At the 63rd International Agricultural and Food Fair AGRA, award-winning products once again received more than just traditional recognition. For the second year in a row, alongside around 1,500 conventional awards, an equal number of digital awards were presented. By scanning a QR code, consumers can instantly verify which institution issued the award, which product it applies to, and the period of its validity. These digital awards are verifiable and trustworthy, enhancing security and transparency. They represent an innovative way of strengthening confidence in products and producers, while also raising the prestige of the AGRA fair as a role model for other organizers and industries.
AGRA – a tradition of quality
AGRA is one of the most important agricultural and food fairs in the region. This year it was held from August 23 to 28 in Gornja Radgona (Slovenia) and attracted more than 100,000 visitors. For decades, the fair has brought together producers, innovators, and decision-makers in the agri-food and related industries, while also serving as the central stage for evaluating product quality – from meat, dairy, wine, and honey to agricultural machinery. The awards of its international expert juries are widely recognized as a symbol of excellence at home and abroad. Companies use them as a promotional tool and proof of quality, while consumers see them on store shelves as a guarantee of reliability.
From paper to digital
In today’s digital age, the key question is: how can awards become more than symbolic certificates on the wall and instead serve as verifiable proof, easily shared through modern digital channels? While paper awards have tradition and digital badges are convenient, without verifiability both can be misused.
AGRA has therefore introduced a major innovation: every awarded product now receives, in addition to a paper certificate, a verifiable digital credential. This year, companies received about 1,500 QR codes secured with technologies such as cryptography and digital identity. These codes can be displayed on products, websites, catalogs, or promotional materials. Consumers, in turn, can scan them to immediately verify the award’s origin, authenticity, and validity.
How verifiable awards work
Each QR code, linked to a specific product, reveals the type of award (bronze, silver, gold or champion), the name of the awarded product, the period of validity, and a link to the official AGRA catalog (currently covering 2024 and 2025). This gives consumers clear confirmation that the award was genuinely granted to the product in their hands and that it is still valid.
The benefits are evident: the issuer is clearly identified, the award is tied to a specific product and time period, and verification is instant. Awards thus become a tool for building trust, transparency, and promotional value.
This is confirmed by the CEO of the Pomurje fair Boris Nicolas Erjavec, who adds: “AGRA awards have a long tradition and hold great significance for producers and consumers. By introducing verifiable digital awards, we have taken an important step forward – adding security, enhancing credibility, and ensuring the sustainable value of awards. In doing so, we not only strengthen the fair’s reputation but also build trust in the products of domestic and international producers presenting at AGRA, while setting an example for other events in the region.”
Trust technology – from fairs to certificates
The solution is based on the MyNextID platform by Netis, which ensures that awards cannot be forged. Its potential reaches far beyond fairs: the same approach can be used to digitize quality certificates, diplomas, tickets, accreditations, participation confirmations, and many other types of documents.
For education and certification, Netis has created Velocert, a platform for issuing legally valid digital credentials. Already in use at higher education institutions abroad, it aims to expand to the entire sector. Advantages include reduced administration, lower costs, greater transparency, and immediate verification. Users can store credentials in their digital wallet and securely share them with institutions, which verify their authenticity in seconds – without paperwork or delays.
“Digitalization teaches us speed, but when it comes to documents and certificates, credibility matters most – who issued them, and whether they are genuine and valid. At Netis, we develop solutions that allow certificates, diplomas, and awards to be issued digitally, securely, and verifiably – with the same legal validity as paper. We are proud to collaborate with such a respected partner as AGRA in the field of verifiable awards, while extending this logic to other crucial sectors – such as education and credentialing for the modern labor market, where recognition must be fast, reliable, and increasingly international,« adds Sebastjan Pirih, director of Marketing and Business Development.
