In June 2026, UK-based semiconductor company Pragmatic Semiconductor launched a new NFC-enabled tamper detection chip. The newly launched chip helps the brands to combat product counterfeiting, prevent tampering, and also improve supply chain transparency. It also helps to protect customers, safeguard product integrity, and strengthen the reputation and trust of a brand among its consumers.
The newly launched Pragmatic NFC combines product authentication, digital identity, and tamper evidence, all of it in a flexible, ultra-thin chip that can be easily integrated into packaging and labels. The technologically advanced chip helps consumers to check whether a product is genuine and unopened simply by tapping it with a smartphone. The flexible and imperceptible design of the chip easily integrates into any product, including curved surfaces, allowing brands to maintain their product’s aesthetics and consumer experience.
The company also states that the technology is intended for use across sectors where product integrity and consumer safety play a vital role. Hence, the chips have a major role in product categories such as baby food, pet food, pharmaceuticals, wellness products, cosmetics, wine, and spirits.
Counterfeiting is still a major issue for brands and retailers worldwide. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), counterfeit products accounted for an estimated US$467 billion in global trade in 2021, creating significant risks for consumers and supply chains.
Pragmatic states that NFC Protect creates a unique digital identity for each item through a serial number programmed during the manufacturing process. The chip is also enabled to record the tamper status, enabling brands, retailers, and consumers to verify whether a product has been opened or compromised. The company also says that the technology can help to reduce grey market activity by improving product traceability and allowing products to be authenticated throughout their lifecycle.
James Davey, SVP Sales, Business Development, and Product Management at Pragmatic Semiconductor, said the new product is being offered as the value of global trade in counterfeit goods is estimated at almost half a trillion dollars annually, with the growth of e-commerce creating new opportunities for product tampering and fraud.
“Pragmatic NFC Protect PR1311 enables brands to invisibly embed authentication and data integrity throughout the product lifecycle, from production to consumption,” said Davey in a statement. “Our partners can now expand their product portfolios to provide customers with secure digital proof of a product’s status, giving consumers control and confidence wherever and however they choose to purchase.”
Pragmatic Protect chip also supports digital engagement between brands and consumers. Companies can use the technology to provide product information, gather feedback, and create ongoing interactions after purchase. The launch of a technological device has attracted support from multiple brands operating in packaging and digital identification, including strategic investors and partners such as Avery Dennison and Amcor, which see growing demand for intelligent packaging solutions to strengthen product protection and consumer trust. The company has also launched an early access program allowing customers to source the new chip through selected assembly partners.
Pragmatic Semiconductor’s new NFC technology highlights how smart packaging is way better than traditional labels and seals to provide authentication, traceability, and consumer engagement capabilities at the individual product level. The company also expects the new technology to support higher adoption of connected packaging solutions as brands are always in search of cost-effective ways to protect their products and keep their consumers’ trust maintained.
Counterfeiting, tampering, and grey market diversion are some of the huge drawbacks that shake a consumer’s trust in a brand. Such issues may also hamper the image and goodwill of a brand if not handled or looked after at the right time. NFC Protect helps to provide integrity sensing to detect tamper incidents, allowing consumers and brands to instantly verify a product’s status and also seal integrity with the help of a tap of a smartphone. Some of the highlighted benefits of NFC Protect involve:
Product safeguarding: provides clear, accessible proof of product integrity throughout the customer journey, helping reduce risk for consumers, retailers, and brands while increasing transparency and trust across the supply chain.
Brand protection: creates a persistent product identity through a unique serial number programmed and locked at manufacture, combined with real-time tamper status to enhance traceability through the product lifecycle.
Consumer experience: extends value beyond first-use verification by enabling ongoing, contextual consumer interactions tailored to the product’s tamper status, delivering a richer, long-term brand engagement.
Sustainable intelligence: manufactured using advanced low-carbon production techniques, NFC Protect combines sustainability, cost efficiency, and mass market scalability to enable brands to rapidly deploy protection across more products and markets.
31 July 2026
30 July 2026
30 July 2026
30 July 2026