These days more consumers are discovering that the food they think they're buying, might not be what they get. A new company in Lawrence, IdentiGEN, wants to change that when it comes to the beef you buy. 27 News Reporter Kia Carter shows the effect the company hopes to have on the beef industry in North America.

You could call them the CSI's of the beef industry.

"Every animal, every living organism has a unique fingerprint," says Justin Grifis, Genotype Operations Manager.

And with just a scrape, IdentiGEN has come up with a cost effective way to identify any kind of beef and where it came from, a technology called DNA Traceback.

With the cut of a ribbon Wednesday, IdentiGEN opened its doors to a curious crowd and some state leaders celebrating its decision to make Lawrence its North American headquarters.

"In this heart of the bioscience corridor, a company like this is making marketing easier and letting people know we have good scientists and a ready-to-go workforce," says U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda, (D) 2nd District.

"We employ scientists ranging from bachelor ate to masters so they are high paying jobs and that's why we chose here, because between Lawrence and Manhattan, we have a good recruitment base," says Don Marvin, IdentiGEN CEO & President.

The company has been making it work in Ireland since 2000 and says this technology could save millions in the event of a beef recall.

"In the past with a beef recall, you pull everything off the shelves nationwide. There's not a way to focus a recall on that. With DNA Traceback we can target that recall and minimize costs the retailer and packager in recalling that product," says Marvin.

But there's another benefit the company says consumers can really appreciate, the work done in the lab ensures that when you buy organic, angus or grass-fed beef, that's exactly what you're getting.

"You're trusting that the label is correct, but that's how the system works now, we can test the product so we don't rely on labels that could fall victim to unscrupulous practices," says Grifis.

Now this new DNA practice could soon be seen on store shelves near you.

IdentiGEN is talking with producers, packers and retailers in the beef industry and says announcements about when their label will be on store shelves, should come soon. It will employ 30 people by the end of the year and, in a few years, it plans to employ between 200 and 300 people.