Sources · FATTI + CHOICES
The Verace method
Because we firmly believe we are what we eat.
Not a verdict handed down from above: a label you can finally read. Here you'll find, piece by piece, what we show, how we calculate the scores and where every number comes from.
The product page
What you see on every product
When you scan a Verace product you don't just see a number. You see where it really comes from, who made it, what's inside — with checks performed by us, not declared by the seller.
Exact origin
The production facility is a point on the map, not a generic "made in Italy". If the producer declares several sites, you see them all.
Step-by-step supply chain
Every stage of the journey, from fishing to ageing. We always distinguish the stage declared by the producer from the stage confirmed by the supplier who performed it, via direct invitation and GPS position.
For fish: the real fishing area
The official FAO area (EU Reg. 1379/2013) drawn on the map, plus the species' scientific name. "Caught in the Atlantic" isn't enough: we show you which Atlantic.
The label, translated
Nutrition values (kJ and kcal), composition with percentages, the 14 European allergens highlighted, additives recognised from the EU register with each one's EFSA assessment, storage and recycling codes.
Live checks, not badges
PDO/PGI/TSG checked against the official European register (eAmbrosia), organic against the public SINAB list, company identity against the European VAT database (VIES). We check them automatically, not once and for all.
Active protections
Per-batch anti-counterfeiting QR, push notifications for food recalls, the European Digital Product Passport (DPP).
The scores
Two questions, two numbers
Every product answers two different questions, with two separate numbers that never blend.
Quality (0–100)
How is this product made? Nutrition, ingredients, packaging.
Authenticity (0–100)
How much of what the producer says is verified?
We also show the European Nutri-Score (A–E): the official health metric, calculated by us with the algorithm updated to 2023.
Quality
How Quality is built
Our Quality score adds up three parts. The weights are a Verace editorial choice, declared here once and for all: health and raw materials matter more than packaging.
the nutritional profile per 100 g — European Nutri-Score 2023 (Santé Publique France) + Italian calibration for nutrients structural to each category (CREA tables: the salt in cured ham is ageing, not a choice)
how processed it is and what it contains — NOVA classification + EFSA-assessed additives (penalty proportional to risk) + certified organic bonus
real recyclability — materials + EU recycling codes (Decision 97/129/EC)
- Why packaging weighs "only" 15: the health risk of plastic (microplastics) cannot be measured for a single product — we flag it as information on the product page, we don't score it.
- Why organic gets a contained bonus: EFSA reports show fewer pesticide residues in organic food, but no nutritional advantage — we reward the fact, not the halo.
- Alcoholic beverages (above 1.2% vol) are outside the Nutri-Score by European rule: we say so, we don't judge them with a metric that doesn't apply.
Authenticity
How Authenticity is built
Anyone can write "traceable supply chain". We measure how much is verified. Every product has two rings: the outer one is what the producer declares, the inner one is what is verified — by public European registers or by suppliers confirming directly. An unverified declaration is worth 30% of its weight: enough to encourage transparency, not enough to equal proof.
The gap between the two rings IS the information.
Transparency
Facts and choices
Every piece of our method is one of these two things. We don't mix them, but they are complementary.
FACTS — with source and date
- The Nutri-Score 2023 grid (Santé Publique France)
- Additive risk classes (EFSA assessments)
- FAO fishing areas (EU Reg. 1379/2013)
- Transport emission factors (DEFRA/DESNZ 2025)
- Recycling codes (Decision 97/129/EC)
- Live registers: eAmbrosia, SINAB, VIES
VERACE CHOICES — declared and motivated
- The 60/25/15 Quality weights
- The Italian calibration percentages (anchored to CREA tables)
- How the NOVA classification converts into points
- The 30% granted to not-yet-verified declarations
- The grade thresholds (Excellent, Very Good, …)
Real example
A real product, taken apart
Take a canned tuna in olive oil listed on the platform. Origin on the map, FAO fishing area 87, 3-stage supply chain. Quality 53 out of 100: 27 from Nutrition (Nutri-Score D, mitigated by the preserving salt recognised by CREA tables), 11 from Ingredients (minimally processed, no additives detected), 15 from Packaging (recyclable can and cardboard, EU codes declared). Nutri-Score strip: D. And next to it, the two Authenticity rings with what is declared and what is verified.
Our limits
What we do NOT do
Why we do it
We try to bring out the work, commitment and tenacity of the many people who believe in their professionalism and above all in the quality of their products, which travel our roads for kilometre after kilometre to reach our tables.
Sources
The sources we use
Every source is public and reviewable. Names link to the official sites.