Tracing Tobacco Back to its Roots

A recent scientific review ¹ by researchers in China sheds new light on how cutting-edge science can be used to fight the global illicit tobacco trade. The study, carried out by teams at the China National Tobacco Quality Supervision and Test Centre, the Beijing Life Science Academy, and the Key Laboratory of Information Traceability for Agricultural Products at the Ministry of Agriculture, explores how chemical, mineral, and isotopic ‘fingerprinting’ techniques can identify the true geographical origin of tobacco.

China is not only the world’s largest producer and consumer of tobacco, but also one of the world’s biggest illicit tobacco markets – a market that costs the nation billions in lost taxes each year. For this reason, the country has invested heavily in scientific methods to track and verify the origin of tobacco as a way to strengthen enforcement and close loopholes exploited by smugglers and counterfeiters.

Illicit trade thrives on hidden origins