Cargill comes up with anti-counterfeit technology in brands

Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) giants Cargill Foods India whose popular regional brand, Gemini cooking oil, has a 27% share in Maharashtra has introduced anti-counterfeiting technology in its products. The initiative against counterfeiting has been launched on the aforementioned brand.

Neelima Burra, chief marketing officer, Cargill Foods India said, “Counterfeiting in India is rising at an alarming rate, especially in the FMCG sector. A report by FICCI-KPMG suggests that out of the total counterfeit market, 65 per cent is from this sector.”

Besides, the customer can download an application called Mojo Tags to scan the batch code of the product and receive the reassurance of the genuineness of the product. “Edible oil industry is one of the most unorganised sectors in terms of distribution in India. Hence, it holds a larger risk of duplicity. Therefore, ensuring that the right product reaches the consumer is of utmost importance,” she added.

“Purchasing a fake product brings loss to the business as well as may be a potential health hazard for the consumer. Counterfeiting is something Cargill Foods India takes very seriously as a fake product implies losing consumers’ trust,” Burra said.

“Educating the consumers and our wholesalers is a must to beat this menace. With Gemini cooking oil, we start our first step towards addressing this major issue of counterfeit goods,” she added.

In the coming months, Cargill Foods India will educate the consumers with its various programmes on counterfeiting. The company also plans to take necessary legal action against counterfeiting and getting the cases registered.

This is the first time an edible oil brand in the country is making use of technology to fight the problem of counterfeiting. In the commodity business, where brands play a vital role of defining the product differentiation, a counterfeit tarnishes the faith of a customer.

According to a study by KPMG-FICCI, about 80 per cent of the consumers are victims of deceptive counterfeiting, i.e. they buy fake goods in the belief of buying genuine ones. While consumers end up paying excessively for low quality products that could possibly have health and safety risks, producers risk damage to brand image.

This anti-counterfeiting technology has a unique feature with a two-way process to check the authenticity of the Tin SKU. This process includes a 3D hologram of Cargill Foods India which signifies the authenticity of the product. On looking at this hologram using the phone’s torch light, one can see 1865 the year of foundation of Cargill Foods India’s operations written.