Zoneco, one of China’s largest seafood firms, has engaged the services of an anti-counterfeiting firm to combat fakes and imitations of its high-end product ranges.
Zoneco boss Wu Hougang this week met with the head of the Shanghai-based Tian Chen Group (also known as Suntech) to discuss solutions for protecting its “Shen Hai Xing Xing” range of sea cucumbers and shellfish.
Focused on packaging, Suntech counts some of China’s leading food and beverage brands among its clients, including Maotai, the high-end rice wine brand. Suntech head Su Liang Heng said his firm would “protect the rights of [Zoneco] consumers” through “hidden-to-the-eye” technology embedded in packaging. Suntech uses a proprietary “Yun Mo” hologram-based technology, which it claims to have spent eight years and CNY 200 million (EUR 28.8 million, USD 25.3 million) developing.
After the meeting in Zoneco’s Jin Bei (Golden Scallop) plaza near Dalian, the Zoneco boss said he wants a “long-term relationship” with Suntech to protect the company’s high-end products. As growing demand drives prices up in China, the country’s seafood sector has been plagued with a rash of counterfeiting and mislabeling. Crab-producing groups in Eastern China’s Jiangsu Province have initiated court cases against hundreds of businesses, including restaurants and e-commerce vendors using “Yuyi Crayfish” and “Yangcheng Lake Hairy Crabs” trademarks without permission and selling non-authentic products.
Photo courtesy of Zoneco
