CannabisOctober 14, 2019 Counterfeit Cannabis and Adulterants Found in Vape Products Outbreaks due to vape use containing altered or illicit materials have resulted in increased admittance to hospitals for respiratory complications. Current federal cannabis prohibitions that undercut state laws also prohibit national and federal programs to stop adulterated and counterfeit products within the industry. While bootlegging of products is nothing new (the alcohol prohibition of the 1920’s for example), not having the ability to monitor products across states is a hindrance to the legal market. Learn More
Premium BrandsOctober 9, 2019 Nike is the Recent Target of the Counterfeit Market U.S customs and Border protection in L.A. have seized more than 14,000 pairs of counterfeit shoes of the popular Nike brand. The estimated cost is around 2.2 million dollars if sold at retail. The report had stated that the products were declared as napkins, before being searched and seized by officials and charged with “infringement on a Protected Trademark”. The director of border patrol stated “Intellectual property theft is a crime that leads to lost revenue for American industry, a loss of American jobs, and often poses a threat to public health and safety,” and according to Footwear news “the global market for counterfeit goods has ballooned into an estimated trillion-dollar industry.”. Learn More
Premium BrandsOctober 3, 2019 Fashion Trade Group Calls for Five Amazon Sites to be Placed on “Notorious Markets” List American Apparel & Footwear Association, representing over 1,000 brands including Versace, Calvin Klein and Under Armor, has requested that the U.S. government place a handful of Amazon sites on the annual Notorious Markets list. The sites mentioned include Amazon UK, Canada, Germany, France and India. The complaint comes from Amazons leniency with becoming a seller resulting in a confusing and misleading selling environment. A consumer can simply search for popular brands and notice they are sold for a fraction of the price represented in storefronts. It is quoted that Amazon “relies heavily on algorithms and machine learning… leaving it vulnerable to bad actors who can game the system” which means Amazon consumers should be vigilant of 3rd party sellers for now. Learn More
governmentSeptember 23, 2019 Senior Vice President at Ashton Potter Appointed to ITSA Kelly M. Smith, Senior Vice President at Ashton Potter, has been appointed to the International Tax Stamp Association (ITSA). This not-for-profit association promotes high standards and advocates best practices for the use of tax stamps, track and trace and product authentication worldwide. Learn More
Automated ManufacturingSeptember 18, 2019 Supply Chain Management Technology Becoming Critical for Businesses In a study conducted by Verdantix its estimated 45% of companies use paper for job hazard analysis and 27% still use paper-based systems to manage contractor information. More than ever technology is something businesses must embrace, yet more than half of the 161 companies surveyed still use paper to manage supply chain risk. The use of paper over digital technology leads to supply chain risk and loss of essential information. However with this in mind approximately 83% of executives see value in using technology to increase overall visibility of performance metrics. In a globalized economy it becomes increasingly difficult and complex to manage supply chains, making it critical to upgrade your business to maintain a competitive advantage. Learn More
AutomotiveSeptember 12, 2019 General Motors Under Pressure for Brake Recall Power-assisted breaks are the cause of recall for many of GMs popular truck and SUV models. GM, the owner of Chevy, Cadillac, and GMC was put under heavy pressure to recall nearly 3.8 million vehicles after over a hundred complaints of crashes and 13 injuries as a result of faulty braking performance. This braking problem is caused by a faulty brake control module which severely increases the amount of time required to stop which greatly heightens the risk of a crash. Popular models include Chevy Silverado’s, Cadillac Escalades, and GMC Sierras ranging from 2015-2018. Customers began to be notified in early September. Learn More
Food & BeverageAugust 29, 2019 Well Known Kitchen Appliances Part of Latest Recall Over 26,000 glass cooktops from Whirlpool, KitchenAid and JennAir are being recalled due to elements turning on by themselves posing burn and fire hazards. Touch control cooktops are also included in the recall. Model and serial numbers have been provided to consumers and how to determine if their model is affected. Learn More
AutomotiveAugust 2, 2019 Faulty Suspensions Avoiding Recall Through Nissan’s “Service Campaign” Popular car manufacturer Nissan is launching a “service campaign” to avoid recalls and being monitored by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Approximately 200,000 Altima cars are affected due to a suspension component. While no crashes or injuries have been reported associated with the faulty part, 139 owners have complained about the issue. The part in question was redesigned in 2018 to address and improve durability. Learn More
PharmaceuticalsJuly 21, 2019 Potential Fake Supplements Sold on Amazon Third-party sellers who market all kinds of fake products have been a constant pain point to major online retailer Amazon. Although there have been several initiatives to detect and minimize counterfeiters listing goods in their marketplace, brands typically need to elect to participate. Most recently, a popular nutritional supplement was identified as potentially counterfeit. Amazon contacted customers who had purchased the item disclosing the probably information and added a full refund would be provided. While Amazon is both a retailer and a third-party marketplace, the line between the two parts of it’s business can be a bit of a grey area. Learn More
Food & BeverageJuly 7, 2019 Blockchain: Food for Thought The modern consumer is looking for as much information as they can get. Especially in the food and beverage industry as increasingly health-conscious customers want to know everything they can about their food. 20% of the top-1- global grocers are anticipated to be using blockchain by the year 2025. Traceability isn’t simply a solution for the customer’s pressing concerns but also impacts the industry as a whole as it relates to product recall and marketing the ability to provide data from farm-to-fork. Learn More