Product Authenticator Feature for the European Market
New Labeling Technology Confirms You’re Growing With Authentic Advanced Nutrients Products
At Advanced Nutrients, we believe all growers deserve pure, safe, high-quality inputs that they can trust. We’re sparing no expense to bust counterfeiters and ensure you get what you pay for.
This is one of the reasons we are implementing a new labeling technology for our European factory that makes it easier than ever for growers to confirm they’re purchasing only authentic Advanced Nutrients products. Over the coming months, you’ll start to see updated labels on all liquid Advanced Nutrients products manufactured in Europe. Under each label, there will now be an RFID tag.
Keep in mind that as we roll out this new feature, there will be a period of transition where some bottles will not have RFID. And while every liquid product manufactured in Europe now comes with an RFID tag, our water-soluble powders are not yet eligible for this technology. If you have any questions or doubts about product authenticity, please contact us for assistance and verification.
The high cost of cloning our RFID tags makes it 100% impractical for counterfeiters to take action, eliminating imitation versions of the fertilizer you’re buying.
As an additional benefit, these new RFID tags will lead to a huge improvement in order accuracy. Because each bottle is tagged at production, only the correct products and sizes are automatically assembled for shipping.
To find out more about this feature, how it works, who it’s available for, and other frequently asked questions, please visit this page: Everything You Need to Know About Advanced Nutrients’ New Labeling Technology.
or…
If you want to learn how to use the feature correctly (troubleshoot) or want to report a product you suspect as inauthentic, please keep reading below.
Make Sure the Authenticator Is Working Correctly
So you’ve tried the Authenticator feature in BudLabs, and you’re not seeing a tag on your Advanced Nutrients product.
Don’t worry — that doesn’t necessarily mean your product is a counterfeit. On this page, we’ll cover all the reasons a tag may not be detected so you know exactly what to do next.
First things first…
Ask yourself these questions…
- Are you scanning European products? Later on, the Authenticator will be available for products made in the USA. Right now, however, it’s only working for liquid fertilizers made in Europe. To see if your product has an RFID tag, make sure to search for this text on the label (it’s usually on the back label or the side of the label).
Only products that have this text on the label are the ones produced with our new technology. If you bought a bottle that doesn’t have this text on the label, this doesn’t mean it’s inauthentic. Keep reading below to find out why not all products on the European market have an RFID label. Then click here to submit your question if you are still suspicious about the product you purchased.
- Do you have the latest version of BudLabs installed on your phone? For the latest app version, you can always visit budlabsapp.com and follow the links to the Play Store and App Store. Please note this feature is only available for users located in countries where European products are shipped to. If you don’t see the feature, then it most likely means the RFID technology has not yet been applied to products sold in your country. Get in touch with us at hola@advancednutrients.com if you have a question.
- Have you enabled the Authenticator on BudLabs and “NFC” reader in your phone settings? When you try to use the feature, you will be prompted to go to your phone settings and activate NFC, the same technology used for mobile payments nowadays.
- Are you within a couple of centimeters when scanning? The feature doesn’t work if you are far away. Your phone must be within at least 1-3 cm of the tag.
- The RFID labels are not used on product sizes 57 Liters and above. These sizes are produced upon request and sent directly to our commercial clients. For technical reasons, the tags are currently unavailable for our powdered fertilizers, such as the Sensi Professional Series, the Cultivator Series, and the Voodoo Juice® Plus Tablets.
- RFID tags are always in the center, behind the front label. Although the text identifying the presence of the RFID technology may sometimes be on the side or the back of the bottle, the actual tag is on the front side. See the images below for where the tag is placed behind the front label:
The RFID tags are placed during the bottling process in the center of the front labels
Afterward, they are covered by the product label stickers. You need to check the center of the front label and scan at least 1-3 cm close to the tag. Keep in mind larger product sizes in Europe (57 L and above) don’t have the RFID tags, as they are manufactured upon request and sold directly to our commercial customers and are unavailable through Grow Stores or distributors. For technical reasons, our water-soluble powders don’t yet feature RFID technology either.
If you’ve answered YES to all of the above and still can’t find a tag, then…
Here Are a Few Other Reasons Your Product Isn’t Being Picked Up By the Authenticator
Keep in mind…
- New labeling technology was first introduced to the Barcelona labeling process on April 14th, 2023. So if you see your product on this list but still can’t verify its authenticity, it could be because it was made before April 14th — not necessarily because it’s a fake.
- Some products circulating in the market have been previously imported from the USA, and the Authenticator does not yet apply to them. All liquid products manufactured in Europe after April 2023 come with RFID, but through distributors and grow shops, it is still possible to find products manufactured in Europe and the USA before the change in technology.
Now here’s…
What To Do If You Still Have Doubts
If you’ve confirmed that the BudLabs Authenticator is working correctly, that you have an eligible product produced in Europe, and its label is dated after April 14th, 2023, and you still have doubts:
- Check the product’s look, smell, and consistency. Is it the same as the previous products you’ve purchased?
- Check the product’s label. Does something look strange or out of place?
- Make sure you know and trust the store you purchased the product from
If anything about the product or label looks off to you, reach out to our Grower Support Team by submitting the form below. The more counterfeiters we can catch, the safer we can keep our community… And the better we can guarantee your success as a grower with Advanced Nutrients.
Submit a question
To find out more about the Authenticator feature, how it works, who it’s available for, and other frequently asked questions, please visit this page: Everything You Need to Know About Advanced Nutrients’ New Labeling Technology.