2.3.4 Using ion beam analytical techniques

Scenario 3: E-commerce: criminal infiltration of online supermarket chains for home delivery of fake food Step 1 – Control of legitimate e-operators.

Step 2 – Selling fraudulent food as genuine through the controlled e-supermarkets. The technology will be able to analyse the marketed products and determine if they are fraudulent and if they do not originate from the correct geographical location.

Step 3 – Expansion of e-commerce market through the creation of a Super E-food app.

Step 4 – Creation of dedicated social network groups/pages to sell fraudulent products to final customers.

2.3.4 Using ion beam analytical techniques

Technology submission 10

In this area, one solution uses ion beam analytical techniques such as PIXE (Particle-Induced X-ray Emission), RBS (Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry), Ion Microprobe and MeV- SIMS (Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry with MeV ions) as tools to find markers belonging to all components of a products like, for example, wine bottles. Tandem-type accelerators provide swift protons and other ions to be used for different analytical applications. PIXE (Particle-Induced X-ray Emission) is based on the detection of characteristic X-rays stemming from the target atoms. In this way, all elements present in the sample can be quantified, leading to the identifications of particular element markers. These markers will then be used to create the identity of an original product, leading to the possibility of identifying counterfeit ones. The analysis performed may allow for the identification of markers belonging to different materials which form the final product. The latter is seen as a whole set of elements composing it, including the product itself (organic material) and its packaging. Following this, and in the specific example of wine bottles, the analysis to find markers includes the beverage itself, the glass of the bottle, the labels and the cork used to seal the bottle. PIXE employs energetic ions (of the order of a few MeV) provided by particle accelerators as primary probes of the material under study. The energetic ions collide with the atoms of the material giving rise to ionization and subsequent de-excitation of the target atoms, which could take place through the production of characteristic X-rays. These X-rays are then detected by suitable detectors. The data is then processed by nuclear modular electronics and stored in computers as X-ray spectra. These spectra are analysed by specialized computer software in order to obtain the desired information and differentiate original products from counterfeit ones in the case in which an incident occurred or if the need for this type of control arose. Submission received by Ion Implantation Laboratory, Institute of Physics of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul.

The use of ion beam analytical techniques, as seen also in the previous submissions in this area, can support limiting certain risks highlighted by the scenarios. They are accurate and well-established techniques with multi-elemental capacity and reasonable sensitivity. By using PIXE (Particle-Induced X-ray Emission), for instance, the sensitivity is equal to 1 mg/kg (1 ppm). These techniques are non-destructive for the sample and can be used to analyse different kinds of materials.

As seen in the case of previous submissions, the use of these techniques comes into play when a possible breach of the supply chain has to be discovered and suspect, fraudulent products are analysed to determine their composition. Consequently, they can be used to identify repackaging operations and substitution of original products with counterfeit ones as well as the mislabelling of packages to promote false claims related to the origin, process or composition of the product. They can also be used to examine evidence of fraud in the food area and, by further analysing suspect, fraudulent products in the supply chain, to trace back the origin of the product to its source. Furthermore, they can be used to identify if the product has been diluted or if there are adulterants in its composition.

In particular, for what concerns risk scenario 1, the forensic analysis element is capable of unequivocally identifying the geographical origin of the products as well as their components. Consequently, these technologies may play a role in uncovering the following steps of the criminal plan:

 Control of the supply chain by using original packaging of the businesses controlled by the criminal group to market substandard and fraudulent products.

 Distribution of the falsified goods via the criminal group comprehensive and well-structured network, which includes wholesalers and supermarkets controlled by their frontmen.

 Use of low-quality milk or dairy products.

As explained in the previous submissions, using these analytical techniques would enable the identification of adulterants, and the origin and composition of products. Furthermore, by progressively analysing samples in the supply chain, it will also be able to trace back the source of the incident and present this evidence in court.

In the case of risk scenario 2, the technology may reduce the following steps:

 Control of the anti-counterfeiting solutions to market fraudulent products using original packaging bearing authentication technology.

 Procurement of low-quality materials from areas with high levels of pollution, marketing vegetables grown using illicit pesticides as well as low-quality and diluted tomato concentrate.

 Develop a fully-fledged supply chain for vegetables and dairy products.

 Building a parallel market for catering food supplies targeting small shops.

If suspicions arose of criminal operations, the technology can be used to confirm what the criminal group was marketing using the original packaging or what elements do not correspond to the original composition of the product, and this element can be brought in court as evidence.

The considerations already made in the case of risk scenario 1 are also valid for mitigating these steps, since the technology is capable of recognizing the geographical origin of food products as well as their composition, including the presence of toxic ingredients and if they have been diluted.

For what concerns risk scenario 3, the technology can limit the following step:

 Selling fraudulent food as genuine via the e-supermarkets controlled by the criminal group.

The same considerations presented for the previous risk scenarios also apply in this scenario in relation to analysis that can be performed in the case of incidents or following investigations to determine the nature of products marketed by the criminal group.

Summary table for submission 10: possible application to limit risks highlighted by the scenarios

Scenario

Scenario 1: Infiltration of the dairy supply chain Step 1 – Control of the distribution market by owning or controlling legitimate operators.

Applicability of the solution

Step 2 – Control of the supply chain using the technology owned by the controlled legitimate operators.

Step 3 – Copying local producers’ packaging design and subsequent infiltration of these products into the legitimate supply chain.

Step 4 – Procurement of low-level milk or dairy products, their packaging with falsified labels imitating the design of legitimate and well-known local producers, and their insertion into the supply chain. PIXE (Particle-Induced X-ray Emission), RBS (Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry), Ion Microprobe and MeV-SIMS (Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry with MeV ions) are able to analyse products and determine if they are fraudulent, of low quality and whether they do not originate from the correct geographical location by comparing particular markers in both original and counterfeit products.

As explained for the previous submissions, the technology can be used to detect counterfeit products since it can analyse the composition of food and can determine its origin. This, however, cannot prevent the infiltration. The continuous use of these technologies over time will create a dissuasive effect on criminals, but they can be used to unequivocally identify the adulteration of a product or the fraudulent behaviour of criminals involved in food fraud.

Adulterations and the presence of possible toxic/poisonous substances can be revealed by the technology

Step 5 – Distribution of the falsified goods via the criminal group comprehensive and well- structured network, which includes wholesalers and supermarkets controlled by their frontmen. The same considerations explained in step 2 apply to this step.

Scenario 2: Parallel market for catering supplies Step 1 – Control over legitimate businesses.

Step 2 – Control of the anti-counterfeiting solutions used by the infiltrated businesses. In case of proven or suspected criminal operations, the technology can be used to confirm what the criminal group was marketing using the original packaging and the anti-counterfeiting features and this element can be brought in court as evidence.