Identity preservation

Definition

Identity preservation is the strictest chain-of-custody model: materials carrying specified characteristics — organic, fair-trade, certified origin — are kept physically separate and traceable to a single identifiable source, such as one farm or one lot, through every stage of the supply chain. ISO 22095 sets out the hierarchy of models: identity preserved at the top, then segregated (certified material from multiple sources kept apart from non-certified), controlled blending, mass balance (mixing permitted with accounting controls) and book-and-claim (attributes traded separately from the physical material). Identity preservation is used where source-level proof is the product's value — single-origin foods, specialty grains, conflict-free minerals — and is the most costly model to operate.