Systems and methods are disclosed herein for the non-intrusive inspection
and/or verification of cargo. In an exemplary embodiment, an elemental
signature is determined at a first point in a supply chain and
transmitted to a second point in the supply chain. When the goods arrive
at the second point, the elemental signature of the goods may be measured
and verified against the original elemental signature. In another
embodiment, an elemental signature may be measured to verify the origin
or identity of the goods. In some embodiments such elemental signatures
are inherent to the shipped goods and/or their packaging. In other
embodiments, elemental signatures are applied to the shipment as tag
materials.