, and that information relating to the origin of the food is accurate and not in any way misleading.
Addressing Food Adulteration
Food adulteration, the deliberate alteration of food quality, is an increasing global issue that has financial implications for producers and purchasers and it takes many forms. For example, the addition of water to milk increases the volume of the product and thereby increases the profit. Adding chemicals and color is also common and is done to make a product appear more attractive and the use of substandard products, such as inferior flour or sugar, is another practice which alters the final product at the expense of the ethical producer and the consumer.
It is widely acknowledged that this is a global issue with some estimates declaring a cost of up to $40BN per year. Further sources estimate that 10% of food on the shelves in the US is adulterated or mislabelled. This clearly has an impact on the consumer who will still be expected to pay a premium price, albeit for a lesser product.
In situations where high quality producers are unable to differentiate their products, they find themselves having to lower prices to compete or may even be driven from the market, paving the way for lower quality products or less ethical manufacturers to gain advantage. However, if the authenticity of the higher quality products is clearly visible to the consumer, they are more likely to be able to retain their place in the market.
Producers need to be able to demonstrate the authenticity of their products clearly and differentiate themselves in the market, assuring consumers that their product has not been adulterated.
GenuCert™ Authenticity Certification Scheme
This is a well-recognized food authentication process, designed to reduce the negative impacts of food adulteration on the consumer as well as producers. Whilst consumers increasingly look at origin and quality labels, they are not generally aware of the proliferation of food adulteration.
The GenuCert™ certification of authenticity increases awareness of the issues.
The GenuCert™ Authenticity Certification shows that the product is authentic and gives the producer, the retailer and the consumer confidence in the products they are selling and buying.
The GenuCert™ certification process significantly reduces the cost and execution burden for the producer and provides a consistent approach to proving the authenticity of products, meaning that the consumer and the overall market can easily identify products that have been authenticated in terms of their content and traceability.
The assessment process has been developed to ensure complete impartiality and to show that the certified product has been authenticated to a consistent and recognised standard. The facilities carrying out the analysis and the auditors are trained and qualified, and all tests undertaken utilise the latest scientific methodology.