ABSTRACT

Anticounterfeiting and traceability are different problems, requiring different solutions. On the one hand, traceability needs standardization and interoperability among the various manufacturers and the intervening third parties within the supply chain up to the retail point; on the other hand, anticounterfeiting features, especially those invisible to the naked eye or covert ones, need secrecy and confidentiality. They should be constantly kept in pace with the technological advances of the counterfeiters. Hundreds of different anticounterfeiting solutions are available today, each one with its own area of application. For protection of a folding carton packaging; an aluminum blister pack; a flexible packaging; a tablet, a liquid, or powder; or a glass or molded vial, each calls for a different solution. Selection of the right one for the right product is the task of the brand product manufacturer, with consideration not only for the cost of the security feature but also taking into consideration the global cost of industrialization and deployment of the anticounterfeiting program worldwide.