Preventing food fraud! Scientific origin certification and case studies.

Japan Distribution Management Support Organization Co., Ltd. will exhibit the "Origin Certification Service" called "Proof of Origin" at the agricultural and livestock exhibition "Agriculture WEEK (commonly known as J-AGRII)" held at Makuhari Messe. "Proof of Origin" is expected to solve the problem of counterfeit Japanese sake, which has been occurring frequently overseas in recent years. We aim to protect the value of Japanese sake brands both domestically and internationally, and to further increase the number of sake fans.

On June 10, Japan Distribution Management Support Organization Co., Ltd. conducted a "sake origin authentication" using a service that applies technology used in diamond origin certification. As a result, we report that we were able to pinpoint the exact origin of "which sake brewery it was produced in." This authentication was voluntarily conducted by our company to demonstrate the technology. This authentication uses our "scientific" origin certification service, "Origin Seal," to identify the precise origin of "which sake brewery it was produced in." Sake is said to be more difficult to authenticate compared to wine because its raw materials are only "water" and "rice." In this context, we conducted an analysis at the molecular level of water and rice to determine whether it matches the original (authentic). For this authentication, we used a total of 9 bottles from 3 different brands produced in 3 prefectures (Niigata, Gunma, and Kyoto), each with different manufacturing dates. For more details, please refer to the related links.