In an attempt to fight the widespread problem of counterfeit products (products passed off as when in fact they’re produced, cheaply, somewhere else), the non-profit organization Reliabitaly has created a free app that allows consumers to check if the product they’re buying is indeed Made in Italy.
Once people have downloaded the app, they can use it to scan the bar code of the item they want to purchase and find out if it’s authentic or not, along with information about the item itself and how it was made. Reliabitaly says it verifies the production methods, from raw materials to processing, to guarantee not only that a product is made in Italy, but also that it is made following those quality standards that have made the ‘Made in Italy’ such a coveted brand around the world.
Consumers can check products from different categories, including food and wine, possibly the sector where fakes and frauds are most common, as well as clothing and design products.
Not all authentic products however are included in the database of the app as manufacturers sign up voluntarily. The app can be used in Italy and abroad.
According to consumer association Coldiretti, the market of fake products, known as ‘ sounding’, is more profitable than the Made in Italy market, valued at 54 billion euros, double the amount made through exports of genuine items.
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