New free app targets fake "Made in Italy" products

MILAN - March 20, 2017 - PRLog -- The Reliabitalyapp helps consumers distinguish products that are genuinely "Made in Italy"from products that are imitations and fakes,or the so-called"Italian Sounding" products.

Created by its homonymousnonprofit organization,Reliabitaly is an app that uses products'barcodes/QR codes to determine whether a product that appears to be Made in Italy is actually Italian or not.

March 2017, Reliabitalyclaims the app will help consumers spot products that are simply "Italian sounding" - items that may appear to be from Italy at a first glance but are actually made in far-off lands.

In an attempt to fight this widespread problem, the nonprofit organization Reliabitaly has created a free app (available for both iOSand Android)that allows consumers to check if the product they are buying is indeed Made in Italy. The app is not only used for food or drinks;other largely counterfeited products that fall in the fashion and design category can also be checked.

Once people have downloaded the Reliabitalyapp, they can use it to scan the barcode/QR code of the item they want to purchase and find out if it is actually Italian or not. Furthermore, if the product has been verified by Reliabitaly's technical committee, and if theproduct is authentic and actually Made in Italy, the consumer will be able to see pictures, information about the item itself and how it was made.

Reliabitalyclaims to verify the production methods, from raw materials to processing, to guaranteeing 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 desired"brand" around the world.

Consumers can check products not only through the reading of the barcode/QRcode (typically used for handicraft items) but also through the NFC tag acquisition (typically used for high-end products) andthroughproduct image recognition.This allows companies to choosewhich methodtheir customers can use to recognizetheir product.

According to consumer association Coldiretti, the market share for fake Italian products, also known as "Italian sounding" products, is more profitable than the authentic Made in Italy market share. The fake Italian market share is valued at 54 billion euros, which is double the amount earned through exports of genuine Italian items. This primarily damages the consumers and the Made in Italy reputation.

Reliabitaly believes that consumers whowant to experience Italian products have the right to obtain original Italian products and easily verify their authenticity.This allows the customers to avoida disappointing experiencing with something that has nothing to do with Italy or Italian quality products.

https://itunes.apple.com/it/app/reliabitaly/id1209245603?...

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.reliabi...