Origin verification

Verifying important origin and sourcing data.

Source Certain verifies origin and sourcing data via scientific analysis of physical products. Using trusted scientific methods, we can determine if your physical product matches its digital or paper-based origin information.

Source Certain relies on a powerful combination of stable isotope ratio analysis (SIRA) and trace element analysis (TEA) to deliver a superior validation result compared to providers using only SIRA.

Origin verification is an essential layer in traceability systems and offers assurance in reportable sourcing data. Our service applies to all food and resource industries.

Origin verification helps

• Protect brand reputation and validate the integrity of product claims.
• Validate important sourcing data to enable accurate ESG and sustainability reporting.
• Enhance data collection and minimise sourcing risks.
  

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How does origin verification work?

What kind of origin data/information do we verify?

• Sourcing data from suppliers (i.e. digital or paper-based certificates of origin, invoices, and shipping documents).
• Made in/Produced in/Product of claims.
• GPS and polygon origin data supporting deforestation-free commitments and EUDR compliance.

How do we do this?

1. We organise the collection of reference samples of the product from their known harvest locations (origin).
2. We analyse these reference samples in our lab using TEA and SIRA to determine a unique ‘reference fingerprint’ for each discrete location.
3. We test your product sold at retail or collected at specific points in the supply chain to check if it matches the reference fingerprints.
4. If they don’t match, a sourcing issue may be present and require further investigation.

Pre- and post-analysis support

• Our pre-analysis support includes a discovery phase to understand our client organisation, supply chain structure, challenges, and stakeholders.
• Our post-analysis support includes expert advice on how to drive action, communicate and/or leverage analysis outcomes.
  

We have existing programs running internationally across numerous industries, including seafood, timber, lab-grown diamonds, coffee, wheat and grains, apples, cherries and gold.

Who should consider origin verification?

Retailers

With vast quantities of SKUs, sourcing locations, and global logistics, there is a higher risk of products being mislabeled, counterfeited, or substituted in the supply chain. Origin information captured in chain of custody data is exposed to more risk of being intentionally or unintentionally manipulated. Scientific verification of the physical products being received and sold on the shelf can verify the sourcing information your team receives from suppliers and reports on to ensure the products are coming exactly from where they claim.

Brands

Managing brand reputation requires accurate information sharing with stakeholders, including customers and investors. Origin information is leveraged in marketing and is vital to accurate reporting against SDG and sustainable sourcing goals. It builds consumer trust and influences purchasing behaviour. If the origin information these activities are based on is inaccurate or false, there can be reputational damage, loss of social license, or accusations of greenwashing.

Producers

Producers invest resources into practices that deliver a premium product to market. From sustainable land and fishery management to organic farming practices and licenced varieties, these investments of time and money are put at risk in complex export markets where boutique and premium produce (like beef, seafood and cherries) are targets of food fraud. Origin verification of a client’s physical product purchased in the export market can ensure that a substituted low-value product is not being sold under their brand and the value of their investment is maintained. Read about our work with Reid Fruits Cherries for a real-life example.

Talk to our team to find out how origin verification can help.

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We trace your product, not just your packaging.

Traditional tracing methods, including packaging, barcodes, and labels supported by digital systems, are not enough to guarantee products’ traceability to origin in global supply chains. Their traceability is limited to where a label was first applied, and they are susceptible to being tampered with.

Our service provides scientific proof that a product is consistent with its claimed origin. This, in turn, validates other vital information associated with your product, like third-party certifications and ESG claims.

We have been providing accurate and reliable outcomes for clients around the world using stable isotope ratio analysis (SIRA) and trace element analysis (TEA), to prove that the information shared about their products is accurate or to identify exposure to common supply chain risks:

• Food fraud
• False claims
• Illegal sourcing from deforested land
• Product substitution
• Mislabelling
• Contamination claims
• Product adulteration

Our service protects brand reputation, builds consumer trust and validates the integrity of product claims.

• Build and maintain trust in your sourcing network.
• Provide confidence to investors and key stakeholders that robust traceability systems are in place.
• Our scalable service can accommodate small producers with a handful of production sites through to large corporations or industry groups sourcing from hundreds of production sites.
• We have existing programs running internationally across numerous industries, including seafood, timber, lab-grown diamonds, coffee, wheat and grains, apples, cherries and gold.

Supporting SDG and ESG reporting

The origin of a product connects to Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) commitments and claims delivered at harvest origin, including:

• Sustainable sourcing, deforestation-free supply chains, environmentally friendly production, slave-free labour, or organic farming methods.
• Origin verification validates critical origin information relevant to reporting on SDG and ESG-based sourcing goals.
• Reduce ESG risk by verifying your sourcing data to support reporting on sustainability, confirm deforestation-free sourcing and support modern slavery commitments.

Regulators and stakeholders increasingly require more information about the origin of products for companies to meet their due diligence requirements, such as the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). For this reason, it is essential to implement a scientific service that provides evidence-based data for precise sourcing locations.

Enhancing data collection and minimises risk

• Enhance your data collection process to enable more robust reporting on material sourcing. Our data can support due diligence requirements and chain of custody records.
• Origin verification is an accurate tool for determining whether materials have been sourced from a region with known deforestation issues, sanctions, or tariffs.
• Our scientific service adds a layer of security and diversification to otherwise all-digital traceability systems.

What is Origin Science?  

Origin Science describes the scientific techniques and methodologies used to determine a product’s geographical origin. It includes methods of analysis like stable isotope ratio analysis and trace element analysis, which can identify minute amounts of chemical markers naturally absorbed into products as they grow. Due to their environmental origins, the markers present in products are intrinsically linked to geographical locations and can verify origin claims made about these products.

Read more about Origin Science

Our origin (provenance) science has been successfully applied to naturally occurring resources, including seafood, timber, meat, cotton, coffee, eggs, dairy, diamonds, metals, and minerals.

Why choose Source Certain for origin verification?  

As pioneers of origin science and the analytical methods required to deliver it, we can verify origin information with an unparalleled level of precision that sets us apart from our competitors. We can pinpoint the exact origin of a product, such as a farm, fishery, pond, plantation, kimberlite pipe or mine. In contrast, other service providers can only identify the country or region of origin.

Pioneered by Source Certain’s Chief Scientist, Dr R John Watling, our analysis methods have undergone 40 years of research and application across various disciplines. Our methods are also routinely employed as a forensic tool and delivered by our Forensic Science Services team, who have over 100 years of combined advanced research and forensic casework experience and are world leaders in the forensic and provenance science field.

By choosing Source Certain, you’re choosing a partner experienced in delivering results and safeguarding your supply chain. Talk to our team to find out how origin verification can help.

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