Talking about counterfeit products, in general, leads us to think directly about fashion brands, about their bags, their clothes, their footwear, their sunglasses, their designs... But the rascally way of living of human being reach such unsuspected limits that can even put our own health at risk. Is it Fraud? Unfair competition?

Among some of our customers in the crop protection industry, the counterfeiting of their phytosanitary products is having very negative consequences and impacts. That is why at Alcion Packaging Solutions we try to jointly develop solutions to diminish it. This is our small contribution to cooperation with this industry.

Go on reading to know more about…

1. Crop protection products: What are they? What are they used for?
2. Illegal trade and crop protection products counterfeiting: Problems and associated risks
3. Sale of counterfeit crop protection products: Could we identify them?
4. APS solutions for packaging against crop protection products counterfeiting

Crop protection products: What are they? What are they used for?

Phytosanitary products are formulations that seek crop protection against harmful organisms, allow to increase the yield of crops of agricultural extensions, in addition to improving the quality of the food obtained in each harvest.

Given the symbiosis between agriculture, human health and the environment, crop protection products are subject to strict regulation in use, distribution and application in order to ensure proper use, efficacy and safety in an attempt to protect human health and the environment.

In fact, its commercialization requires authorizations that involve strict risk assessments, compliance with regulations in continuous evolution linked to its storage, import or export and use, to ensure the good control and management of these formulations, in any situation.

You may be interested: Trends and innovation in phytosanitary packaging

Illegal trade and crop protection products counterfeiting: Problems and associated risks

Counterfeiting has also reached the environment of crop protection products causing a high risk to human health and the environment. It is estimated that up to 10% of crop protection products are illegal on the European market. A problem that directly affects the farmer, who makes large economic investments in a product that will not protect his crops but also will end up damaging his crop and the soil itself for future harvests in many cases.

These illegal products can even affect their health when using them, as consumers during their agricultural tasks, and the protection of the environment, in addition to leaving residues in the harvested food, since it is difficult to know their origin, the quality of their components and the reactions they can cause in each of them.

It is important to recognize the risks and consequences of this problem to understand the importance of proper packaging and monitoring and respect for current control regulations.

In many countries, awareness campaigns have been carried out among farmers, end-users of these products, to identify an illegal crop protection product. Such is the case of Argentina, with the campaign SAY NO TO ILLEGAL PESTICIDES.

Or that of CropLife Europe, AEPLA, and industry associations: STOP ILLEGAL

Large multinationals work towards the use of phytosanitary products controlled and registered according to the standards of each country, and security forces at the international level pursue these illegal practices that put our health and our environment at risk.

When a product is counterfeited, its quality and origin are unknown, promoting misuse and serious problems in those who handle it.

You may be interested in: How to ensure the preservation of the agrochemical

Negative consequences of product counterfeiting

Counterfeiting is a serious problem, very dangerous, we would say, and it seems that it is increasing for all industries: the chemical industry, cosmetics, food, agriculture, etc. This causes negative effects of great impact for each economic sector, in addition to affecting people and the environment.

1. Economic loss for the sector or business in general by marketing ineffective products.
2. Discouragement on the part of companies that invest in the development of legitimate products, in patents and formulations that take years to obtain and register.
3. Obstacle to investment, employment, technology, and incomes.
4. Potential harm to human health and the environment, given that counterfeit products are handled without control and are not subject to safety tests or records to ensure their use.

Sale of counterfeit crop protection products: Could we identify them?

Properly managing phytosanitary products tends to generate multiple doubts, especially in those non-producing companies that are dedicated to marketing and storing these products.

Identifying illegal products is not easy, much less when it comes to illegal crop protection products.

How to identify a counterfeit crop protection product

In general, the authorities of many countries and the awareness campaigns developed indicate some details to consider:

• The cap on the container may be different from the original container.
• The container is not properly sealed, and the seal or induction foil has broken.
• The packaging does not contain authentication tools or differ from the originals used by the brand.
• The labeling was not correctly done: the label is poorly adhered, does not respond to the national language and/or shows typographical or grammatical errors.
• The product is not offered by authorized suppliers, but sales are carried out in non-regulated/authorized warehouses and/or the internet.

• The brand logo differs from the original.
• The registration number does not correspond to the regulatory authority of the country or the product.
• The details of the manufacturer or importer are not correctly indicated.
• There is no evidence of batch number and expiration date.
• No safety instructions are included for the correct use of the product.

APS solutions for packaging against crop protection products counterfeiting

An adequate and complete personalization of the packaging can provide some security when it comes to avoiding the counterfeiting of crop protection products.

Alcion Packaging Solutions develops, together with our clients, elements of personalization to achieve a packaging that guarantees the totally personalized manufacture to fight against the counterfeiting of industrial products. It is true that none cannot avoid it 100% but try to persuade and make it more difficult.

Through brand engraving on bottles, drums, caps, sheets, the use of specific colors, even barcode marking on our packaging to facilitate traceability, we guarantee that your products maintain their identification.

Stop illegal pesticides! Contact us and we will analyze the possibilities of personalization of your plastic containers!