https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/a-high-tech-solution-for-rooting-out-counterfeit-goods/ > As a culture, we place a high premium on authenticity, but how do we actually judge what’s authentic from what’s not? The simple answer is that we rely mostly on labels. Walk into any store and you’ll find a veritable galaxy of product labels certifying everything from free-range salmon to conflict-free diamonds. We tend to take these at face value, perhaps because it’s more comforting to imagine counterfeiting as a distant problem of some bygone era. But the truth is, the counterfeiting business has never been better. > Fake goods account for a staggering 3.3 percent of global trade. While footwear and clothing comprise a large chunk of that, counterfeiters are increasingly turning their attention to more sinister grifts, trafficking in phony medical equipment, pharmaceuticals and foodstuffs. In February, the WHO issued an alert warning patients and physicians of a fake cancer drug being circulated in the U.S. and Europe. According to advocacy group Oceana, some 25 percent of the world’s seafood is mislabeled. By some estimates, as much as 80 percent of Italian olive oil is fake. And that’s only scratching the surface.