Anti-counterfeit code for aquatic product identification for traceability and supervision in China

•Anti-counterfeit code based on administrative supervision for the small scale and large number enterprise was constructed.•A decimal block encryption algorithm based on AES was purposed for the encryption of anti-counterfeit code.•The encryption for anti-counterfeit code of aquatic product based on AES was evaluated by diffusion rate.•Anti-counterfeit code for domestic supervision combining international standard was integrated in traceability label.

There are not or weak anti-counterfeit functions in the current traceability system. As a result, the counterfeiters could imitate this system easily. This phenomenon had a large impact on the traceability system construction and on consumer trust in the traceability information. The aim of our research was to construct an anti-counterfeit code for aquatic product identification, for traceability and supervision of aquatic enterprises in the domestic market. The aquatic products batch code (APBC) was in the form of a segmented combination encoding an enterprise identification code, a product code and a check code, which implements a combination of traceability and supervision. An encryption algorithm based on the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) was designed for decimal anti-counterfeit code based on the unique identification of the aquatic trace units. Simulation tests indicated that a diffusion rate of greater than 90% was achieved when the encryption was run four or more times, thereby leading to the implementation of an anti-counterfeiting technique for aquatic traceability, known as “one time, one code”. The anti-counterfeit code combined with GS1 was used in a product label, and the method has a high level of security and is used for supervision and tracing of aquatic products in China.